Happy Book Release Day! A Charming Misfortune by Tonya Kappes it out today along with Versions of Her by Andrea Lochen, Fragments of Fear by Carrie Parks (a suspense novel), and Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kibler. Is there a new release you are looking forward to reading?
Versions of Her by Andrea Lochen takes
two sisters on a journey into the past that will help them move forward with
their lives. Melanie Kingstad-Keyes is a
professor at Kinsley College and married Ben. While it appears that Melanie has the perfect
life, she feels shattered inside. She
had finally become pregnant, only to have a miscarriage at eight weeks. Melanie needs to get away from her life and
her supportive husband. The family’s
Lake Indigo summer home was left to Melanie and her sister, Kelsey when their
mother passed away four years ago. Since
they have not utilized it in fifteen years and there is no longer a renter,
Melanie feels this is the time to sell it.
Kelsey Kingstad has always felt inferior
to her sister, Melanie. She likes to
read, bake and loves animals, but she cannot figure out how those skills relate
to a job. Kelsey currently works at
Green Valley Pet Lodge and has just gotten out of another bad
relationship. She is not a fan of
Melanie’s idea to sell the Victorian lake home, but Melanie is full steam
ahead. Kelsey feels guilty that she was
not home the day her mother died, and she does not want to let the house be
sold out of their family. It has been in
her mother’s family for generations and Kelsey remembers the happy times they shared
here each summer.
Melanie’s first night at the lake
home, she uncovers a secret door behind the Tree of Life tapestry in her
room. There is a small closet type room
with a bench inside. When Melanie exits
the room, she has been transported back to her mother’s childhood. It is a door to the past that allows the sisters
to view their mother’s memories. The
sister’s, though, are unprepared for what they learn about their beloved
mother. Will the visits into the past
allow the sisters to move on with their own lives?
Versions of Her is the first
novel I have read by Andrea Lochen and it will not be my last. I was immediately drawn into the intriguing
story and I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. I thought Versions of Her was well-written and
it had a good flow. I thought the
characters were realistic and relatable.
The sister’s relationship was an accurate representation as it reminded
me of my relationship with my sister. Siblings
may have the same parents, but they have differing personalities, likes, and
looks. I enjoyed the portal to the past
that Melanie discovered. Each sister had
a different approach (of course).
Melanie was scientific and cautious while Kelsey was the adventurous
one. I could understand their struggle
over whether to keep using it and if their actions could change the course of
events. They wanted to learn all they
could about their mother. But what if
they discovered something about her that would change their view of their
deceased mom? Versions of Her is an
emotional novel with Melanie agonizing over her miscarriage and Kelsey grieving
for her mother along with the guilt she feels over her death. I enjoyed the various book references
throughout the story with my favorite being Amelia Bedelia. Versions of Her shares an important message
about being yourself (do not try to be something you are not). Versions of Her has reflection, struggle,
memories, challenge of forgiveness, a charming Victorian lake home, a cute
canine named Sprocket, and two diverse sisters.
Versions of Her is available in paperback and e-book (on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks). Thank you for reading my review. I will feature Fragments of Fear by Carrie Parks tomorrow as part of the Celebrate Lit Tour. There is still time to enter to win a digital copy of A Genuine Fix by J.C. Kenney. Click here to go to the correct page. Leave a comment with your email address there to win. I hope you have a cool day (it is so hot outside). Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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