Child of Mine

My copy had 612 pages.<br />This is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year. I had so many emotions while reading this story. Sadness. Happiness. Hopefulness. Shock. Joy. Heartache. This is definitely one that I would love to own and reread.

Going back and forth with how to rate this! I hate when I can't decide between half and whole stars! Overall I loved the story and the end was a surprise. For some reason I never grew to like Kelly, but others might very well like her. Jack and Nattie's relationship was sweet and I smiled at nearly all their conversation. I'm so glad to finally read a book where the hero has the name Jack. That and him being a fight instructor won me over :) Laura, Nattie's nanny, is probably my favorite character. <br /><br />Other then not turning out exactly as I hoped and not a Kelly fan (which I blame myself...and doesn't mean the story was not good!), I wasn't really impressed with Jack dating several girls he hardly knew to find a wife. It was like, "Really?"<br /><br />This book is not your usual Beverly Lewis book. Has just a hint of Amish culture. David and Beverly Lewis should definitely write more together. They come up with great stories!

It's not very often that I tell other readers that a book is awesome, because when I do, I don't take the term lightly. For me to rank a book this way, I need to have my interest held all throughout the story; there needs to be several subplots expertly woven together with a few surprise twists that I don't anticipate. The characters need to be portrayed in such a way that I'm invested in their lives, while I come to care for them. When the book is finished, I still feel their presence and circumstances linger, so that I continue to think about them. Their lives and thoughts should influence my own. They should have something to say or experience that touches me right down to my soul. For me, <b> <em>Child of Mine</em> </b> delivers all the above criteria. I even went through a hefty pile of tissues in testimony of how stirred I was.<br /><br />When I begin reading a story, there is usually a predominant question in my mind regarding the theme of the story. The cover of this book and its title suggested a few questions for me to ponder: Whose child? Which child? Who was claiming the child? When I opened the pages of the opening chapter, I was introduced to Kelly Maines. By the end of the chapter, I learned that Kelly has been seeking a specific child for the past eight years, but she was using methods that were not completely ethical. In the next chapter, the readers are introduced to Jack Livingston and his niece Natalie who likes to be called Nattie. Nattie was a precocious eight-year-old, lovingly cared for by her uncle and an Amish nanny, Laura Mast. At this point, I felt I knew where this story was heading.<br /><br />In the final quarter of the book, circumstances take an abrupt turn, and for me instituted a series of new questions after the initial shock. Several times the expected became the unexpected, and I'm sure I said to myself, <em>"Say...what?!"</em> more than twice. The pace picked up dramatically, with frequent re-assessments of my original question of who's claiming whose child. The authors, after lulling readers into expecting one thing to happen and one history to have occurred, turn our expectations on their ears and switch directions entirely. I even flipped back pages a few times to see where I might have missed a clue or to verify what a person said. I love when an author does that, especially when it is written as smoothly as it was in this book.<br /><br />Rest assured that while this book is not primarily a romance, there are portions of the story where romance is an important element. It just isn't the main feature. There is also some mystery that contributes to the twists and turns that reveal facts and change the flow of the story line. Happily, most loose ends are satisfactorily resolved. In addition, unlike many of Beverly Lewis's other books, having an Amish woman play one of the main characters does not mean this is a book about the Amish. It is just an incidental factor among many that makes this book so interesting to read. <br /><br />Finally, the spiritual aspect of a book's plot is important to me. I look to see if life's tough situations are realistically portrayed, the reactions to them true to life, and the lessons learned over time contribute to a character's development. This can happen with or without a person acknowledging God's role in their lives. I admire when an author doesn't make transitions sound too trivial or too easy. I also realize how realistic it is that some people will not heed God's nudges toward a closer relationship with Him. I feel the authors in this story hit upon a balance between the many types of responses possible to God's prompts without sounding overly preachy, idealistic or syrupy. I loved their ability to write soul-stirring fiction that challenges their readers to be introspective. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves complex Christian fiction. <br /><br />Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from The Book Club Network on behalf of Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.””

