The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney ~ Litfuse Blog Tour with review and giveaway

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books; Original edition (May 14, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416599975
• ISBN-13: 978-1416599975

Click here to purchase a copy of "The Face of the Earth."

This book is also available as an e-book.

When Mitchell Brannon’s beloved wife of twenty years kisses him goodbye one autumn morning, he has little idea that his life is about to change forever. Mitch returns from work early that evening, surprised Jill’s car isn’t in the garage. Her conference in Kansas City is only a few hours’ drive from their little town of Sylvia, Missouri. But her voice on the answering machine makes him smile. “Hey, babe, I’m just now checking out of the hotel, but I’ll stop and pick up something for dinner. Love you.”

Mitch sets the table with their best china and lights some candles, looking forward to their first weekend as empty nesters.

But at eight o’clock, the candles have burned to stubs and Jill still hasn’t shown up. Mitch tries her cell phone only to get her voice mail over and over again. Their two college kids haven’t heard from their mom either.

At midnight, Mitch’s irritation turns to dread. And later, when the police and Missouri Highway Patrol have turned up nothing, the Kansas City hotel calls to say they’ve found property belonging to Jill in a hotel maid’s possession.

Mitch enlists the help of their next-door neighbor, Jill’s best friend, Shelley, and together they search for clues to Jill’s disappearance. As days turn into weeks and weeks into months, Mitch and Shelley’s friendship grows ever closer—and decidedly complicated with Jill as the tie that binds them together. Just when Shelley decides to finally reveal her feelings for Mitch, a clue to Jill’s whereabouts is uncovered. But every lead seems to be a dead end, and Mitch wonders how he can honor the vows he made to a woman who has seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth.

My take on this book:

Deborah Raney is an author whose work I have been reading for years. I always count on a complex story that will draw me in from the beginning and once again I got just what I expected in "The Face of the Earth."

Imagine your spouse leaves the house to attend a meeting for work, and at the end of the day she calls to say she is headed home, but never makes it. Well that's just what happens to Mitch Brennan. His wife Jill leaves to attend a teacher's conference  a few hours from home, but doesn't make it back. It's just like she dropped off the face of the earth.  When Shelley Austin,one of Jill's best friends, and also the Brennon's next door neighbor starts helping Mitch in the search for his wife their friendship starts to turn into much more. What will they do though, ,after all neither want to betray Jill. Will Mitch ever find out what happened with his wife, and can he and Shelley continue to be friends or will they allow it to develop into something more? 

Deborah Raney creates a story that is perfectly realistic, many people disappear every day,some from foul play, others just walk away, many are never found others might show up years later. This story touches on a very normal question. How could the loved ones left behind, especially a spouse move on? How could they ever find any closure if they didn't know what happened to their loved ones? The mystery of what happened to Jill propelled me forward, making me need to know what happened to her. In addition to that I also wanted to know how the story would work out between Mitch and Shelley. Both were upstanding people who allowed us to see that they truly lived their faith, they wanted to do what was right, but their hearts were involved. The author does an amazing job portraying the struggles the characters felt,. An interesting and emotionally charged story that  takes the reader on a journey of love,loss, friendship and faith. If you have never read anything by Deborah Raney why not give this book a try because it is certainly worth reading!

Meet Deb:

Deborah Raney is the award-winning author of several novels, including "A Nest of Sparrows" and the RITA award winning "Beneath a Southern Sky" and its sequel, "After the Rains". Deborah's first novel, "A Vow to Cherish", was the inspiration for World Wide Pictures' highly acclaimed film of the same title, which in December 2004 aired on prime time network TV for the second time. Deb's novella, "Playing by Heart", was a National Readers Choice Award winner and a 2004 Christy Award finalist. Her novel for Howard/Simon & Schuster, "Yesterday's Embers", appeared on the ECPA Christian fiction bestseller list. Known for her sensitive portrayal of family struggles and relationships, Deb has also written nonfiction books and articles and often speaks at women's retreats and writers' conferences around the country. She and her husband, illustrator/author Ken Raney, have four children and make their home in Kansas. 

Find out more at DeborahRaney.com

Deborah is celebrating with a fun "Date Night" Giveaway (win a $200 Visa Cash Card!) and an Author Chat Party on Facebook! {5/30}

 

 One winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa Cash Card (Use that to catch up with a loved one – your spouse, friend, sister, mom…whomever!)


• The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney
  

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 29th. Winner will be announced at the "The Face of the Earth" Facebook Author Chat Party on May 30th. Connect with Deborah for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Deborah will also be sharing a sneak peek of her next book and giving away books and fun gift certificates throughout the evening.


So grab your copy of The Face of the Earth and join Deborah on the evening of May 30th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)




Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 30th!