The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans & Rachel Hauk GIVEAWAY

The Sweet By and By

by Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

ISBN-13: 9781595544896

About the Book

A redemptive story from multi-platinum recording artist Sara Evans.

Jade Fitzgerald left the pain of her past in the dust when she headed out for college a decade ago. Now she's thriving in her career and glowing in the light of Max Benson's love.

But then Jade's hippie mother, Beryl Hill, arrives in Whisper Hollow, Tennessee, for Jade's wedding along with Willow, her wild younger sister. Their arrival forces Jade to throw open the dark closets of her past--the insecurity of living with a restless, wandering mother, the silence of her absent father, and the heart-ripping pain of first-love's rejection.

Turns out Beryl has a secret of her own. She needs reconciliation with her oldest daughter before illness takes her life. In the final days leading to the wedding, Jade meets the One who shows her that the past has no hold on her future. With a little grace, they'll meet in the middle, maybe even before that sweet by and by.

My Review

I found The Sweet By and By to be emotionally charged. It was so easy to like or dislike the characters created in this story. Jade's soon-to-be mother-in-law, June got under my skin! She definitely fit the stereotype of the Southern uppercrust who likes to stay with how things are, not necessarily how they should be.

Combine June with her son, Jade's fiance, Max and you get a lovely conflict of interest. Max needs to grow a spine and back-up his future wife when his mom shares her "fabulous" ideas. Jade on the other hand needs to communicate with Max about what's expected out of her and their future life!

And the lady who made this story possible, Beryl. Oh, she is just a peach...a peach you'd like to squish! You know, some people are so "open minded" that they close their minds to other possibilities and responsibilities. How any of Beryl's children turned out decently is a miracle of the Lord.

I loved the writing of Rachel and Sara together. The characters they created were solid and easy to relate to. I love it when authors create characters that cause me to have emotion toward them. Beryl and June were two women I would've love to strangle a handful of times. I loved Beryl's mom, who was a constant for Jade and her siblings.

*SPOILER*The ending wasn't as clean as I'd have liked. I would've liked to have seen more interaction between Jade and her estranged father. I didn't like that he showed up at the very end. I would've liked to have seen him struggle in his own new family and weave Jade into it in some uncomfortable way. Other than that minute spot in the book, I loved the rest of the story and blazed a trail through it.

About the Authors

Sara Evans

Multi-platinum recording artist Sara Evans has been honored with numerous accolades, among them the 2006 Academy of Country Music’s Female Vocalist of the Year and the Country Music Association’s Video of the Year for “Born to Fly." Evans has been named one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People" and won the hearts of television viewer's as the first-ever country star to compete in ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Sara is a Cabinet Member of The American Red Cross.

Rachel Hauck

Best-selling and award-winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband, Tony, a pastor. A graduate of Ohio State University, she left the corporate software marketplace in '04 to write full time.

Enter To Win

Would you like to win The Sweet By and By? Have you ever listened to Sara Evans music or read a book by Rachel Hauk? Let me know.



Must be at least 18 to enter and a US Resident. Giveaway ends 1/7/09, 10pm CST. Void where prohibited. You MUST leave an email address or it must be easily found in your profile. No Email/Contact Info = No Entry.

*I'd like to that the team at Thomas Nelson for my copy of The Sweet By and By. You can find out more about this book at their website Thomas Nelson. You can also check out more of their other selections as well! Are you interested in becoming a Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger? You can join here: http://brb.thomasnelson.com/join or click on the link on the left sidebar.