MY REVIEW:
I own and have read and enjoyed most of Karen Kingsbury’s series (multiple) about members of the Baxter family in which the Flanigan family and Cody Coleman’s stories first began. Although Leaving was just as skillfully written with the excellent characterization I have come to expect from Kingsbury, the story just seemed to be all too familiar.
Members of the Baxter family make their appearances in this companion series as Bailey and Cody take over the primary roles. Although the major theme revolves around Bailey and Cody’s yearning for each other, when it gets down to it, they both seem extremely confused about what it is they really want. As in most of her previous novels, a subplot details a tragedy or catastrophe, this time it is a medical emergency that affects the lives of an entire family.
Leaving is probably one of my least favorite Kingsbury novels. It’s not that it’s bad, I just felt like I’d heard it all before.
This book was provided for review by the Amazon Vine Program.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The Bailey Flanigan series begins with Bailey leaving Bloomington for the adventure of a lifetime. She has won an audition for the ensemble of a Broadway musical in New York City.
Bailey is determined to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but is she really ready to leave family and friends for the loneliness of the city? And what of Cody? His disappearance has her worried about their future and praying that their love can survive.
In order to be closer to his mother in jail, Cody takes a coaching job in a small community outside Indianapolis. New friends, distance, and circumstances expose cracks in his relationship with Bailey Flanigan.
Love, loneliness, big opportunities, and even bigger decisions highlight the first book in the new Bailey Flanigan series that features members of the popular Baxter family and finally completes the Bailey Flanigan/Cody Coleman story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
by Dan Davis Photography
USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America’s #1 inspirational novelist. There are more than 15 million copies of her award-winning books in print, including several million copies sold in the past year. Karen has written more than 50 novels, ten of which have hit #1 on national lists.
Karen has a true love for her readers, and she has nearly 200,000 friends on Facebook along with more than 14,000 followers on Twitter. The popular social networking sites have allowed Karen daily interaction with her reader friends.
Karen is best known for her Life-Changing Fiction™ and for creating unforgettable characters. When speaking before women’s groups – some with more than 10,000 in attendance – Karen makes audiences laugh and cry with her compelling story-telling. She likes to tell attendees they have, “One chance to write the story of their lives,” and her talk focuses on reminding women to live every day loving well, laughing often, and finding true life in Jesus Christ. Karen routinely speaks before more than 100,000 women each year.
