The Stone Giver
Buffy Andrews
c. September 2016
Ebook $3.99
Print $11.99
Buy on Barnes and Noble
Full length book
Mainstream post-military romance
About the Book:
When a stone is thrown...ripples are created... A woman who
has lost her way. A man crippled by war. What brings them together also pulls
them apart. Zara Peede's growing feelings for her patient, soldier Jack
Quinlan, scare the Walter Reed Medical Center nurse. Jack, a double amputee, is
as wounded in spirit as he is in body. Jack's pain reflects her own grief for
her lost brother, a fellow soldier who died in Afghanistan. Does she truly care
for Jack, or are both of them just searching for someone to hold onto through
their pain? To find out-and in search of her purpose-Zara flees, leaving Jack
with only a note and a gift she doesn't fully understand herself. A stone. When
Zara and Jack reconnect at an event in New York, they discover that some
ripples last a lifetime. Will theirs?
My review:
From the shocking opening sequence of events to a satisfying
conclusion, Andrews’s new romance show her penchant for well-researched and
well-resourced stories. Readers are drawn right into the world of pain and recovery,
anxiety and grief and rehabilitation as Jack makes the decision to find
wholeness. Zara, one of his nurses, decides to shift course when Jack becomes
that last patient who makes her work too personal. She only knows her new independence
must include making a difference for others. An idea takes hold for a non-profit
business that rewards encouragement and positive actions of others. Zara learns
that a life of building on the success and joys of others spread out a wave of
hope. When Jack and Zara cross paths again, they are able to take time without
pressure and stress and pain to explore a relationship.
Told in multiple viewpoints, this mainstream story tackles
real questions of double amputees. The characters and dialog are lifelike, and
overcoming problems handled in an empathy-inducing manner. Sexual scenarios and
some swearing, along with bar scenes, are a natural part of the story. Readers
will experience all the sweat, blood, and nightmares of the recovery process.
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