When you’ve spent your whole life reading great, heaping gobs of books, you develop… skills. Or, at least I did. When reading and writing books becomes your job, those skills also kick out some lovely things that you wish you could still do.
Like read previews of coming books.
Sometimes—okay, most of the time—I just don’t have time. Sure, I want to know what Sally Wordsmith is planning to share next, but I have a TBR pile that threatens to crush me every night when I go to sleep. I don’t have time for snippets that I’ll forget about while I wait six months to two years before I can read. And deadlines? Oh, my word. All the deadlines. So, if I know without a doubt that I’m going to read the next one, I just skip that preview.
Now look, I’m not going to say I never do it. That would be a lie that everyone would know the second they read it. However, I have… criteria for when I can. All-time favorite author? They get it even if my house is burning down around me. Ain’t stoppin’ until I find out what I’m going to miss when I become a pile of ash and bone. Just keepin’ it real.
Not sure where a series is going? Yep. Gonna read it. I mean, if I just don’t know what I think of something, sometimes a preview of the next book determines if I’ll even read it at all. So sure… then.
Don’t want it to end? Oh, yeah.
Does anyone want to take a gander at why, when I got done reading When I Meet You, I just kept right on reading? All the research stuff I love and don’t always let myself enjoy after a first read-through. The preview. The copyright page. The logo on the spine…
Okay, those last two are also lies. Again. Confession. Soul. All that stuff. But yeah, I read all the research and all the historical stuff.
Just for reference, did you read the review I wrote of the first book in the series? The Inn at Hidden Run? That one? Do you remember how I said I didn’t love it but I had a feeling I’d love the series?
Man, it feels good to be right once in a while. And I’m not afraid to say it this time. I was right. When I Meet You, was one, top-notch book. I did not have time to read the preview for that next book, but um… Yeah. I did. (I feel a podcast coming on).
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Why Would I Waste Time While on a Deadline?
Good storytelling. That’s why. When an author can take you from “issues” with book one to not being willing to walk away from book three, you know you have a great series. Seriously, Jillian and Nolan are two of my favorite fictional characters. This book brings in a third who might just rank up there, and from what I’ve seen of the next book, I’m even expecting maybe a fourth. Olivia Newport has made this series that good.
One of the things that I love that Newport does shows in how she unfolds her mysteries. Half the time, you know the answer, even before she unfolds it. But she shows natural progression, the tendency for humans to jump to conclusions, and how good investigative work can uncover truths hidden for over a century! I had a pretty good idea of the facts she’d uncover, but she added things I didn’t expect, and didn’t add things I did. All amid a story that kept me turning pages and ignoring all the work I had pressing at me.
Gentle spiritual truths.
Yep. When I Meet You, does not beat you over the head with Scripture by any stretch of the imagination, but it sure does show how the Lord feeds our souls even—if not especially—when we have blown it. Big time.
When I Meet You, is recommended for anyone who loves a good mystery, a bit of history, and a wonderful story arc. If fast-paced, seat-of-your-pants mysteries and suspense are your thing, you won’t find it here… and that’s a good thing. You wouldn’t want this wonderful story told at that kind of speed. It would ruin it, and Olivia Newport is much too fine of a writer to let that happen. Well done. Am I glad I stuck with the series and requested a review copy? Oh, yeah. Thanks to the publisher for providing it.
About the Book
Book: When I Meet You,
Author: Olivia Newport
Genre: Christian fiction
Release Date: May 2020
Book 3 in the Tree of Life Series: A Father-Daughter Genealogy Team Link Faith Journeys on Family Trees
A trunk abandoned at Denver’s Union Station more than a century ago leads Jillian and Nolan to untangle the mystery of its contents—including correspondence with the head of Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency Denver office. While Nolan digs into the legalities of the findings, Jillian searches for the descendants of a stolen identity who might not be who they think they are on Colorado ranch land.
When Drew seems anxious to hear what Jillian has to say but his Great Aunt Min slams the subject closed—twice—Jillian is all the more determined to find out what happened to the woman who never claimed her luggage, why Min doesn’t want to talk about it, and what will happen for Drew if he gets the answers he seeks.
When I Meet You, is the third book in the Tree of Life series by Olivia Newport. You’ll want to return to the lovely Colorado mountain town of Canyon Mines again and again to explore and celebrate unforgettable family stories that will inspire you to connect with your own family histories and unique faith journeys.
I’m glad you kept on trying with this series! I loved this one. (I enjoyed them all, but this was the best.)
Thanks for the review!