I rated the book Child of Mine 3 out of 5 stars because it seemed to interest me, but there were some parts that didn’t catch my eye as much. However, I also feel as if this book could be a bit of a teacher to some people. The main purpose of this book is to simulate how two parents attempt to give only the best to their children. This book could advise adults about noticing their children’s feelings about things. Although the main demographic of this book is adults, teenagers may also enjoy this book as well. They can be put into the perspective of a parent, and they can also learn from the main characters, Jack and Kelly, about how to take care of children of their own.<br /> The genre of this book is realistic fiction and a bit of religious fiction. One of the characters, Laura, is Amish. However, she drives a car. She would also wear modern clothing at times. Laura may not follow the exact rules of being Amish, but Jack, a father, sees that she is kind to his daughter, Nattie. Jack starts to realize that Laura won’t be living with them forever, and Nattie yearns for a mother day after day. She would sometimes ask questions about her birth mother. So, Jack tries to date girls from church and Nattie’s school. Jack loves Nattie so much because she “was an intuitive child. She had a talented way of perceiving situations, sensing emotions, putting two and two together.” Jack appreciated how she had many, many gifts. Nattie seemed to be an extraordinary child in Jack’s eyes. This portion of the book can really demonstrate the struggles of a single parent, praying for another person to support his or her child with them. <br /> The other main character, Kelly, wants to find her child that was taken away from her by her ex. The introduction of the book involves Kelly at the park, acting as if she is watching a child of her own. She then meets a child at the park and starts to entertain her with magic tricks. She has put so much time and effort into finding her child, Emily. Kelly would ask around the city and church. She even had some friends help her find her child. This is a representation of how a parent would try to find their children and have hope in their safety. A parent could have many thoughts when concerned about missing children. They would think about if their child was happy, safe, and healthy.<br /> I would recommend this book to many different types of people, such as those who need to find their children, single parents, parents with depressed children, or even teenagers. The thought of taking care of a child in a teenager’s mind can be troubling. They would worry about the common thoughts of any parent at any age. This book may give some tips about how they can take good care of their children.<br /> <br />

Child of Mine by David and Beverly Lewis is the story of a woman who is looking for her daughter who was kidnapped as a baby. Jack is the uncle of Nattie who he is raising after the death of her parents. Laura is the Amish nanny who has been with Nattie four years and is more like family to her than a babysitter. San is Jack’s sister who sometimes stickers her nose in where she shouldn’t but seems to have good intentions. Their lives all intertwine when Kelly pursues a lead from her private investigator that Nattie may be her daughter.<br /><br />I hate to say it but I just didn’t enjoy this book. I found it way too long and drawn out. With a good bit of editing this book could have been shorter and perhaps more interesting. There was just too much detail at times that wasn’t needed. They added nothing to the story.<br /><br /> I couldn’t connect with the characters and found Nattie bordering on being a spoiled brat. I have read many Beverly Lewis books before and have enjoyed them immensely. This one though was different. I feel the Amish nanny was just an afterthought to keep her fans of the Amish fiction genre she is known for. She didn’t even seem all that Amish at times. <br /><br />I do not think I will be recommending this book to family or friends.<br /><br />I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review which I have given. <br />

This was my first book I've read by Beverly Lewis, as I'm just getting into Amish fiction. I loved it. (Although I don't think that this book should even really be classified as an Amish fiction book - Nattie has an Amish nanny <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="82977bfb-6449-4e0f-9bdd-0c8345192e2a" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="82977bfb-6449-4e0f-9bdd-0c8345192e2a"> who eventually leaves </label>. That's it.) <br /><br />Nattie was the sweetest little kid. She just made me smile. :) <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="230a5c9a-cfb3-4fbb-be0d-09975d78587b" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="230a5c9a-cfb3-4fbb-be0d-09975d78587b"> I wish that Laura had stayed with the Livingstons. She was sweet. </label> I really liked Jack and Kelly. Basically all the characters. Except San. For some reason I just don't like her...<br /><br />It has a heavier note to it as far as the backstories of both Kelly and Jack, and San's as well. <br /><br />The beginning was definitely a little bit disjointed, and I also thought the part where Jack was dating three girls was just unnecessary and a bit boring. I didn't want to read through his pointless dates with girls he would never even talk to again! (Sorry).<br /><br />When I finished the book, I felt a mixture of happy and sad, a feeling I only get when I've finished an amazing book deserving of a spot on my "favorites" list. Therefor, it must get five stars. I will definitely be reading this book again!

Great, satisfying enjoyable read!

