Thursday, August 29, 2013

Book Review ~ Five Days in Skye



Book: Five Days in Skye
Author: Carla Laureano
Publisher: David C Cook
Publishing Date: June 10, 2013

I received this book free through www.netgalley.com from the publisher for an honest review.


My interest in this book: it was recommended a couple times by various people for summer reading. (It's on the summer suggested reading list to the right of this post.) Besides, it's set in Scotland! 

Ideas expressed / message / plot: What has God called you to do? Instead of "what do you want to do."

Favorite characters, quotes / lines:  I'm sorry, I can't resist!  Carla's characters are  so fun to spend a few hours with I just can't give one line or a brief description. They deserve so much more. Thus, instead, I'll just give you an excerpt from the book: 

His mouth curved upwards, secretive, mischievous. “I had a rather unfortunate propensity for practical jokes.”
“Which, apparently, you have not lost.”
“Perhaps not.” He made a face. “Do I owe you an apology for last night? I couldn’t resist.”
Andrea sighed. “No. I should have been better prepared.”
“If you’d been prepared, you’d have been perfectly polite. Maybe you would’ve felt you needed to flatter my ego. Trust me, Andrea, I get enough of that as it is.”
“Yes, it must be terrible to have women fawn all over you.”
He glanced over long enough to catch her eye. “Do you enjoy turning the head of every man who gets within ten feet of you? Tell me the truth.”
Heat rushed back to her cheeks, though she couldn’t quite say why. Of course men looked. They looked at all moderately attractive women. It wasn’t as if it meant anything. “It depends on the man, I suppose.”
“Is that right?” Something in the way his gaze slid over her before it returned to the road made her heart trip. The flush deepened. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him smile. Blast him. He’d noticed, and he knew why.
She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her gut. In the course of a three-hour drive, she’d managed to destroy her only chance of keeping things on a strictly professional level. James was intelligent enough to recognize the effect he had on her, involuntary as it might be. If she’d been playing poker, she would have just tipped her hand.

When I finished the book I felt: "what?! That's the end already?!" I loved it. I think it would make an excellent Hallmark movie. I can totally picture the end in my head: screen shot of a kiss then switch to a shot of a note gracefully falling to the ground where we, the audience, get to read it. *sigh*
Well done, Carla! 

Overall: I loved it through and through. Carla, there's a quality in the telling that breathes "this book was written through and with God," and not on your own stamina or desires to get something published. It's obvious your passion and love for God and that's what makes this book such an excellent read.
I give it 4.5 stars. Definitely looking forward to putting this one on my shelf for friends to borrow. 


Since I loved it so much, I want to share it with you! I'll give 2 lucky winners an ebook edition (Kindle) of this wonderful story. Yay, free stuff! Just enter using the rafflecopter form below. Best of luck!!  (if you don't want to fill out Rafflecopter, just leave a blog comment on where you would choose to set a novel...especially if you had to go there to research it!) :) Giveaway ends Saturday at midnight.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

5 comments:

  1. I might set a story in Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands, Washington. I have only been there once time for a few days, but I loved it.

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    1. Kay, I live by there! Very beautiful indeed!

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  2. Carla, It sounds like you've had a very interesting journey--on the way to becoming a published author. I know you didn't know where all the detours would lead, but I also know that God had a wonderful plan for you and it appears that you are right in sync with it. I'm sure He has great things in store for you.

    I'm looking forward to reading Five Days in Skye.

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  3. Ireland :-) I would LOVE to write a book in this setting. I have written a book inside a biodome with a medieval culture. Does that count, too? I want to visit Biosphere 2 and The Eden Project for my current book. But, I would love to write a book that takes place in Ireland one day... HUGS to you Joleen!

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    1. Jes, sounds fun!

      I thought of you multiple times when reading this book & when you took me on my first trip to Pike's Place! Remember our accents and acting like exchange students?! Ha! Yes, I think you'd like this book...though it's not what you write, it is a great contemporary piece. Hugs!

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