A few days ago I had the pleasure of hosting Mary Manners and Wisdom Tree as a stop on her Book & Trailer Showcase Tour. Today, I'm thrilled to share my review of Wisdom Tree.
The Blurb:
Sometimes the last thing we think we need is exactly what God has planned
After
the death of his parents, Jake Samuels has enough on his
plate—including a fledgling church to lead and a mischievous younger
brother to raise. The last thing he needs is a rambunctious woman to
contend with.
Carin
O'Malley is dealing with the death of her brother and a new job as an
English teacher at East Ridge Middle School where Corey Samuels reigns
as King of Chaos. The last thing she needs is to fall in
love...especially with a handsome and complicated preacher like Corey’s
brother Jake.
But when Corey's antics toss Carin and Jake together, the two must draw from God’s wisdom to find refuge in His perfect plan.
My review:
Mary Manners creates strong characters I can really relate to, guys and gals I'd like to hang out with on a Friday evening. Like Jake and Carin in Wisdom Tree.
I immediately connected with Jake, understood his frustration and foul mood. After all, he's raising his teen brother. It's hot outside, and he's mowing the church yard because somebody has to do it. He's running late to pick up Corey from football practice. Toss in a new slasher, er...teacher, who shows up unexpectedly and assumes the worst of him, and Jake hits the overload button. He acts out a little himself, not unlike his brother, which I enjoyed. He showed a little weakness, which endeared him to me.
I love the conflict between Jake and Carin, and it's not the arguing kind. No, Ms. Manners creates plenty of internal/external conflict as the
characters head towards their happily-ever-after, and she'll tickle every
one of your senses along the way.
This story involves a teenager, dealing with grief. Ms. Manners wrote teen angst in a realistic way without making me, as a reader and a parent, want to fling my e-reader at something...or someone. I think parents will appreciate some of the wisdom on dealing with teens imparted in this book.
Wisdom Tree is a fast read. Find a comfy spot and plan to read it all in one sitting! My only wish is that Wisdom Tree were a little longer, so I could spread out my enjoyment over more evenings. I did appreciate the surprise tucked in at the end! Congratulations, Ms. Manners, on a great read!
Wisdom Tree is scheduled to release on 10/8/12 with
White Rose Publishing, but you can pre-order it
here.
Disclosure: I received this book from BTS for a fair and honest review.
Labels: #bookreview, #Christfic, #contemporaryromance, #inspirational, #PBGrp, #romance, BTS Tour, Dora Hiers, Mary Manners, Pelican Book Group, White Rose Publishing, Wisdom Tree
