Shades of Blue

Best book I've read in a long time!

This book is a MUST read! I literally could not put the book down. It made me laugh, cry (I mean sob), and thank God for an author that has the talent like Karen Kingsbury. This book opened my eyes to things I've never considered. I was actually bummed when I finsihed reading. The story is somewhat basic, but will make you feel emotions like no other book. It is a real life story that, I'm sure, takes place way too often in today's society. It's a fantastic book for dealing with finding closure in a difficult situation, learning what it means to love unconditionally, and depending on God during your darkest moments. I've already shared the book with a friend and she loved it just as much! It deserves much more than 5 stars!!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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What Happens When the Past Catches Up With You?

Brad Cutler is living the dream life: he has a great career with an ad agency, a beautiful woman whom he is about to marry, and everything is on track. But now, only weeks before his wedding, thoughts of a complicated past and an unresolved relationship are creeping into his mind. And they are beginning to interfere with his work. In order for Brad to move on with his perfect future, he has to return and face the wrecked reality he left behind, before everything falls apart. Will he find forgiveness? Find out in Shades of Blue, the new novel by award winning Christian-fiction author Karen Kingsbury. Kingsbury has written more than 40 novels, many of which have received high praise. Her inspirational work is well-received by Christian readers around the world, and Shades of Blue will prove an excellent addition to your fiction collection. If you enjoy heart-warming, uplifting stories with dynamic characters who are striving to make sense of the world and its complications, then Shades of Blue is for you.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Hard to put down!

Brad Cutler lives in New York and has a dream job. A dream life! He is engaged to the love of his life who also happens to be the boss's daughter. Brad is a Christian man and the relationship between him and Laura seems perfect. But, a past sin comes back to haunt Brad and before he can marry Laura and start his new life with her he has to go back home to North Carolina and right a wrong. Unfortunately that means seeing his old high school sweetheart. Brad only makes matters worse when he doesn't confide in Laura about Emma and what happened many years ago.

The book is thought provoking and sincere. Regardless of whether or not you read Christian fiction, this book transcends the boundaries of genre and will appeal to anyone searching for a well-written story about redemption, forgiveness and love.
I enjoyed it very much. 5-stars!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Forgiven

Awesome book about forgiveness, trust, and trial. A must read! Amazing and addicting. Definitley worth your money.
-izzy

Wonderful Book!

Another great book by Karen Kingsbury. Wonderful writer. I haved been reading her books one after the other for the past year.

I really wanted to like this book

Right from the 1st chapter I knew I was gonna struggle with this storyline. Not because of it's reality, and not because it delt with abortion [which made me cry], but because of Brad. I know he was young, I know he made a bad decision and needed forgiveness...which is good...but I just couldn't LIKE him for what he did to Emma--how bad he hurt her--and how he just walked away from her for 9 years!!!!!! Life goes on, yes...but I'd hoped it wouldn't have gone on like this. What a creep. Karen broke my heart "too much" for Emma, Brad was beyond horrible when they were young--"and" even when he showed back up, and now he's happy with someone else? Bah! Now, Karen is a wonderful writer, but me personally, I never enjoy moving page-by-page with people like Brad. [Mr. Leave em' and then leave em' again] I rooted for Emma, and twice she lost her dream. How sweet. Gavin was, at least, a nice 2nd place. So, if you can handle a man who gets to "have his cake, and eat it too"...then you'll really enjoy this story. <3

Good read, and now it is passed on to a friend.

I always enjoy Karen Kingsbury, she never disappoints. Give this a try, it's a quick read.

Ms Kingsbury is a very talented writer!

It's a captivating story! I haven't read a book by Ms. Kingsbury that I haven't absolutely LOVED!

Great Book

Great book. Karen Kingsbury is an awesome writer. She writes with such detail that you soon feel you are apart of the story. Once again she has written another story with God's blessings.

