The Road Home by Kathleen Shoop #SRC2015

I received a complimentary book to help me write an honest review. I am participating in this year's BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge for the fun of it, reviews contain my own affiliate links for the books being read and discussed. #SRC2015

Another week, another great destination for our #SRC2015 reading journey. Remember, you can follow along and join in on the fun on BookSparks Facebook page or follow along with their FB Event Page.

 This stop lets us meander through Des Moines, Iowa:

The long-awaited sequel to award-winning, bestselling author Kathleen Shoop’s The Last Letter 

1891 - Living separately for three years, fourteen-year-old twins, Katherine and Tommy Arthur, have done their best to make each boarding house feel like home. But unrest grows as they are driven to questionable actions just to survive. Meanwhile their desperate mother is confronted with breaking yet another promise to her children. Then a miracle descends. Hope rises on a cold, rainy night and changes everything. If Jeanie could just get word to Katherine and Tommy, she knows she can set their lives right again. Agitators, angels, and dangerous saviors illuminate the Arthurs' unmatched determination and smarts. 

1905 - Though she tries to forget the awful years that hurt so much, the memories still haunt Katherine. Now, tearful mourners at her mother’s funeral force her to revisit a time in her life that both harmed and saved her in the most unexpected ways. Tommy grieves his mother’s passing as well. He too is thrust backward, compelled to rediscover the events in his life that shaped the man he has become. Will he commit to reconstructing his broken life? The Arthurs' come to understand that forgiveness is the only way back to hope, the only way to find all that was good in the misfortune that transformed their lives forever.

My Review

Sadly, I didn't have a chance to read the first book before diving right into The Road Home. But, luckily, the story and Kathleen Shoop's writing was still captivating. Despite the nearly 500 pages, the book will keep you hooked throughout. Don't worry, all those pages are well used and masterfully written.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction and strong, dynamic characters and this book delivered on both of those. Going back and forth between 1891 and 1905 there is so much going on, so many emotions, complex character interactions and just enough tragedy and triumpth that you can't help but fall in love with Kathleen Shoop's writing and the characters she has created.

Grab your copy:
The Road Home - Amazon Affiliate Link