Chasing Rainbows by Kathleen Long

Chasing Rainbows by Kathleen Long
Published By: CreateSpace
Release Date: October 12, 2011
Format: Paperback - 265 pages / Kindle - 795 KB / Nook - 1,011 KB
ISBN: 1466443723
ASIN: B005VHT1ZM
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Women's Fiction / Chick Lit


About The Author:

A long time ago, in an elementary school far, far away, a very young Kathleen scribbled a story idea in her journal. Then she wrote another, and another. She added several poems, the lyrics to a song or two, a love letter to David Cassidy, and so on and so on. While her early writings never saw the light of day, many of her later works did. And while she did not marry David Cassidy, Kathleen did marry her own Prince Charming. Together, they are raising one drama queen and one obedience-challenged border collie mix in a kingdom divided between suburban Philadelphia and the Jersey shore.

Kathleen is the RITA nominated, RIO Award and two-time Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence winning author of fourteen novels of contemporary romance, romantic suspense and women's fiction. Her additional honors include National Readers Choice, Holt Medallion, and Booksellers Best award nominations.

She divides her time between plotting her next book, bribing her little one to pick up her toys, and begging the dog to heel. Life is good. Very, very good.


AUTHOR WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOODREADS
Kathleen Long's Chasing Rainbows Tour Page on Chick Lit Plus


BUY THE BOOK: Chasing Rainbows
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Disclaimer: At the request of the author, publisher and Chick Lit Plus, a Kindle edition of the book was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest review and participation in the virtual book tour event.


Virtual Book Tour Event: On Friday, March 9, 2012, in association with Chick Lit Plus, Kathleen Long participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/03/author-guest-post-kathleen-long-author.html


Chasing Rainbows Virtual Event Contest: Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card

To enter the contest, click on the above link and leave a comment on Kathleen Long's Chasing Rainbows Tour Page on Chick Lit Plus, to win a $25 Amazon gift card. If you purchase your copy of Chasing Rainbows before March 12th and send the receipt to Samantha@ChickLitPlus.com , you will get five (5) bonus entries!


Book Description:


Bernadette Murphy likes her life. Really, she does. What's wrong with carrying around an extra ten pounds from fertility treatments? Or having your dog kicked out of obedience school? Again? What's that saying about the devil you know? For Bernie, it's the devil she never expected that changes everything.

Her father's sudden death leaves a gaping void in her life and is one in a series of events that rock her world. Her husband leaves her for another woman, and her best friend announces an unplanned pregnancy at the age of forty-one. Bernie's behavior goes from acting out to out-of-hand, and she finds herself in trouble at home, out of work and banned from the mall after a confrontation at the cosmetic counter.

When her mother discovers her father's book of cryptograms, Bernie realizes his encoded lessons in living might be exactly what she needs to survive. From dealing with her family's grief and bonding with her best friend's thirteen-year-old daughter, to dieting, dating and mindless almost-sex with the landscaper, Bernie discovers what her father always knew.

In life, you either choose to sing a rainbow, or you don't.

For Bernie, the singing is about to begin.


My Book Review:


What would you do if you've had one painful loss after another, and with each loss your life unravels a little bit more each time? Would you be able to pick up the pieces and rebuild your life, learn to rediscover and reinvent yourself, or would you allow your losses to swallow you up until there is nothing left? This is the story of how Bernadette "Bernie" Murphy went on a personal journey to find herself, and through the loving motivational words of wisdom left by her deceased father, allowed herself to live once again and find happiness through Chasing Rainbows.

Bernadette "Bernie" Murphy is a forty-one year old woman who has had a lot of painful losses within the last five years. Most recently, her father passed away unexpectedly, and his death has thrown her family for a loop as they try to come to grips with his loss, each dealing with their grief in their own way. A few weeks prior to her father's death, her husband Ryan, left her for another woman, and rather than telling her family, she struggles to deal with this on her own. And if that is not enough to make you want to just give up, the lingering grief over her newborn baby daughter's death five years ago, has maintained a tight grip on her life, and may have been one of the causes of her marriage breaking up. Life just hasn't been very fair to Bernie: she hates her job and her jerk of a boss, and her best friend Diane has just told her that she is unexpectedly pregnant ... can her life get any worse than this? Bernie's had enough with everything: she tells off her boss and quits her job, mopes around the house and goes on food binges, starts acting out by saying what's on her mind and gets banned from the mall, and despairs over how to rebuild her life. Just when she's at her lowest point, a gift from her father helps guide her forward once again. Growing up, her dad and her had spent each morning at the kitchen table figuring out the cryptogram puzzle in the daily paper. Her father's gift to her was a little book of cryptograms for her to solve. Each cryptogram reveals inspirational and motivational words of wisdom that helps spur her on a journey of self-discovery and rebirth. Through her father's legacy, coupled with the support of her family, friends, and two neighbors (one who is a good looking guy), Rachel learns that the key to her happiness is by letting go and chase her rainbows, or like her father quoted in his book: "In life, you either choose to sing a rainbow, or you don't."

Chasing Rainbows is a poignant, inspirational and heartwarming story that tugs at the heartstrings. The storyline is beautifully written and so engaging, it captivated me from beginning to end. It is a story that takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride: it makes you laugh, cry and ponder your own life. The author provides a wonderful mix of whimsical and heart wrenching scenes, it is a perfect balance that makes the story so powerful and compelling. The characters were realistic and engaging, their interactions with each other provided many smiles, laughs and tears (both happy and sad). I absolutely loved the relationship that Bernie had with her best friend's thirteen year old daughter Ashley, it was so heartwarming and humorous, and without giving away any spoiler information, the zamboni ride and Ashley's actions was classic and had me laughing hysterically. I also loved Bernie's lovable border collie mix Poindexter, his antics kept me in stitches. I definitely can relate to Bernie's character, I see a lot of me in her, and like her, I too have had some of the same losses in my own life, it was spooky seeing it written in a book, it was like the author looked into my own life experiences and made them into a story. It isn't very often when a story resonates so strongly with me, and Chasing Rainbows did exactly that. I really loved how each chapter started with a cryptogram and ended with revealing the cryptogram's motivational and inspirational quote. There is so many good parts to Chasing Rainbows, it makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you think and most of all it gives you hope.

Chasing Rainbows is a must read for anyone who has suffered a loss, gone through tough times, and was able to bounce back. The story is unforgettable, it is a testament to the sustainability of the human spirit, and will leave you hopeful and inspired to chase your own rainbows.


RATINGS: 5 STARS *****