Child of Mine was my second foray into Christian fiction and my first time reading a book by the authors. While the premise piqued my interest I found the end less than satisfying. <br /><br /><br />The story follows Jack the father of eight year old Nattie adopted as an infant and Kelly who's baby daughter, Emily, was kidnapped around the same time. So ya see where it's going...<br /><br />Jack is a pilot who runs a successful small business during the day and spends his evenings dating various women in an effort to find a mom for Nattie while Kelly flies around the US searching for her daughter. In the meantime, Nattie spends most of her time with Laura the randomly Amish nanny.<br /><br />For the most part, Jack comes across as a superficial opportunist who is powerfully attracted to Laura when she dresses fancy (a.k.a. everyday American) but who can't bring himself to kiss her when she dresses plain (a.k.a. Amish) and even goes so far as to admit that he's embarrassed by her clothing. Moreover, he vacillates between his crushes more than a typical school girl fawning over her favorite pop stars. Jack's troubling behavior is somewhat explained away by the fact he has deep-seated mommy issues. Attractive??? Ummm... not so much.<br /><br />Then comes Kelly... She works third shift at a gas station selling beef jerky and lottery tickets despite having a college degree while living in a hovel and flying around the country tricking unsuspecting girls into licking lolly pops which she sends off for DNA testing. To the authors' credit she only comes across as slightly creepy. Despite her myriad of poor choices I can muster up huge amounts of sympathy for her. I mean her daughter was kidnapped by her husband and sold for drug money which led to his subsequent death by overdose. So, yeah, I have some feels for her. I especially appreciate the fact the authors took time to address the fact that parents of kidnapped children are often crucified by the media and made to be villains. Doing so gave the story a modicum of realism. Yet, that shining moment was quickly overshadowed by the very unrealistic subplot revolving around Kelly's multi-millionaire benefactors who bankroll her trips across America. <br /><br />Really??? Millionaire parental figures who lovingly instruct her in maintaining integrity while financing the expenses... That all-too-convenient means to an end nearly caused me to quit reading the first 100 pages into the novel. The fairy godparents ummm, I mean, multi-millionaires were my first real indication that I was leaving the real world and diving headfirst into the realm of fairy tales. Prior to that I found the book interesting and well-written.<br /><br />So, there were a lot of is she or isn't she questions. Is Nattie also Emily? Is Kelly her birth mom or is Laura? Which "lucky" lady gets to spend a lifetime with Jack the closeted misogynist? All these questions were quickly summed up in the last few chapters as randomly Amish Laura was quickly and conveniently reunited with her long lost love all the while Kelly miraculously finds her daughter, Jack finds some humanity, and we all find out the true albeit creepy identity of Nattie's birth mom. <br /><br />I guess I have higher expectations of fiction especially fiction based upon the truest and most realistic facet of my own life namely Christianity. Is it too much to ask that someone write realistic Christian fiction?<br /><br />This book along with the other I read a while back (Atonement Child by Francine Rivers) make God out to be the great, grand fairy god-mother in the sky and it annoys the heck out of me. The resolution to every problem was quickly tied up in the last few chapters without providing any recognizable points of character development. Literally, each and every one of them just decided to change without explanation. New characters were introduced out of the blue. Every kidnapped child ended up in ridiculously wealthy Christian homes while prevailing attitudes changed on the fly. The last fourth of the book was incredibly choppy as if the editor got tired and put paragraphs together willy nilly. <br /><br />The very plain and tragic truth is that most kidnapped children are killed or sold into slavery. They're not living the dream as the sole heir to millions being raised to wholeheartedly love Jesus. Most parents don't find their missing children and those who do find them broken, in pain, and facing major uphill battles. While that didn't necessarily need to be addressed in this book it would have been much more plausible to find at least one of these kids in less than ideal situations. <br /><br />I can't see this book appealing to anyone outside of upper middle class white people harboring unrealistic world views. All in all it just wasn't my cup of tea. <br /><br />*****<br />Five stars mean I love it, plan to regularly read it, probably own the deluxe edition, recommend it to everyone and will give it as a gift. (To Kill A Mockingbird, The Lord of the Rings, Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narnia, A Christmas Carol, The Taking)<br /><br />****<br />Four stars mean that I like it and plan to read it again at some point. I recommend it to most people and probably own it as a book. (The Hunger Games, The Screwtape Letters, Gone With the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, The Fifth Wave)<br /><br />***<br />Three stars mean I'm not sorry I read it. I don't plan to read it again but wouldn't object to doing so. If it's a series I'll read them all. I recommend it only to people who I feel certain would enjoy it. If I own it it's on my Kindle. (The Host, 1984, The Di Vinci Code, What Crazy Looks Like on an Ordinary Day as well as most books that I read.)<br /><br />**<br />Two stars mean I didn't like it. I have no plans to read it again and wouldn't enjoy doing so. I feel like I wasted the opportunity to read something better. I don't recommend it but I'm not ashamed to have read it. I don't own it, don't plan to own it, and would strongly suggest that anyone wanting to read it wait to get it from the library. If it's a series I may give the second one a shot but I'll quit reading it immediately if I'm not enjoying it. (Atonement Child, The Great Gatsby, Stolen)<br /><br />*<br />One star means I hated it. I probably didn't finish it or deeply regret doing so. I find it to be either poorly written, utter trash, or damaging. There's no way I own a copy or recommend it. I rarely rate anything with one star but when I do I feel there is absolutely no redeeming value to be found within its pages. (Fifty Shades of Gray, Fascinating Womanhood)

I’ve read this four times. Now, this is an amazing book!!! Favourite Amish Novel of all time!! This is a page turner. Suspense, romance and Amish fiction and Contemporary all smashed together equals this wonderful book!!! <br />The first time I didn’t read the epilogue so I thought Laura was her mother but I read it again, this the epilogue and I was shocked!!

Cute little story!!!