What Took You So Long

A review copy was provided

Published by Walnut Springs

WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG

by Pamela S. Williams

John Marchbanks and Lainie McGuire are two never-marrieds in their late thirties, both active in the LDS Church. He’s the attorney who incorporates her new reception-center business. A convert, talented artist, pianist, actor in community theater, and Primary teacher, John lives on the East Bench of Provo. Lainie, a life-long Church member and dedicated people person, volunteers for good causes and serves the elderly Single Adults in her west Provo ward. She’s a breast-cancer survivor who appreciates every day, even a bad one.

Just as John realizes he loves Lainie, he is diagnosed with malignant melanoma. What they learn about themselves and each other through his treatment and recovery makes them see they’ve wasted too much time already. Life is really all about living it up, celebrating the joys and sweetness of life while they can—together.

My Review
Another great book by this AMAZING author!

We were given a brief touch of Lainie and John's story in the book Living It Down-- and at the time I so wanted to know more about them and could just see them truly getting together.

How pleased I was to get a whole book about them :)

Their stories are parallel and beautifully blended all at the same time. They are both older and a little settled in their ways, wanting love in their lives-- just struggling to let go of some past issues.

Some of which is cancer--

Lainie is now 5-years cancer free, but now John has been diagnosed with it.

Can Lainie help John?
Will John let her?
Can their hearts heal as much as needed?

A VERY WONDERFUL READ!
As the author says "If you like a grown-up love story, you'll like this book."

The most interesting fact about this book is that the author herself was diagnosed with cancer the very day this book hit the shelves-- You can read about her journey on her blog: http://pamwrite.blogspot.com/

About the Author

Pamela Stott Williams is a native of Portland, Oregon, and a graduate of Brigham Young University. She has been a newspaper reporter, writing teacher, poet, playwright, essayist, editor, novelist and member of the League of Utah Writers and an LDS women's writers group, ANWA, the American Night Writers Association, so named because women writers often find time to write mostly after the children have gone to bed. Pam has won contest prizes from both groups for her work. She feels a particular calling to speak to Latter-day Saint readers about the challenges of being alive and living the gospel. As the nearly OCD Queen of Tweak, she rarely begins a sentence with "the," and shuns question marks at the end of rhetorical questions. Pam and her husband Roger currently reside in Provo, Utah, but have lived on Guam, in Iran, in Navajoland, and most recently spent thirty-three years in Richfield, Utah. Pam and Roger are the parents of three and grandparents of seven.

-Photo by Mindy Gonzalez

  

Living It Down

A review copy was provided

Published by Walnut Springs

LIVING IT DOWN

by Pamela S. Williams

Carrie Burke has it all-marriage to a successful lawyer, two lively teenage daughters, a beautiful home, the gospel. Why isn't she happy? Confused, joyless, and depressed, she questions her own worth and decides to take an unorthodox "time-out" to reevaluate her life. Her husband Morgan calls it selfish. Carrie calls it self-preservation.

Renting the basement apartment in Aunt Sophie's vintage Victorian home brings its own set of challenges, but also the advantage of friendship with vivacious, creative Lainie McGuire. Coincidence brings an old flame, Todd Kendall - a man Carrie never wanted to see again - back into her life. To guide her daughter through a moral crisis with a predatory boy, she realizes she needs the help of both Todd and Morgan.

In her spiritual quest to reconnect with her values and reclaim her best self, Carrie yearns to find joy again, and in the process discovers that maybe there's no such thing as coincidence.

My Review
I was impressed with how compelling this book was. You really feel for these characters!

This book touches on the sensitive issue of teen sex and pregnancy, but does so in a very respectful way. And I LOVED that the parents were the ones to teach their children...very well written.

It also touches on separation and divorce and shows that parents are not perfect and sometimes struggle too!

A beautiful book of forgiving, trying one's best, and learning along the way.
I will definitely read more from this author!

About the Author
Pamela Stott Williams is a native of Portland, Oregon, and a graduate of Brigham Young University. She has been a newspaper reporter, writing teacher, poet, playwright, essayist, editor, novelist and member of the League of Utah Writers and an LDS women's writers group, ANWA, the American Night Writers Association, so named because women writers often find time to write mostly after the children have gone to bed. Pam has won contest prizes from both groups for her work. She feels a particular calling to speak to Latter-day Saint readers about the challenges of being alive and living the gospel. As the nearly OCD Queen of Tweak, she rarely begins a sentence with "the," and shuns question marks at the end of rhetorical questions. Pam and her husband Roger currently reside in Provo, Utah, but have lived on Guam, in Iran, in Navajoland, and most recently spent thirty-three years in Richfield, Utah. Pam and Roger are the parents of three and grandparents of seven.

-Photo by Mindy Gonzalez