"beyond molasses creek" by nicole seitz

About the book (provided by Litfuse): 

Three lives are bound by a single book . . . and the cleansing waters of Molasses Creek.

Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past. But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationship—he was once her best friend . . . and also part of the reason she’s stayed away so long. When Ally discovers a message her father left behind asking her to quit running, it seems her past isn’t through with her yet.

As Ally’s wandering spirit wrestles with a deep longing to flee again, a young woman on the other side of the world escapes her life of slavery in the rock quarries of Nepal. A mysterious sketchbook leads Sunila Kunari to believe there’s more to her story than she’s ever been told, and she’s determined to follow the truth wherever it leads her.

A deep current intertwines the lives of these three souls, and a destiny of freedom, faith, and friendship awaits them all on the banks of Molasses Creek.

My take: Beyond Molasses Creek is a beautiful story of love, heartache, and redemption. Told in first person from Ally's, Vessey's, and Sunila's points of view, each person comes alive through the prose. All the characters—main and supporting—seem like people you could really run into on the street. No one is angelically good (though Vessey is pretty close); no one is hideously evil. It's a "warts-and-all" portrayal that you don't often see in Christian fiction. And I love that the ending is happy but not contrived. Beyond Molasses Creek is a book to be savored.

I read and reviewed another of Seitz's books, Saving Cicadas, a couple years ago. That book won me over eventually, but I had a hard time connecting with it at first. That was not the case with Beyond Molasses Creek. Equally as beautiful as Saving Cicadas turned out to be, Beyond Molasses Creek gripped me from the beginning and didn't let go until I finished the last page. Seitz has grown as a writer between these two books, and I can't wait to read what she writes next! I give Beyond Molasses Creek an exuberant 5 out of 5 stars!

Interested? See what other bloggers are saying or buy the book.

About the author: Nicole Seitz is the author of several critically acclaimed novels - The Inheritance of Beauty, Saving Cicadas, A Hundred Years of Happiness, Trouble the Water, and The Spirit of Sweetgrass. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Journalism, and also has a degree in Illustration from Savannah College of Art & Design. Her paintings are featured on the covers of her books. Visit her at @NicoleSeitz, Facebook and www.nicoleseitz.com for more information.

About the giveaway: Nicole is celebrating the release of Beyond Molasses Creek with a fabulous "Friendship" Facebook party! She'll be giving away a ton of great stuff! (KINDLE TOUCH, some of her own beautiful artwork, a Book Club Prize Pack [10 copies of the book for your small group/book club and a Live Skype Chat with Nicole], and more!) CLICK the button (below) to RSVP for the party - then join us on February 16th for a book chat, story sharing and prizes! Hope to see you there!
Save the Date! 2/16!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. 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."