Friday, December 7, 2012

No Substitute


An Inky Book Recommendation by Dina Sleiman

First loves never last . . . except when they do.

When Amy Welsh returns to Goose Bay as a substitute teacher, she has no intention of seeing Quentin Macmillan, the man who once left her waiting in the rain clutching her suitcase and dreaming of becoming his wife. 

Seventeen years later, his teenage daughter shows up in Amy’s class with plans to reunite her widowed father with the woman he has always loved. When the assignment is forgiveness and healing, will this young teacher pass the test?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No Substitute is a fun, heart-warming novel that you’ll be sure to enjoy. As we’ve been discussing all week, it’s a story of forgiveness and second chances, a theme which is explored throughout a number of relationships in the book. The story of love lost and regained is a classic concept, and yet Suzie adds some unexpected elements that drive us forward into the plot. There’s no time for a dull moment in this book.
  
Quentin’s teenaged daughter Shayna adds a lot of spice and sass to the book. She’s an amusing character who always seems to have something up her sleeve. The story opens with her interrogating her long term substitute teacher, Amy Welsh, about her previous relationship with Shayna’s father. Shayna’s budding romance with the class bad-boy draws the parent and teacher together and introduces lots of fun twists and turns into the story. Then there’s Rufus the duck, who also seems to have a humorous way of forcing Quentin and Shayna together.

I love the title No Substitute. Not only does it play on Amy’s job title, but it gets to her deep heart issues as well. She felt rejected by Quentin years ago, and she doesn’t want to play second fiddle now as a substitute wife and mother. It will require much healing and forgiveness to bring these two back together. Their journey will inspire you to open your heart to forgiveness and second chances as well.

I’ve read this book twice now, and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. I highly recommend it, and in fact, this was the first book I ever endorsed. Fans of sweet, contemporary romance with a dash of humor will especially enjoy this one. If you have an ebook reader, take a minute and order your copy right now J And for you paperback fans, your version will be coming soon.

And remember, we're giving away a copy to one commenter this week!!! Leave your email in a secure fashion (ex. dina sleiman at gmail dot com) in your comment to enter. Winner will be chosen at random.

11 comments:

  1. Very nice review, Dina. And I agree wholeheartedly.

    I loved the surprises toward the end!
    And Rufus. -

    This has been a great week celebrating with Suzie! Readers can look over our posts before they read for some deeper insight into Suzie and her characters and setting. I LOVE 'Week of" weeks!

    Congratulations again, Suzie. I'm so happy for you!

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  2. You know, Deb, since I read this a while back as an edorser, I was just going to skim it this time. But I ended up enjoying it so much, I went ahead and read the whole thing for the second time. It's a quick, pleasant read.

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  3. Aw, Dina, you read it twice? That touches me so deep it brought tears to my eyes. Thank you. And thank you for this lovely review. You make me feel really special. I wish I could hug your neck.

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  4. Deb, thank you so much. And thank you for coordinating this very exciting and special week for me. Many virtual hugs coming your way.

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  5. Lol, Dina. I wrote "virtual hugs" to Deb, and when it published I saw your note. Great minds!

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  6. i always like the "week of [insert inky here]". i get to know the author more and then get to get excited about a new book as well (hmmm, too many 'gets' in there...)

    will see if i'm a winner, but otherwise, will be looking forward to aquiring this book. might come in really handy for that plane ride to Colorado for christmas.

    nm8r67 at hotmail dot com

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  7. Hi, Deb H. I always think it's fun to get to know people more about each other, too. Colorado for Christmas sounds perfect. Snow, mountains, logs on the fire... I hope you have blessed time.

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  8. Oh, this sounds so good! I love the theme of second chances. And who could resist a pet duck?

    Congratulations on the debut of your book!

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  9. this sounds like a wonderful story...thanks for the chance to read it

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

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How Our Giveaways Work: The Official Rules

We, the ladies of Inkwell Inspirations, would love to give free stuff to everybody. Since we can't, we will often have a giveaway in conjunction with a specific post. Unless otherwise stated, one winner will be drawn from comments left on that post between the date it was published and the end of the giveaway as determined in the post. Entries must be accompanied by a valid email address. This address is used only to contact the commenter in the event that he/she is the winner, and will not be sold, distributed, or used in any other fashion. The odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. NO PURCHASE, PLEDGE, OR DONATION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

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