Book Blurb
Attorney Landon Kingsley craves order and normalcy, and aside from his well-hidden vice of smoking, he lives the life that everyone expects from him in his hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee. Recently engaged to beautiful nursing student, April May, Landon’s new fiancée is everything he could want in a wife. She is devoted to her faith and family and truly loves him.
April’s cousin, Ella Casey, has returned to Kingsport after ten years of pursuing a career as a country music singer in Nashville. Ella’s failed career and affair with a married music producer scandalizes her in the eyes of the town, but her legal troubles drive her to Landon for help. Landon finds himself increasingly attracted to Ella and more discontent than ever with the path he has chosen for his life. Amid a firestorm of family and town gossip, Landon is tormented by his past and the complicated decision of whether to listen to God’s voice or follow his own desires.
SONG FROM THE ASHES, a modern retelling of the classic Edith Wharton novel The Age of Innocence, explores the dilemma between the pursuit of dreams and personal happiness versus contentment in God’s plan for marriage and love.
My Review
I have to admit that I was a little worried about reading this book at first given that the main characters have a strong Christian faith, which is quite important to the plot. I am not remotely religious yet I found this book a compelling read. It is in essence the story of a man who is torn between what he should do and what he wants to do. A battle between the head and the heart. A story of desire, betrayal and guilt.
Landon, the main character in the book has finally turned his life around. He has given up his womanising ways and has found a sense of belonging within his local church. He has met a lovely, albeit younger girl called April and knows that the time is right to propose and finally settle down. However, he feels that all decisions about his and April's future are being driven by others and he has little say in his wedding plans or indeed his future life. His life is no longer in his control. Throw into the mix a beautiful and enchanting singer named Ella who also happens to be the cousin of his fiancee. Landon knows that he should walk away from Ella who is a free spirit and all that she represents but finds it increasingly difficult.
I really liked this book and initially I felt April to be a woman who needed to have a bit more of a back-bone but I could not have been more wrong about a character as she eventually evolves into a strong and smart woman. There are a couple of surprising outcomes for the central characters that I did not envisage. I'd recommend this book.
About the Author
Megan Whitson Lee grew up in Tennessee but moved to the Washington, D.C. area as a teenager. She worked for criminal attorneys before earning her master’s degree from George Mason University’s MFA Program in Creative Writing. Previously she received a Bachelor of Arts in Music followed by a year-long residence in London where she worked as a Literary Assistant. Her self-published first novel All That is Right and Holy won second place in the 2009 Christian Choice Book Awards. Megan teaches high school English in Fairfax County, Virginia where she lives with her husband and two greyhounds.
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Song from the Ashes is touring with Brook Cottage Book Tours. To be kept up to date with the reviews, guest posts, interviews and promotional posts then check out the tour page HERE
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