Decent read, HOWEVER

I love Karen Kingsbury books. I read them in one day, usually finishing them with tears shed. However, this book was not one that I love. I felt that the author was pushing her stance of abortion into an unlikely scenario. Yes, I understand this is FICTION. Yes, it's tragic when it happens. Yes, it does affect women in different ways. However, abortion is still legal. I had to consult with my sister in law, who is an RN and used to work for a doctor who performed the procedure about some of the issues in the book. For starters, in most states, NC included, a doctor will not perform the procedure after 12 weeks without a medical reason or in cases of rape and incest. Even when the events took place in 1999. Even in 1999, there were ultrasounds that dated the stage of gestation and anything after 12 weeks, the procedure would not happen. Also, there are no doctors in this date and age who would callously tell a woman the gender of said fetus/embryo. Also, a little after 12 weeks, there's no way a doctor can tell the gender since the fetus/embryo is still too small to determine. THAT is the part that bothered me the most. ALSO, not all of her readers are pro-life Christians. It is possible to be one and not the other. It is also possible to be neither and still enjoy her books. She kind of went political in this book and for that I am highly disappointed. Will I stop reading her books? Unlikely.

Hard to put down!

Brad Cutler lives in New York and has a dream job. A dream life! He is engaged to the love of his life who also happens to be the boss's daughter. Brad is a Christian man and the relationship between him and Laura seems perfect. But, a past sin comes back to haunt Brad and before he can marry Laura and start his new life with her he has to go back home to North Carolina and right a wrong. Unfortunately that means seeing his old high school sweetheart. Brad only makes matters worse when he doesn't confide in Laura about Emma and what happened many years ago.The book is thought provoking and sincere. Regardless of whether or not you read Christian fiction, this book transcends the boundaries of genre and will appeal to anyone searching for a well-written story about redemption, forgiveness and love.I enjoyed it very much. 5-stars!

Good Book... Not Best Book by KK...

This book is ok but definetely the best by KK. It went slowly, the setting and characters didn't seem so real like they do in her other books, and it is almost offbeat. Worst KK book I ever read, but it is still ok...

Not one of her best

It had a valery good beginning, however near the end it fell dead. It was very difficult to get through. I give it a total of two stars

A must read

This book touched me in so many ways. I never cried so much in any other book I've read! Beautifully written!She did it again, love all her books I've read so far,but this one was very special. Thank you Karen for the message you've sent.

I felt as if I was a character in the story

As I was reading I remembered the love and loss of a high school romance. I thought about why God closed certain doors. Although I may never know but His plan for my life is Perfect! This story is written to make you feel as if you are a part of the Pages!

very good

great book

A Hard Subject To Read About But A Wonderful Book

A friend had loaned me this book to read. While reading it, I'd felt as though Karen Kingsbury had peeked into my past and wrote about me. My circumstances were a bit different but she got the feelings, saddness, loneliness, abandonment, love, excitement, just right. You'd think she had experienced this first hand but has not. What a wonderful book to read. Once I started I could not stop! You get drawn right into the book. You feel the crushed feelings, the hatred, the love, everything, as if you were really there! I recommend this for anyone but expecially those who have experienced abortion whether first hand or on the outside looking in. It is heartwarming and puts a bit of finality to things.

Very good

Karen always makes me cry so of course this one had me bawling. lol. Good read!

Great book for young women :)

This book is about a successful advertising agent in his twenties who is about to be married to a beautiful New Yorker from a wealthy family. Both of them Christians, Brad and Laura have about four weeks until their fairytale wedding. But Brad is distracted by a heavy burden from his past back in North Carolina. He decides to tell Laura about how he and his high school sweetheart, Emma, decided to get an abortion before he left for college. Laura is hurt, but Brad needs to go to Holden Beach to apologize for not ending it the right way with Emma before he can move on and begin a new chapter in his life. Emma is a first grade teacher in North Carolina and she is very lonely and depressed about the way things ended with Brad. She has a high school student who comes to help in her class in the afternoons. Lauren suffers from heart disease, but Emma is intrigued by her constant faith and love for others, despite her condition. Gavin is the P.E. coach who tries to befriend Emma, but she has her guard up. Brad ends up spending Memorial Day Weekend in North Carolina and shows up at the school where Emma teaches. She is initially hurt, but they spend the weekend talking about what happened before they went their separate ways, ten years earlier. They turn to their faith and discover things about themselves and God that they didn't know. This book was extremely emotional, and I found myself tearing up in many parts. It also involved many Bible verses and Christian beliefs. I like sad books because they tend to show you what's really important in life and they include life lessons. Other books that are similar in themes and plots are The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks, Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, and Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen. These books all have characters with an emotional situation that they have to overcome. I enjoyed watching the characters in this book grow and become better people as they grew in their faith. I recommend this book to teenage girls or women in their twenties because it was a unique kind of love story. And yes, it is a sad book, but I found myself pleased with the ending. -Emmy F. Hewitt Trussville High School (Alabama)