Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde blog tour with review @cryanhyde @GoSparkPoint
Fiction
Paperback/eBook, 321 pages
Published June 2nd 2015 by Lake Union Publishing
They might’ve been a family.
Virginia finally had the chance to explore a relationship with Aaron when he asked her on a date. She had been waiting, hoping that the widower and his young son, Buddy, would welcome her into their lives. But a terrible tragedy strikes on the night of their first kiss, crushing their hopes for a future together.
Nineteen years later, Virginia is engaged, though she has not forgotten Aaron or Buddy. When her dog goes missing and it comes to light that her fiancé set him loose, a distraught Virginia breaks off the engagement and is alone once again. A shy young man has found the missing pet, and although he’s bonded with the animal, he answers his conscience and returns the dog. Before long, Virginia and the young man discover a connection from their pasts that will help them let go of painful memories and change their lives forever.
Rating: 4
Cover comment: I love the picture of the dog, the angle of its face and that one eye. Dog owners will appreciate it.
Book source: I received a promotional copy.
Some books grab a reader immediately with a great opening line, with pulse-jumping action, or by introducing a marvelous new world. Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde simply hooked me with strong-voiced characters, a small town setting, and plenty of heart.
Worthy is one of those special books we're lucky to read occasionally. It's a sneaky book with its easy-going pace and realistic situations. A diner waitress anxiously awaits the man she's fallen for, a widower with a four-year old boy. Small town people with regular hopes, dreams and loves. There's this lovely mix of melancholy with an undercurrent of hope and determination. This is not the type of story to delve into more because that would be giving away the strength of the story and its characters. Aaron, Buddy, Virginia, Fern, even the police chief will grow on you like it did me. And we can't forget a certain tail-wagging, big-eyed canine named T-Rex, well, now he's named Worthy. I'd love to see this as a movie on the Hallmark Channel someday.
I spent a gorgeous sunny yet windy Saturday afternoon reading on my porch. My time spent in a special small town with an intriguing cast and some terrible winter weather was well-worth my time. What a trip. I can still hear the train, see the ice-covered trees outside the diner, and hear heartfelt conversations between a young man and an older woman while a dog watches over his loved ones. There might even be some fireworks. (Read the book and you'll understand.) I can't recommend this book enough.
About the author
I'm the the author of 28 published and forthcoming books.
My newest releases are The Language of Hoofbeats, Take Me With You , Where We Belong, Walk Me Home, Subway Dancer and Other Stories, When You Were Older, Don’t Let Me Go, When I Found You, Second Hand Heart, The Long, Steep Path: Everyday Inspiration From the Author of Pay It Forward, Always Chloe and Other Stories, and 365 Days of Gratitude: Photos from a Beautiful World.
Pay It Forward: Young Readers Edition, an age-appropriate edited edition of the original novel, was released by Simon & Schuster in August of ‘14. It is suitable for children as young as eight.
I have two forthcoming new novels due out in 2015 from Lake Union/Amazon Publishing, Worthy and Joseph Came Home.
Other novels include Jumpstart the World, Becoming Chloe, Love in the Present Tense, The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance, Chasing Windmills, The Day I Killed James, and Diary of a Witness.
I am co-author, with publishing industry blogger Anne R. Allen, of How to be a Writer in the E-Age: a Self-Help Guide.
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