Wings of Fate by TM Hobbs

Enthralling and Unexpected

From the Publisher

Fate. Callie Mason’s life was normal until fate intervened. When she embarked on a journey to serve others, she never imagined her life would be altered forever. 

After being the lone survivor of a plane crash in the middle of the Canadian tundra, she finds herself in the heart of the Woodland Cree people. Callie comes face to face with a past she knew nothing of while surrounded by half truths and dangerously handsome men. 

Will Callie be able to embrace the unknown to move on with her new life? Through the trials she faces on this journey, she comes full circle, discovering who she is while drawing on her strength from within.

My Take

When I saw the synopsis for Wings of Fate, I was expecting a tale of survival and Callie’s discovery of her inner strength after the plane crash. At least that’s what I perceived after reading the back cover of the book.  That’s exactly what I got during the first few chapters and I wasn’t disappointed. What I wasn’t expecting was the paranormal story that appeared afterward.  I’ve never read a paranormal book thinking I would like it but Wings of Fate surprised me—I enjoyed it!

Throughout the discovery of Callie’s family and her initiation into the clan, I was enthralled. I couldn’t put the book down! When it came to an end, I felt a little lost. The point of view alternation was different, but interesting to see how each character  observed the same situation. 

All that said, there were a couple things that gave me pause. Callie’s romance seemed unusual—it wasn’t apparent WHY they fell in love and fell so quickly. They didn’t communicate and didn’t have anything in common.  There wasn’t even much “life experience” discussion to form a bond between them. I guess it just seemed a little impetuous .

Because of the point of view alternating between the main characters, there was a lot of repetition between the end of one point of view and the beginning of the other. As a reader, I actually jumped past those parts because I already knew the scenario.

Lastly, there should have been a bit more technical editing. I could pretty much overlook it, but for a second book Hobbs should take that into consideration.

Even with those few confusing items, I still would give Wings of Fate 3.5 stars on the 5 star scale. The story really drew me in and I felt as if I truly knew the characters. There were words of wisdom throughout the book that I could apply to my own life. Plus, I love a romantic story line. Good job and I look forward to future books by TM Hobbs.

I received this book free from The Writers Coffee Shop  as part of their book review bloggers program. 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."

About the Author

T.M. Hobbs lives in a small town in Northeast Texas with her husband and son. She has always enjoyed reading love stories filled with romance and adventure and now she has discovered her own voice through writing fiction. For her, writing is a way of traveling to places and times that would otherwise be impossible to touch and feel. She has found the ability to create new characters and form their lives rewarding and it brings her a feeling of accomplishment.

Through writing, she has found that she not only feels better about herself, she also has a great sense of satisfaction knowing that she has created something that someone else can enjoy.

Miracle of Mercy Land by River Jordan

QUITE UNEXPECTED!!!!

From the Publisher:

What if you had the power to amend choices you made in the past? Would you do it even if it changed everything?

Mercy Land has made some unexpected choices for a young woman in the 1930s. The sheltered daughter of a traveling preacher, she chooses to leave her rural community to move to nearby Bay City on the warm, gulf-waters of southern Alabama. There she finds a job at the local paper and spends seven years making herself indispensible to old Doc Philips, the publisher and editor. Then she gets a frantic call at dawn—it’s the biggest news story of her life, and she can’t print a word of it.
           
Doc has come into possession of a curious book that maps the lives of everyone in Bay City—decisions they’ve made in the past, and how those choices affect the future. Mercy and Doc are consumed by the mystery locked between the pages—Doc because he hopes to right a very old wrong, and Mercy because she wants to fulfill the book’s strange purpose. But when a mystery from Mercy’s past arrives by train, she begins to understand that she will have to make choices that will deeply affect everyone she loves—forever.

My Take:

Quite Unexpected!!

Reading the synopsis of this book, my expectations were high. I was looking forward to a scintillating story line and an investigation into the mystery. That’s exactly what I got but in a totally different path. The story started out very good but then the introduction of the “curious book” was nothing like I had imagined. It was more of a fantasy book rather than a mystery or thriller. Personally, that’s not really my favorite genre. But since I had started it, I wanted to finish it. 

The book is written from three different viewpoints—Mercy, Doc, and the invited stranger John Quincy. There is sometimes overlap and repetition  from each of them on a particular segment. That was a little difficult  to follow on occasion. The further the storyline progressed, the more unrealistic it seemed to me---the reason I say it’s a fantasy. 

But parts of it did intrigue me to continue reading. The parts of Mercy’s life back in Bittersweet were interesting and Doc’s past was heart-warming. However, it just wasn’t enough for me to give it a high rating. Unfortunately, I have to give this book a 3-star and that’s only because of those small interesting portions and the phenomenal cover art.

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program in return for my review. My opinions are honest and unbiased.