About the Book
Book: Facing the Dawn
Author: Cynthia Ruchti
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Release date: March 2, 2021
Mara Jacobs has been struggling. While her humanitarian husband is digging wells in Africa and caring for widows and orphans, Mara has been battling the home front—working a demanding yet unrewarding job, trying to manage three detention-prone kids, and suffering from exhaustion and depression. Even her own marriage is deteriorating after a three-year separation.
Then Liam’s absence turns into something more, changing everything and plunging her into a sunless grief. As Mara leans on those around her to find her way to healing and renewed faith, she discovers that even when hope is tenuous and the future is unknown, we can be sure we are not forgotten . . . or unloved.
Facing the Dawn is an emotionally evocative novel that will resonate with readers’ lives and their life challenges. Hemmed in hope, this tender story will be one readers will not soon forget.
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts:
You will definitely need a box of tissues for this story. This is a story that is really emotional. I knew going in, not only would this be sad but also tragic in parts.
First off, I enjoy author Ruchti's writing and how she can pull you into the character's heart and mind. Mara Jacobs has been doing single motherhood with her three children for three years, while her husband, Liam, is helping needy families in Africa get the water they need. What Liam is doing is good, I just felt that the cost to his family, which was great, outweighed all the good. It always bothers me when someone sacrifices the family good for something outside no matter how well intentioned. I felt Liam was in the wrong and he should have waited until his kids were grown and Mara could join him on this adventure.
I completely understood where Mara came from with her feelings of resentment and abandonment especially as she watched each of her kids spiral out of control. But I also felt she should have been more honest with Liam and should have asked him to wait. No matter his dreams, they could have been realized later in life and in a greater way. Then the unthinkable happens.
This story became harder to read after that, and I admit I had to skip over parts as emotionally I was just not ready to deal with what I knew was coming. This is not an easy read. The author deals with some tough issues that felt so very real to me, and like I said she writes in such a way I can feel the heart of the character.
I enjoy author Ruchti's stories, this one was just a little too tragic for me and more than I wanted to read. It is a story full of hope as well and Mara's walk through her bitter trials is a testament that no one should give up, and I am glad that Mara was able to see some good by the end, but this mama and wife's heart was sad.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.
About the Author
More from Cynthia
When I sit down to write a novel, I sometimes have little more than a title or a single scene in my head. For Facing the Dawn, I had a mental picture of a woman who felt like circumstances had drained all the “color” out of her life, as if she were a piece of fabric that had been left out in the sun too long. Faded. Threadbare. Bleached out.
Where was I supposed to go from there? What would have made her feel like that? (Oh, I could imagine, but I needed to know THIS character’s story.) I visualized her called in the principal’s office at her kids’ school, not knowing which of the three was in trouble this time. But it was her. The ridiculousness of it all was almost enough to push her over the edge. Ever been there?
For Mara in the story, a long string of disappointments clogged her life like a backed-up sink (which she also had). Then true tragedy struck. And again. But I couldn’t leave her in that place.
When I wrote the last few words of the story, my heart was full. Tears fell on the pages—or the keyboard. And I reflected back on all the symbolism in the story that actually revealed bits of hope embedded in its fabric.
I’m excited to see how readers respond when they discover those little bits—a cardinal in a stand of birch trees, an oil painting with unusual brushstrokes, a papered wall, a cup of soup, a long-forgotten song, an envelope of ashes…
A story comes to life when readers dive in. I’m looking forward to hearing what they find when they do.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews
From an Avid Reader, March 4
lakesidelivingsite,
March 4
Through
the Fire Blogs, March 4
Rebecca Tews,
March 5
Debbie’s
Dusty Deliberations , March 5
Gina Holder,
Author and Blogger, March 6 (Author Interview)
Ashley’s
Clean Book Reviews, March 6
Happily
Managing a Household of Boys, March 6
Musings
of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 7
Reviewingbooksplusmore,
March 7
A Modern Day
Fairy Tale, March 8
Kathleen’s Blog,
March 8
Book Bites, Bee
Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, March 8
Texas Book-aholic,
March 9
Cats in the
Cradle Blog, March 9
Locks, Hooks
and Books, March 10
Simple Harvest
Reads, March 10 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Mypreciousbitsandmusings,
March 10
Because I
said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 11
Artistic
Nobody, March 11 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)
Older
& Smarter?, March 12
deb’s Book
Review, March 12
The Christian
Fiction Girl, March 13
Inklings
and notions, March 13
Pause for
Tales, March 13
For Him and My
Family, March 14
Mary Hake,
March 14
By The Book,
March 15
Christian
Bookaholic, March 15
Truth and Grace
Homeschool Academy, March 16
Spoken from the
Heart, March 16
Southern
Gal Loves to Read, March 16
A Baker’s
Perspective, March 17
Writing
from the Heart Land, March 17
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Cynthia is giving away the grand prize package of a DrinkCo Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated BPA-free beverage container (keeps drinks cold for up to 24 hours/hot up to 12 hours), two Sunprint Notecards (Cynanotype art by Anna Atkins), an autographed copy of the novel Facing the Dawn, two Hemmed in Hope magnets/notecard inserts to encourage you or a friend, a Hemmed in Hope flash drive, and Facing the Dawn bookmarks (not shown in picture above)!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/108ce/facing-the-dawn-celebration-tour-giveaway
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