Hope Springs

Janelle Evans lost her husband and she also pulled away from her relationship with God. When she and her children visit Hope Springs for a family reunion, she finds a reason to stay longer than she'd intended. Will the time she spends with family and an old friend help her to live again?

Becca Anderson is finally living her dream. She has been invited to speak at The National Christian Women's Conference, and maybe even greater things will follow. Her husband has been called to Pastor his late father's church in Hope Springs, which means relocation to a small town. How will the move affect her dream, her marriage, and her walk with the Lord?

Stephanie London is happily married and living in St. Louis. A visit to Hope Springs reunites her with family she hasn't seen in years, and it also teaches her a few things about herself.

The first thing I thought as I began to read was that it would have been nice if this book had not been released until December or maybe even November, around Thanksgiving. Since it's Christmas when the story begins, reading it during the Christmas season would have made for a even cozier reading experience. Yes, I could have waited, but I had read Faithful, and I was reading Cherished when I bought Hope Springs, so - since I really enjoyed the first two books - I was eager to read more of Tate's work.

Predominately white churches, predominately black churches - Tate brings attention to the division among believers, teaching a lesson Christians will benefit from. There are also messages about how harmful family secrets can be, putting someone's needs before your own, learning how to hear from God, family unity and forgiveness.

Some of Tate's fictional characters from Faithful and Cherished are in this book, but the story mostly revolves around new characters. There are quite a few of them to keep track of - I had to go back a few sentences every now and then to make sure I had things straight, but Hope Springs was as inspirational, engaging and thought-provoking as Tate's previous novels.

I did not like the book Hope Springs. I felt the story was too contrived and the characters were not real. This is a story of two families from different backgrounds that have been long-time friends. The two families are both connected to different churches that have the same beliefs but are divided down racial lines. As the small town continues to put those racial lines behind them the churches can't seem to do the same.

The audience of this book is primarily female as most of the story line revolves around three women who are brought back to Hope Springs later in life. There are a few side stories of love and romance but nothing much.

Another thing that was a little annoying is that there were so many familial connects that were described in the book that I had to keep using the family tree to figure out who the author was talking about. That made it difficult to get into the flow of the story.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. 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."

The Sanders family gathers in Hope Springs for their annual fun-filled, family-packed Christmas. When Grandma Gerri is diagnosed with cancer, cousins Stephanie, Libby, and Janelle volunteer to stay in town to help care for her. They quickly become friends with Becca, newly arrived in Hope Springs following her father-in-law's sudden death. Family and lifelong friends are reunited for an emotional journey. They will all be changed forever.

After reading Cherished last fall, I knew I had to read more from Kim Cash Tate. I was excited to learn that Hope Springs follows more members of the Sanders clan and I wasn't disappointed! Hope Springs is a warm yet emotional story of three women trying to live the life God wants for them. While some stories like this leave me feeling sad or a little down after reading them, Hope Springs was filled with hope and left me with a satisfied sigh at the end.

The characters were completely real, and Kim shared the good, the bad, and the ordinary about each of them. There were quite a few people and stories going on simultaneously. I often get confused with so many characters, but it didn't bother me in this book. (And the family tree at the beginning helped as well!) I was drawn to each of the characters for one reason or another, which helped me connect with them and want to know how their particular story turned out. Similarly, several plot lines ran throughout the book, but they were told in such a way that it seemed just like . . . well . . . real life. :)

Tate certainly didn't shy away from dealing with tough topics either! Death, adultery, disunity in the Church, single parenting, racism, pride, and sexual immorality are brought up in this book. Every issue was presented realistically and with grace and redemption in mind.

Kim Cash Tate is quickly becoming one of my must-read authors. With realistic characters and engaging plots, I highly recommend Hope Springs to anyone who enjoys stories filled with drama, faith, emotion, and romance. My fingers are crossed that we'll be reading more about the Sanders family in the (near!) future!

[5 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson and Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my fair and honest review.

