Monday, July 1, 2013

Review ~ Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska by Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss

Hello Friends! Here's another book that keep me up reading til 5 am just to finish it! (I promise, I do sleep at night...sometimes!)

Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska is a cute contemporary romance by Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss. I discovered these two authors through their book Love Finds You in Victory Heights, Washington. While these are the only two books I've read by Ms. Fleiss, Tricia Goyer has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I love everything I've read by her. She has this way of drawing you in and makes everything seem interesting. Her WWII novels are so real, its like I'm there.

Synopsis: This novel, however, is not historical, but modern day, sort of. This is the story of Ginny Marshall and Brett Miller. But it is also the story of Ellie, a young lady from California during the early 1900's. Ginny is the worlds next biggest music star who just lands a huge recording contract, has a famous and rich boyfriend, and everything else she ever wanted - except one thing. Someone who really knows her, understands her past, and can help her decide what to do next. Enter Brett Miller, her ex-fiance who she ran away from in order to pursue her music. She returns to his home in Glacier Bay, Alaska for his advice and ends up with much, much more. While there, she stays with his grandmother, a sweet woman who has spent her life praying for the right woman to come along for Brett. As her relationship with Grandma grows, Ginny is introduced to Ellie through letters that Grandma has collected. Ellie's story is woven throughout the book via the letters, and is as bittersweet as Ginny's.

I originally thought this book was going to be a light, quick read. Instead, I got a book packed with emotion and a beautiful love story that was not bound by time. Ellie's story, and Ginny's as well, made me want to weep with agony, and giggle with joy. The heartbreak they went through was so real, and yet, it was not the end of the story. Love was.

Things I loved: The scenery of Glacier Bay and the people in the town. In the Author's Note, it seems that some of the more colorful characters in town are real people - how cool is that?! I seriously want to go to Glacier Bay now! (Side note, a friend just got back from an Alaskan cruise and posted pictures. Where were the best ones from? You guessed it - Glacier Bay, Alaska! It was awesome to see pictures of the places I was just reading about!) I also loved the themes of prayer running throughout. Finally, I loved that foster care and adoption played such a huge part in this story, both in the modern day part, and the letters from the past. These ladies did a fantastic job letting the reader understand the pain that a foster child can go through, and the importance of forever families, as well as the importance of forgiveness and not letting the past rule you.

Things I didn't like as much: The story of Brett and Ginny seemed to take a bit of a back seat to the one from the letters. It wasn't bad, I just wish there could have been a bit more. Their romance happened fast, but maybe that is because they already had a history. Second, there were a few typos in the kindle edition - and a reference to the Parent Trap 2 when they really meant the The Parent Trap remake from the 1990's.

Overall, a really good read. Yes, it was fast, but the story was so compelling! I loved it, and highly recommend it, especially if you love a book with great scenery, and history!

God bless, and Happy Reading!

Sarah
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11298392-love-finds-you-in-glacier-bay-alaska

2 comments:

  1. In reference to Parent Trap 2 vs. Parent Trap remake: good catch Sarah. When using actual events in fiction it is important to many readers to also keep event of no historical value accurate.

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  2. Heh - I actually had to go look it up on wikipedia. The original Parent Trap with Hayley Mills had different names for the twins than the remake did, as did the movies that followed. Only the 1990's remake had the names Hallie and Annie which were referenced in the book.

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