Thursday, September 21, 2017

Review (+ Tour GIVEAWAY): All of You



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About the Book

Book title: All of You   
Author: Sarah Monzon  
Release date: May 15, 2017  
Genre: Dual-timeline/Contemporary Romance  

Maryland, Present Day

Jacquelyn Rogers can rebuild anything…except the shambles of her past. A restorer of vintage planes, she’s worked hard to earn the reputation of being one of the guys. The last thing she needs is a former Navy pilot fighting his own inner demons stepping in to defend her from dangers she thought she’d outrun long ago. Some battles must be fought alone. 

After a freak accident severs Lieutenant Michael “Finch” Carrington’s dreams, as well as two limbs, he’s left with nothing but a fragile faith and a duty-bound promise to watch out for his friend’s baby sister. A promise she insists is as unnecessary as it is unappreciated. But when she turns the tables and begins to weld together the broken parts of his life, it may be his heart that is in need of protection. 

England, 1944 

With the world at war yet again, Alice Galloway rejects her father’s traditional expectations and offers her piloting expertise to the Air Transport Auxiliary. She may be a woman in a man’s world, but when she overhears key intelligence, she must find the strength to transcend boundaries and her own fears. Or countless people may die. 

Sometimes the past reaches forward to bring hope to the future.


My Thoughts

Sarah Monzon writes my type of book – poignant and spiritually uplifting, with rich characterization. Two great leading men also! I enjoyed All of You so very much and, although it stands alone, I want to read previous books by this author very soon.

I’m particularly fond of dual timelines when they’re well crafted, as is the case here, and I was equally invested in both stories, although I connected most with Jackie and Michael. Monzon is a talented writer, easily conveying vivid images and emotions that pulled me into the story.

I loved that Jackie and Michael aren’t your typical lead characters. Jackie, who restores vintage planes, has a low self-image. “Guys didn’t look past the wrench and blowtorch she wielded daily, the unflattering mechanic coveralls that made up her wardrobe, or the layers of grease that covered nearly every inch of her skin.” I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a double amputee cast as the hero – but let me tell you, he lacks for nothing! But it’s a different story emotionally, as you would expect. “It was ironic that he, a sailor, was drowning in the sea of an unknown future.” Great relationship and chemistry between these two.

The connection of Alice and Henry’s storyline isn’t obvious at first, but I knew it had to be and enjoyed trying to figure it out. One of my favorite parts was being able to feel the excitement of D-Day, a day when “the fight may just be beginning, but it is the start that will bring forth the end.”

Most stories where a character faces an unimaginable difficulty or heartbreak results in a loss of faith, or at least doubt or a questioning of God. Michael struggled both physically and emotionally as everything that he identified with and worked for was wiped away, but his core faith was never shaken. I think that really hits at where we live, challenging and encouraging us at the same time as we deal with our trials. While never overpowering, faith plays an important part in this book, leaving me with much to reflect upon.

I thoroughly enjoyed All of You and look forward to much more from Sarah Monzon.

Highly recommended.

I was provided a free e-copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.


About the Author

Sarah Monzon is a Navy chaplain’s wife and a stay at home mom to the two cutest littles in the world. Playing pretend all day with them isn’t enough, she spends the evenings after their heads hit the pillow to create her own imaginary characters. When she isn’t in the world of make believe, she can be found in the pine forests of western Washington taking care of her family, fostering friendships, and enjoying all the adventures each day brings. 

Her debut novel, The Isaac Project, skyrocketed to Amazon bestseller status while her Sophomore book, Finders Keepers, won the 2017 Selah award for contemporary romance.



Guest Post from Sarah Monzon

I’m so excited to be here today and getting this opportunity to hang out with y’all in this virtual world. If you are anything like me, you devour books faster than my son drinks orange juice (and he really loves orange juice!). Because of that, it is sometimes hard to come across a book with a unique premise or a message that you haven’t seen incorporated a thousand times before. As a writer, I always try to bring something fresh to the table. 

In the first book of the Carrington Family Series, Finders Keepers, neither of my characters were Christians. What? No Christians in a Christian fiction novel? Most Christian fiction books usually have at least one or both main characters a Christians. Don’t worry, they both found their way to Jesus. With All of You, however, I wanted to take yet an even different approach. 

I’ve ready lots of books where the main character is angry or upset with God for such-and-such thing that happened in his/her life (I’ve even written a character like that), but I hadn’t really read a story about a character that, no matter what life threw at him/her, he/she was going to trust in God no matter what. As a life-long Christian, this is a message I can identify with. The “If not, He is still good” resonation that is sometimes harder to hold on to in the midst of pain and struggles. 

So, as with all my books, I hope the freshness of the story and the realness of my characters will inspire and uplift you as you travel along with them on their journey. God Bless.


Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Sarah is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!! Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!





9 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I certainly enjoyed it, Kim. Hope you get to read it soon.

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  2. Great review! You really made me want to read it! :)

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  3. This sounds like a powerfully inspiring book, and I intend to obtain and copy and read it!

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  4. Enjoyed the description of the book. Sounds like a great read.

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  5. Thank you for your lovely review!

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  6. I really enjoy dual timeline stories. All of You sounds like a book I'd love to read.

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  7. This sounds like a story I'd like to read.

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  8. I am a new fan. Job well done! I can't wait to read this. (jozywails@gmail.com)

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