Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: All My Belongings by Cynthia Ruchti

Welcome to my tour stop for All My Belongings by Cynthia Ruchti! This book was so, so good! Read my review and check out the giveaway info below, but first about the book...

All My Belongings

by Cynthia Ruchti

Christian Contemporary Romance
Paperback, 335 Pages
May 1st 2014 by Abingdon Press            

Summary

A new life and a new identity can’t protect Becca from a past that refuses to go away.

After spending years running from the shame her father put on her family, Jayne is determined not to let him steal her future in the same way he stole her childhood. Changing her name to Becca Morrow, she moves to California and settles into a new life and new job caring for ailing mother of handsome young businessman, Isaac Hughes.

But just as she’s wondering if she and Isaac are headed for a relationship, Becca’s patient passes away under unusual circumstances. Suddenly, her past catches up with her and the unnerving details of her heritage threaten to destroy all sense of home and all hope for love.

Even if she could clear her name, a phone call wraps a suffocating shroud around her heart. Her estranged father needs her help. But can Becca open her new life to the man who ruined her past?

    

My Review

I wasn't sure that I was prepared for this one after I ready the first few pages. Jayne, aka "Becca," witnesses something really terrible that is also emotionally very close to her and then tries to build a new life somehow afterwards. It just really hit me with how abhorrent and difficult and sad the situation was. Then she went to care for an ailing lady who had a heart condition and Alzheimer's. I felt really emotionally drained in parts. There were poignant thoughts like this one:

"Sometimes parents give you away, but they make you stay."

~p. 16

This is in reference to the very lonely childhood Becca experienced. She was there, but not there and that made me really sad too. I just connected with the character and what her emotions would feel like with the way the story was written. It was like the characters thoughts were taken straight to the page. They weren't always in lovely sentences. Sometimes they were broken, but they felt real. 

Then there were other poignant, but beautiful moments that just lifted my heart. There were a couple of scenes with Aurelia (the ailing lady Becca is caring for) where Aurelia started this conversation and then Becca tried to find what she was referencing and she finally finds it. It was one of my favorites from the book and tied in so nicely with the book title. Here are parts of it:

Aurelia's eyes widened. "Becca, will you look at that?" The conversation derailed.

"What is it?" 

"See here in my palm?" The older woman held one shaky hand toward her. The skin was so white-pink it looked bleached, and so thin Becca wondered how protective it could be anymore. 

"I don't see anything. I'm sorry." 

"No. You wouldn't." Her expression darkened. "Nothing's written there." Pale as they were, her eyes lit. "But my name is written on God's palm." 

Becca envisioned Aurelia Hughes inscribed in beautiful penmanship on an enormous, calloused Hand. 

Aurelia closed both her frail fist and her eyes. "Some days, that's the only thing that keeps me going." 

Her breathing deep and unhurried now, she seemed not to sleep as much as rest in that thought.

~ p. 79-80       

Then it continued a little later here: 

A fragile string of graduated flowers stuck its head out of the pages of Aurelia's Bible. Becca opened to the bookmarked page. There it was. Isaiah 49:16—"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." Belonging.

~ p. 91

I really loved Becca, Isaac, and Geneva. I loved how they were knit together and they interacted with each other. I loved Isaac's group of guy friends. I loved Aurelia and how much she added to the story. I do have to admit that when Becca first started caring for Aurelia and lied about her past that it really bugged me. I thought it would have been so much easier for her to have told as close to the truth as possible. No one would have thought she was anyone other than she said she was. There was no reason to. Instead she bumbles through a lot of the time. At the same time, I could see why she felt as she did and I loved this book regardless.

This was such a heartfelt, intense, sweet, unpredictable-in-so-many-ways-type of story. It was tough to read in parts, but it was so worth reading. There were so many poignant and sad, but also happy moments. I loved it! I would definitely recommend it to Christian Romance readers as well as general Adult Romance readers. The inspirational element is definitely there, but it wasn't overly done. It was just part of these characters and their lives.

Content: Clean

Source: I would like to thank Litfuse and Abingdon Press for my review copy, which did not affect my review in any way.

About the Author

Cynthia Ruchti has more than three decades of radio broadcast experience with "Heartbeat of the Home" radio and currently serves as Professional Relations Liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers.

Website - Goodreads - Facebook - Twitter

Tour-Wide Giveaway

Cynthia Ruchti asks what it takes to overcome your past and become who you were meant to be in her latest novel, All My Belongings. Cynthia has woven a heart-wrenching tale of forgiveness, grace, and learning what it means to truly belong.

Cynthia is celebrating the release of her latest novel with a fun giveaway and a live webcast event!

 
One winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa cash card
• All My Belongings by Cynthia Ruchti

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 11th. Winner will be announced at the All My Belongings LIVE webcast event on June 11th. Connect with Cynthia for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Cynthia will also be taking questions from the audience and giving away books, fun prizes, and gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of All My Belongings and join Cynthia and friends on the evening of June 11th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by signing up for a reminder. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 11th!