MY REVIEW:
Once again Susan May Warren has proven to me why she remains in the top five of my favorite authors list – and those five authors are actually probably all tied for first place. I just can’t choose one over the others. That being said, “Always On My Mind” may have been one of the most difficult yet inspiring plots I have encountered in quite some time.
Casper Christiansen ran to Honduras after learning the woman he loved had also been involved with his brother. Hoping to unearth buried treasure and make a name for himself, Casper not only failed at that but also failed to forget the lovely Raina. Realizing that he still loved her, Casper returned home to tell Raina how he felt but found her pregnant with another man’s child. When Raina refuses to consider Caspar’s help, he retreats to the family resort where he attempts to help his brother with the upkeep while working at a job in town that bores him. Raina wants to do the right thing but is confused about what is really best for her. As they frequently find themselves in each other’s company, she and Casper begin to rebuild their friendship but can it ever develop into what Casper dreams?
“Always On My Mind” is an emotional and sometimes convoluted story that made me want to talk some sense into Raina more than once. It was so easy to see that the other guy she dated was not a good person and all wrong for her. I loved reading more about Darek and his family as his own struggles also formed an integral part of this story. A central theme of the book was how Casper, Darek, and Raina each felt they had something to prove yet all they really needed was to find their worth from the Lord.
I know my review is probably superficial but I am finding it difficult to fully express my feelings as I read it. It is a story that really delves into the inner conflicts of several characters and encourages the reader to look at herself in the same manner. Contemplating the valuable lessons hidden within a wonderful novel could very well lead to a bit of our own restoration. I highly recommend this novel as well as anything and everything Susan May Warren has written.
This book was provided for review by The Tyndale Blog Network.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
After a failed dig in Honduras, aspiring archaeologist Casper Christiansen heads home to Minnesota to face his unresolved feelings for Raina Beaumont, the woman of his dreams. But when he arrives unannounced on her doorstep, he receives the shock of a lifetime: Raina is pregnant with someone else’s baby.
Heartbroken, especially when he discovers the identity of the baby’s father, Casper tables his dreams and determines to be dependable for once, helping his older brother, Darek, prepare the family resort for its grand reopening. Casper longs to be the hero of at least one family story, but a never-ending Deep Haven winter and costly repairs threaten their efforts-and the future of the resort.
Worse, one of Casper’s new jobs constantly brings him into contact with Raina, whom he can’t seem to forget. A tentative friendship begins to heal fresh wounds, but can they possibly overcome past mistakes and current choices to discover a future together?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Susan May Warren is the bestselling, Christy and RITA Award–winning author of more than forty novels whose compelling plots and unforgettable characters have won acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. She served with her husband and four children as a missionary in Russia for eight years before she and her family returned home to the States. She now writes full-time as her husband runs a lodge on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, where many of her books are set. She and her family enjoy hiking, canoeing, and being involved in their local church.
Susan holds a BA in mass communications from the University of Minnesota. Several of her critically acclaimed novels have been ECPA and CBA bestsellers, were chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times, and have won the RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award. Five of her books have been Christy Award finalists. In addition to her writing, Susan loves to teach and speak at women’s events about God’s amazing grace in our lives.
For exciting updates on her new releases, previous books, and more, visit her website at www.susanmaywarren.com.
