Thirsty by Tracey Bateman ~ GIVEAWAY

thirsty

by Tracey Bateman
ISBN: 9780307457158

Publisher: WaterBrook Multnomah

Book Summary

There's no place like home, they say.

"Hello, I'm Nina Parker…and I'm an alcoholic."

For Nina, it's not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier–and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone–or something–igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire.

Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?

As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina's feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end.

My Review

Alrighty, I requested this book after I read the publisher info, but not clearly. I'm not really a vampire genre fan so when I read that Thirsty was about an alcoholic, I stopped reading the rest of the information.

Imagine my surprise when I started reading the book and found out, "Yes, Mimi, there are vampires in this story." Shoot. I was really hoping it wouldn't be scary, ridiculous, or unable to connect a Christian theme.

Thankfully this wasn't Ted Dekker scary, but it had it's creep factor. It definitely wasn't ridiculous with the story lines that were circulating through the story. And there was an underlying Christian theme, but it wasn't in your face.

Nina heads home to Abbey Hills and is faced with the past that has brought her to where she is right now in her life. Heading home she brings her 17 yr old daughter, Meg, with her who is furious that she has to spend time with her alcoholic mother, whom she calls Nina.

Nina is heading back to the town that drove her away in the first place. She will eventually have to face the parents she left without a word. There she will come face to face with the man who fathered her child. Will she be able to handle it all without turning to the bottle?

Along with Nina's story is the turmoil we see in Meg. She loves her adopted dad and has never eally questioned who her biological father is. She is very angry and has every right to be. Nina's husband, Hunt, has loved her throughout their alcoholic marriage, but to protect their children finally divorced her.

We also meet Markus at the beginning of the story. He is the vampire. He meets Nina when she's a teenager, but she has no recollection of that meeting. Markus on the other hand hasn't forgotten that brief moment of time they shared. He has been waiting for her. He has his own demons to face in this story.

You can see the correlation between Markus's battle against his natural tendency to drink blood and Nina's battle against alcohol, which has pretty much consumed her life. She doesn't realize it when they meet up again, but their lives are inevitably entwined as Markus tries to connect with her emotionally.

This isn't a story about conversion or salvation, but one about the strength of love and family. Yes, there's a vampire in the story, but it doesn't take away from it. I wasn't sure that I would care for it because of the vampire element, but I was sucked into the story!

About the Author

With close to one million books in print, Tracey Bateman is the award-winning author of more than 30 titles. Fan favorites include the best-selling Kansas Home historical series; Color of the Soul, a tale of race and prejudice chosen as an editor’s pick by Christian Book Distributors; and her many popular romantic novels for Heartsong Presents, which boasts more than 20,000 members. Tracey resides in Missouri with her husband and four children.

I'd like to thank Liz from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group a division of Random House for my review copy and giveaway copy of Thirsty. You can find Thirsty here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9780307457158

Giveaway
If you'd like to win a copy of Thirsy, leave a comment here letting me know if you've read any vampire stories and whether you like them. I liked Tracey's book, but I don't know that I'd go out and get any other vampire-like stories. It's just not my thing.

Giveaway open to US residents only who are 18 and older. Please leave an email address or you will NOT be entered in the giveaway. Void where prohibited. Random drawing will use the Top Hat software. Giveaway ends 11/30, 10:30 CST.