Tag: McKnight Rhonda

Bitter and Sweet + Giveaway

Two sisters at a crossroad in life find the answers to their problems in the lessons from the past…

Mariah never pretended her marriage was perfect but that didn’t mean she ever suspected her husband of ten years would not only ask for a divorce but steal the business she built for them. Defeated and depressed, she’s not sure how to bounce back from the manipulative betrayal. Sabrina has been self-destructing for years, maybe since she was born, but certainly since the death of her long-time boyfriend. Barely scraping by and living in her van, she’s struggling to figure out what’s next for her, when all she’s ever wanted to do is bake cakes like her mother did.

When Mariah and Sabrina’s grandmother sends them a cryptic text message summoning them to Georgetown, South Carolina, both assume their ailing grandfather’s health has declined. Instead, the estranged sisters are faced with their grandmother’s undeniable request–save the family restaurant. Through letters written by their great-great-grandmother, Tabitha, Mariah and Sabrina learn a heartbreaking yet powerful story of struggle and survival. As the whole truth about Tabitha’s complicated past unfolds, the sisters are inspired by her ability to forge her own way in Charleston, a beautiful and prosperous city that was also rife with oppression under Jim Crow.

With the lessons in their family’s past guiding them, both sisters have a chance at a different life–if they can find a way to bridge the gap that tragedy and unhealed trauma forced between them. Told in a dual timeline that alternates between the 1920s and present-day Charleston, SC, Bitter and Sweet is an emotional story about love, one family’s perseverance, and the bonds of family and heritage.

My Review:

This is the kind of book you dread writing a review for because there is no possible way to convey the brilliance of the storytelling or the emotional impact it made. So excuse me if words fail.

First, I listened to the audio edition and was completely captivated by the trio of narrators. Janice Abbott-Pratt, Angel Pean and Lynette R. Freeman gave stunning performances, adding to the rich vibrancy of Rhonda McKnight’s words. The result — an exceptional listening experience. I savoured every second.

And, oh my, these sisters and their stories! Deep layers of personal and family drama culminating in divine healing. I was an emotional wreck by the end. (Gentle warning: don’t listen to or read this book in public, especially if you are an ugly crier like I am. Don’t ask me how I know 🙂 )

The author expertly weaves Mariah and Sabrina’s great-great-grandmother’s story into the mix, so – yay – dual timeline. ‘Bitter and Sweet’ honours the legacy of faith and family through generations. So much wisdom and insight! I’ve preordered a print copy because there are so many impactful quotes that I need to highlight and pour over again and again.

A stunning, emotionally-stirring, faith-filled read!

My thanks to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this novel.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Bitter and Sweet, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 15 2024.

The Thing About Home + Giveaway

Home is not a place—it’s a feeling. Casey Black needs an escape. When her picture-perfect vow renewal ceremony ends in her being left at the altar, the former model turned social media influencer has new fame—the kind she never wanted. An embarrassing viral video has cost her millions of followers, and her seven-year marriage is over. With her personal and business lives in shambles, Casey runs from New York City to South Carolina’s Lowcountry hoping to find long-lost family. Family who can give her more answers about her past than her controlling mom-slash-manager has ever been willing to share.

What Casey doesn’t expect is a postcard-worthy property on a three-hundred-acre farm, history, culture, and a love of sweet tea. She spends her days caring for the land and her nights cooking much needed Southern comfort foods. She also meets Nigel, the handsome farm manager whose friendship has become everything she’s never had. And then there are the secrets her mother can no longer hide.

Through the pages of her great-grandmother’s journals, Casey discovers her roots run deeper than the Lowcountry soil. She learns that she has people. A home. A legacy to uphold. And a great new love story—if only she is brave enough to leave her old life behind.

My Review:

Gobsmacked. That’s me. And a bit addlepated and unsure of how to convey the emotional connection I made with this story. Riveting. An unexpected dual timeline (courtesy of Casey’s great-grandmother) made for an even richer read and really highlighted the powerful legacy that comes through family. And, oh my, but did Casey need that!

Truth: I really didn’t like Casey on first meet. Social Media Influencer making pouty faces at the camera over every little twist and turn in her life? Uh, shudder, no thank you. I expected shallow, self-absorbed and while she isn’t that bad…it’s pretty close. Hmmm, I thought, how am I going to relate to this heroine and care about her story? Why because of Rhonda McKnight’s astounding storytelling, that’s how! Because she lets us see into Casey’s vulnerabilities and challenges right away. I may not have liked her life style/values, but I could totally see how she got there. I mean, there really wasn’t any other option, given her micro-managing mother! Gah, but I wanted to purse whomp that woman a time or two (or three or…)

Basically, Casey’s online and personal lives implode and she’s on the run. Straight down to South Carolina’s Low Country with some vague hope of finding her father’s people. (One of my purse whomping urges comes courtesy of Casey’s mother keeping her completely away from her deceased father’s familyI) What follows is the kind of story that burrows into your heart and takes up residence. The kind that will stay with you forever.

Great-Grandmother Odessa’s scenes from the late 1800s give even more depth to Casey’s story. I’m going to call ‘The Thing About Home’ a coming of age story even though Casey is thirty-six years old. This is her awakening — when she comes to terms with her past and starts to understand how her future balances on all the lives that came before. A heritage of strong woman; a descendent of enslaved people. Survivors. Prayer warriors. Over-comers. And she’s blessed to be able to learn from Odessa’s journals and her very own 99 years young ‘Granna’ who has so much wisdom to share. I could write a whole review just on Granna!

Here I am, rambling on and I haven’t even touched on Nigel yet! So…Swoon. Thud. And repeat! He’s the kind of hero that curls your toes and melts your heart. He’s funny and flirty and comes with his own interesting back story which made this read all the more enthralling.

Gah — there’s so much more I’d like to say about this novel. So many interesting talking-points would make it a phenomenal book club selection. It definitely holds an honoured place on my Keeper Shelf. The kind of story I know I can get even more out of with a second reading. The ‘Granna-isms” alone are worth further reflection!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

ebook available to anyone, anywhere who has a .com Kindle account

US — paperback or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada — paperback or ebook (via a gift card to Canadian Amazon) or audible (.ca)

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Thing About Home, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 15 , 2023.