The book up for review is "Hope Springs" by Kim Cash Tate

The book is based on a family whose roots are in Hope Springs, North Carolina. The family lives all over but the matriarch, Grandma Geri, is based there. When she becomes sick the family pulls together to help take care of her, some rearranging their lives for the woman who help raise them. The family works together and come to term with their spiritual self and healing that comes from trusting in the Lord.

I for one am glad the author placed a small family tree in the front for there are a lot of characters. What I did not like was meeting almost all of them in the first chapter. For me that was information overload. If you can follow along then it won't be a problem but for me it slowed me down.

Also it was a little easy to figure out how the ending was going to come about. I like to be surprised or at least only figuring how it ends by the last chapter.

I did like the Christian aspect of the book which gave it a good feeling throughout. The feeling of family being there for each other was present in the entire book which was nice to read.

This book was received for free in exchange for two honest reviews.

In Hope Springs, Kim Cash Tate shows how things come together. Hope Springs is a book that gives the reader a view of how life comes together for three particular ladies. Janelle, Becca and Stephanie each come to Hope Springs with a different motivation, but with the same purpose - to see their aging and ailing grandmother. In the shadows of the death of a spouse, a lack of personal purpose, and being consumed by a desire for ministry, God is working in each of their lives.

One of the mysteries of life is how we come to the places where we end up. Kim skillfully gives us characters with pasts that hold secrets, twists, and turns and then she artistically unwinds them. We get to see where the characters come from, what's happened in their pasts, and how they end up in Hope Springs. Each of these women come out changed and with a different view of what it means to see their purpose unfold when they submit fully to the gentle tug of God.

Hope Springs inspired, motivated, and humbled me.

Kim did not disappoint in this novel. I look forward to her next release in April 2013.

When I saw the long family tree in the front of the book, I knew that this book was going to be a stretch to keep track of the plots. True, but once I focused on the main characters, the story sort of flowed. I was very taken back by the town having a White Church and a Black Church. With this in mind, it made me wonder if the Pastor for each church was white/white church and black/black church especially with Travis of the Black church interested Libby (I think). I don't see why this was an issue. I read through some of the book quickly and it looked like the two churches blended towards the end. I was very interested in the Kory & Jannelle story with a fairy tale ending. I saw there are two more books in the series, and I can't begin to think of reading them. Why didn't the author just state if characters were white or black and go with the message. Why many characters? Then there was Keisha that the author stuck in at the end of the story. Not interested in purchasing one or the 3 books for church library.

This book couldn't be described as fluffy chicklit by any measure. It's a multilayered look at the lives of three main characters who are connected by a complex web of relationships. The author includes a family tree at the beginning of the book to help readers understand the family dynamics. Janelle is a widow who is beginning to move forward. Becca is the wife of a long-time family friend who has just launched into a national ministry when the unexpected death of her father-in-law sends her plans into a tailspin. Stephanie has a comfortable life, but she's convicted that she needs to work on being less selfish, so she decides to spend Christmas with the family she hasn't seen in years. There are many other relatives and relationships that are part of the book, but these main threads give the gist. All three women find themselves in the same town at Christmas. When their grandmother is diagnosed with cancer during their visit, both Janelle and Stephanie extend their Christmas stay to help care for her.

This story has so many themes. First, the story contains the element of racial tension in a small North Carolina town. Despite the walls having come down from where they used to be, this showcases how racial segregation was still present. The author does a great job of demonstrating how to get past some separation through her skillfully woven story. This story is also about how the past can haunt the present. It isn't a sterilized look at life. Real issues are present. It shows in a realistic way how some people's choices have a long-reaching fallout. It's also a story about healing. Again, it's multilayered. The story touches on healing from loss of a loved one, from loss through divorce, from long-kept family secrets and separation, and from selfish attitudes.

