ABOUT THE BOOK
A story of new beginnings from best-selling Romance for Good™ author Denise Hunter. When Josephine's family insists she come home to help with the harvest, the timing works. But her return isn't simple benevolence-she plans to persuade the family to sell the failing orchard.
The new manager's presence is making it difficult. Grady MacKenzie takes an immediate disliking to Josephine and becomes outright cantankerous when she tries talking her family into selling. As she and Grady work side by side in the orchard, she begins to appreciate his devotion and quiet faith. She senses a vulnerability in him that makes her want to delve deeper, but there's no point letting her heart have its way-he's tied to the orchard, and she could never stay there.
A brush with death tears down Josephine's defenses and for the first time in her life, she feels freedom-freedom from the heavy burden of guilt, freedom to live her life the way it was intended, with a heart full of love.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Sweetwater Gap, go HERE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Denise lives in Indiana with her husband Kevin and their three sons. In 1996, Denise began her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her books often contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!MY THOUGHTS:
As fresh and crisp as the apples they are picking from their orchard, this book was a multi-layered story of sisterly love, guilt and regrets, denial and pain, and feelings of unworthiness and rejection along with awakening love and hope. Your heart will hurt for Josie and the baggage she carries. And as she comes to the point where she asks "Did God really love her and want to give her peace?" you will be reminded that we can lay all our baggage at His feet.
Just one caution: Be sure to pick up some apples before you read this book, as the setting will make you want to sink your teeth into one! And shortly after I read this book, I came across a simple and delicious recipe in the Williams-Sonoma catalog for Caramelized Apples. They suggest serving them with waffles, but we enjoyed them with pork chops. They'd be great any time! (I have visions of spooning them warm over vanilla ice cream!)
Caramelized Apples
3 Tbsp. butter
6 Fuji apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4" slices
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt.
2 tsp. vanilla
Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and next 5 ingredients (everything except vanilla). Cook about 18 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat & stir in vanilla. Serve over waffles or ice cream or as a side dish.
Happy Reading & Eating!
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7 comments:
those apple sound so good. I get quite a few recipes from the WS catalog!
great review!
Hi Linda,
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Andi
The apples sound wonderful, but the thought of eating fruit with meat must makes me gag! I've never liked pineapples and ham, pineapples on my pizza or applesauce with pork chops. I definitely want to try those apples over ice cream though!
Xandra
Sounds good to me. So she's from Indiana, huhg.
Book sounds good, but those apples OH YUMMMMMMM!!!!
YUM! Sounds so good. I am so busy trying to write blogs and read blogs and raise children, that I sometimes feel like I'll never be able to read a book again. I had a day to myself and got 3 books from teh library, and they are still in my car. I'll probably return them unread. *sigh*
I love these book reviews and the recipe is a BIG bonus!
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