By Camille Eide
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Christian
Ashberry Lane Publishing, 2014
Number of pages: 310
Summary
Like There’s No Tomorrow is an amusing yet tender love story about two kind caretakers, two quirky old Scottish sisters bent on reuniting, and too many agendas. It’s a tale of family, falling in love, faith, and the gift of each new day.
Scottish widower Ian MacLean is plagued by a mischievous grannie, bitter regrets, and an ache for something he’ll never have again. His only hope for freedom is to bring his grannie's sister home from America. But first, he'll have to convince her lovely companion, Emily, to let her go.
Emily Chapman devotes herself to foster youth and her beloved Aunt Grace. Caring for others quiets a secret fear she holds close to her heart. But when Ian appears, wanting to whisk Grace off to Scotland, everything Emily needs to protect—including her heart—is at risk.
My thoughts
Like There’s No Tomorrow is an incredibly moving story about relationships, love, and living every day to the fullest with Christ. Camille has a gift for telling stories with rich characterization, stories about real people dealing with real situations – and her stories never fail to touch my heart. You won’t find action and spellbinding suspense, only engaging characters and expressive storytelling. And you won’t have to wonder whether this is Christian fiction or not, for the spiritual element is strong and gives much to reflect upon. This is the second book that I’ve read by Camille and she is fast becoming one of my very favorite writers.
To put it in the simplest of terms, I did not want Like There’s No Tomorrow to end. I was totally wrapped up in the realistically-flawed characters of Ian and Emily, and the elderly sisters, Grace and Maggie, tugged at my heartstrings. Both settings – Oregon and Scotland – were so vividly described that I could see myself there.
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever been given is to judge a man by how he treats his mother – or in this case, his grandmother. While Ian was often frustrated and a little self-centered at first, he only showed kindness and caring toward Maggie. I’m not sure what it is about the Scottish, but there’s something very appealing about Ian. As we get to know him, we discover that he is consumed with a long buried, blinding hatred – but oh, what a beautiful spiritual and emotional journey he makes! And Emily…I could feel her fear and heartbreak over the genetic disease she carried and just wanted to reach out and hug her! The romance between Ian and Emily is so tender, sweet and emotional. I loved this expressive quote from Emily: “All she knew was Ian loved her, and the thought of that felt like a drink of pure, cool water after a long, dusty drought.”
For me, the strength of Like There’s No Tomorrow is the way invaluable Christian gems are woven throughout this beautiful story, such as the true gift that family is, a belief in the goodness of God no matter what happens, and a surrender to God’s guidance instead of what seems best to us. But most touching is a child of God coming home . . . Ian “whispered an apology for his years of wayward indifference, and as he did, something snapped – something cold and heavy and binding – and a warm peace engulfed him.”
Like There’s No Tomorrow is an exceptional story. Highly recommended.
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Find Camille online at . . .
Thank you to Singing Librarian Tours for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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Thank you again, Carole, for another insightful review. I loved writing Ian and Emily's story, and have to admit that Maggie and Grace are still my favorite characters (not counting Jasmine, who you will meet in my 2nd book, Like a Love Song). LTNT was my first full length novel, my first foray into novel writing, so it will always have a special place in my heart. I appreciate the way you've pinpointed the spiritual truths. They're truths I think we will all want reminded of from time to time, myself included.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a wonderful book. I need to pick this up.
ReplyDeleteI got to know Camille Eide through the online group of fans of Hallmark Channel's original series When Calls the Heart. I'm looking forward to reading one of her books, and you've bumped her even higher on my list with this review. Thanks so much for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday!
ReplyDeleteTina
Good to bump into you here as well, Tina. Love your page!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy reading a book I don't want to end. Sadly... they all have to. Thanks for sharing this book.
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