I enjoyed the characters and I thing the author did a fantastic job of weaving issues in to a story without preaching a cause. It's a story where any reader can find some place to insert herself and connect with a character who shares her struggles. Tate knows how to write deep, yet conversationally. I liked that very much!

I don't hand out very many 5-star reviews, but this story gripped me, and I highly recommend it. There are no stereotypical portrayals here. It's real. It's believable. It's life-altering.

I started reading this book without realizing it was a kinda-sorta sequel to two other books I'd previously enjoyed, "Faithful" and "Cherished". While "Hope Springs" has only been marketed as a stand alone title, I thought there were enough characters spilling over that it would have been more helpful to bill it as part of that series.

And there are certainly enough characters to go around! Every now and then I'll read a trilogy and think, "You know, with tighter editing this could have been a really good single novel rather than a story spread rather boringly over three books." I had the exact opposite reaction to "Hope Springs". With a little more writing and character development, this could have easily been a trilogy! There's Stephanie and her spiritual service boot camp. There's Janelle and her kids; Grandma Geri; Kory and his daughter. There's Libby, Travis, Todd, Becca. There's Sara Ann and the diner. There's New Jerusalem and Calvary. There is family history to be explored; secrets to reveal; whole communities to consider.

Yes, indeed. There were so many characters that even half-way through the book I was still trying to keep everyone straight. Another issue was that the color of skin was part of the story, but I didn't realize that until quite a ways into the novel. I had forgotten whose skin was black and whose was white because it didn't make one bit of difference to me as a reader. Obviously it was important in the context of the story, though. I realize this is a storyline that quite a few people can relate to, but it didn't resonate within me.

At the same time, the further I got into the story, the more I enjoyed it. There a lot of really good themes that come out. By the time I turned the last page, I was mentally begging the author to write a follow-up book because these stories are not yet finished. There's more to explore with all these people... which is maybe why they should have gotten their own books!

So I came out in the middle with this one. It took me a long time to get into it, and I felt it was muddled, but the last third of the book was great. I would recommend you check out Kim Cash Tate's other novels before reading this one. If you enjoyed those, as I did, you'll probably like this one, too. I will be watching to see what she comes out with next!

Another good read from Kim Cash Tate. This is a story about family, faith, hope and forgiveness. Tate draws you into the character's lives and just when you think you have things figured out, there's a twist. Finished the book in just a few days!I am anxiously anticipating the next in the Hope Springs series! Buy it now..you will not be disappointed.

Hope Springs offers a peek into small town southern life. It is the story of two families that have been neighbors for generations. Despite the fact that in generations past, the whites and blacks in Hope Springs were still somewhat segregated socially, the Sanders and the Dillons managed to build strong and lasting friendships. Highlighting the fact that the community is still somewhat divided by race is the fact that there are two churches in Hope Springs. One is Calvary, where the white families attend, and the other is New Jerusalem, where the black families worship. However, change is in the air.

The story opens with a Christmas homecoming, the joy of which is offset by the death of the patriarch of the Dillon family, Pastor Jim. In the opening chapters the author introduces the family members and their various struggles. One thing becomes clear, though imperfect; these are two very loving and devoted families - devoted to each other and to the Lord.

I can say that I did end up enjoying this book. However, had I not been reading it as part of an agreement to write a review, I am not certain I would have finished reading it - and I have an aversion to leaving books unfinished. I was well into the book before I was `hooked.'Initially I found it difficult to keep up with all of the characters and their stories. The author bounced around quite a bit and tried to cover too much too quickly. I found myself struggling to stay interested. Those issues aside, once I got through those chapters, the characters and their stories were well developed and I was caught up in Hope Springs.

I am glad that I made a commitment to read the entire book. Had I not, I might have missed out on a great read. The characters were `real' and the plot was rich and diverse. I will also say that I was very pleased with the way the author chose to end things with one couple in particular. It is not often done in such a way in Christian novels. Tate kept it real all the way through to the end. Should a sequel be released, I will most definitely read it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. 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