Archive for the ‘Kathy Herman’ Category
Not by Sight: A Novel (Ozark Mountain Trilogy)
About this book
My Review
This turned out to be a very good book. It started kind of slow and appeared it was going to be very predictable. However, once again, this author added some twists to the story that kept it engaging and me wanting more.
I liked the main character, Abby, a lot. She’s new in her faith and trying her best to grow in faith and trust of God. Past mistakes hurt her credibility with her family and causes her a great deal of pain. Her grandfather was a great teacher and mentor for her, though he even questioned what she really saw. I struggled a lot with the mom. Of course, if I were in her shoes having gone through the heart ache she had I might be the same way or even worse.
This author and publisher brings readers a strong message in their stories and Not By Sight is no exception. This story touched my heart and I could feel for the characters and the pain they were experiencing. Not my favorite Kathy Herman book, but it was definitely worth the time to read it and I look forward to see what develops in this trilogy.
Disclaimer: I did receive this book from the publisher, through NetGalley.Com but was under no obligation to do anything but give my honest opinion.
Give Away
I will give away a copy of this book, either a Kindle book or the paperback on May 31st. Just leave a comment include what state you are from.
Relentless Pursuit–Kathy Herman
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Relentless Pursuit, Secrets of Roux River Bayou Series #3 Sax Landry is tormented by guilt. To escape his father’s abuse he left home, abandoning his mother and sister. Now his parents are dead, and he’s in Barbes, Louisiana, searching for his sister. But it’s not safe—people are dying because of a bioterrorist attack. He should leave, but stays. Will he find his sibling—and peace? |
Summary: Kathy Herman is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. With this third installment of the Secrets of Roux River Bayou I’m again captured by the lives of the characters of Les Barbes. This story broke my heart but also warmed my heart as the characters struggle with real life issues of understanding senseless deaths and the need to forgive. The one drawback for me, is very early on I had a good idea who our culprit would be, but this didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the story. As in Dangerous Mercy Herman deals with the attitude too many have toward God and with grace and mercy she deals with the topic of why a good God would let such bad things happen.
Digging Deeper: Although this is part of a trilogy, one doesn’t necessarily need to read the first two books to enjoy this one. The author gives just enough back story throughout that you have a basic understanding of where the characters came from and some of their hang ups with life. Of course, reading the previous two installments will add to the impact of the story’s conclusion. This story happens about 4 years after book one and two years after book two, so the characters have grown in many ways.
The Characters – One of the primary characters is a new comer to Les Barbes, but no strangers to Kathy Herman readers, Emily Jessup was part of Herman’s Sophie Trace series. She’s now 19 and attending college at LSU planning to be a doctor. She comes to Les Barbes to spend the summer with her sister, Vanessa Langley. But she soon finds herself dealing with a grief-stricken, Chance Durand, who’s parents are both killed along with several others in this quiet city.
We also meet Sax Henry who is in search of peace and relief from the guilt he has dealt with for almost 30 years. He’s looking for the sister he left behind in the hell they knew as home. His search as brought him to Les Barbes and the doorstep of Adele Woodmore. Again, Adele plays a key role in this story and she is truly wonderful. She is an example of God’s grace in action. She is tough and willing to speak her mind, but she loves people deeply. She may be my favorite character in the series.
The key characters from the previous two books are back and an active part of the story. The author does an amazing job tying the characters together through the book and the series.
The Story – It was solid and a little too real life. Bottled water and a food bar have been tampered with and people die. I thought he author did an amazing job with the funeral mass of the child who died. It was touching and spoke some good truths that we can take to heart.
As I said in the summary, I was pretty sure early on who our killer was and the basics of why. The author leaves subtle clues throughout the story to lead you.
There’s a lot more I could say about this story, but I don’t want to give you too much. It’s a solid story with a fairly strong mystery plot, but I think the story of Sax Henry is even stronger. I really liked it!
Disclaimer: I did receive this copy from the publisher but was under no obligation to give anything but my honest opinion.
False Pretenses: A Novel by Kathy Herman
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False Pretenses, Secrets of Roux River Bayou Series #1 By Kathy Herman / David C. Cook Zoe Broussard and her husband enjoy a wonderful life in her Louisiana hometown—and their popular restaurant draws folks from all over. But her little piece of heaven is about to turn into hell. Anonymous notes threaten to reveal secrets that could ruin her business and marriage. Can she find the courage to face her past? |
Review Summary: This was a good read. The storyline was solid and the pace of the story moved well. I enjoyed most of the characters, the only one that bugged me was Ethan Langley who too often wore his “therapist” hat when he should have been wearing his husband and father hat. The one thing that really touched me in this story was Remy Jarvis. The author did an excellent job of making me feel the pain and anguish that should be felt when anyone faces those type of circumstances.
Digging a Little Deeper: This story deals with several topics, but the main one being ‘honesty is the best policy.’ Zoe Broussard had been running from her difficult and painful past and living a lie for ten years. When it suddenly starts to fall apart even as she tries to tell lie to cover up another one. This story also deals with prejudices that too many of us live with and don’t even realize it.
This cast of characters all have flaws that normal people can relate to at some level. Zoe has lived a lie for so long she can almost believe it, yet when her world starts to tumble she finds herself struggling to keep her lies straight. Her husband, Pierce has his own struggles and tends to be judgmental which adds to Zoe’s fears. Their tenants Ethan, Valerie and Carter Langley are new to town and feel that because they’re not Cajun they are being shun by some of the townspeople. Ethan tended to step into “therapist” mode way too often analyzing the actions of others including his wife. Valerie seemed to be the most problem free person. The regulars of Zoe B’s restaurant were great. They added some fun and some very touching moments to the story.
Recommendations: If you enjoy Colleen Coble or Terri Blackstock you should enjoy Kathy Herman. Her writing is very good and flows for a quick read.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank David C. Cook publication for the opportunity to read and review this book, my only obligation was to give my honest opinion of this book.
