background
 
Become an Affiliate...
Affiliate Login
Become a Reviewer...
Reviewer Login
   
 
Our Featured Books
 
Review & Contest Genres
 
 
2011 Award Contest Winners
2010 Award Contest Winners
2009 Award Contest Winners
 
Children - Preschool
Children - Concept
Children - K-3rd - Fable
Children - K-3rd - General
Children - 4th–6th
Children - Preteen
Young Adult - Coming of Age
Young Adult - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Young Adult - General
 
Christian - Amish
Christian - Biblical Counseling
Christian - Devotion/Study
Christian - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Christian - Fiction
Christian - Historical Fiction
Christian - Living
Christian - Non Fiction
Christian - Romance
 
Fiction - Action
Fiction - Adventure
Fiction - Chick Lit
Fiction - Cultural
Fiction - Drama
Fiction - Fantasy
Fiction - General
Fiction - Historical
Fiction - Horror
Fiction - Humor
Fiction - Intrigue
Fiction - Mystery - General
Fiction - Mystery - Sleuth
Fiction - Paranormal
Fiction - Realistic
Fiction - Science Fiction
Fiction - Southern
Fiction - Supernatural
Fiction - Suspense
Fiction - Thriller - General
Fiction - Thriller - Terrorist
Fiction - Womens
 
Non Fiction - Animals
Non Fiction - Autobiography
Non Fiction - Biography
Non Fiction - Business/Finance
Non Fiction - Drama
Non Fiction - Education
Non Fiction - Genealogy
Non Fiction - General
Non Fiction - Gov/Politics
Non Fiction - Grief
Non Fiction - Health - Fitness
Non Fiction - Health - Medical
Non Fiction - Historical/Cultural
Non Fiction - Home/Crafts
Non Fiction - Humor
Non Fiction - Memoir
Non Fiction - Motivational
Non Fiction - Music/Ent.
Non Fiction - Parenting
Non Fiction - Relationships
Non Fiction - Religion/Phil.
Non Fiction - Retirement
Non Fiction - Self Help
Non Fiction - Sports
Non Fiction - War
 
Romance - Contemporary
Romance - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Romance - Historical
Romance - Suspense
 
Audio Books
Graphic Novel/Comic
Poetry/Music
 
 
 

To:

Name:

Email:

Confirm Email:

Message:


Ruby Among Us
Tina Ann Forkner



Christian - Fiction

Author Login - Resend Login Information
FacebookTwitter
Author Biography
Add your biography and picture to your review! Login to your Authors Area to update all the components of your review page. Your login information is in the Review Notice we emailed to you when your review was complete. You can have it resent to you from our Author Login page. Please contact us if you need any help.


Book Review
This story is about a family that attempts to bury the past in hopes it will not interfere with their future.  Lucy was only 8 years old when her mother, Ruby died. Her grandmother takes her in and provides a loving home. Lucy wants to know about her mother, father, and his family, but she is afraid that asking will hurt her beloved grandmother. Believing that it would be hurtful to Lucy, her grandmother avoids discussing the past.  Lucy discovers love and heritage.

Tina Ann Forkner has a talent for demonstrating great emotions and bringing tears to reader’s eyes. In Ruby Among Us she shifts back and forth from present to past and back again. The transitions were not always smooth. This is one of those stories that will leave the pondering the message long after closing the cover. Fans of Christian fiction and romance will not want to miss Ruby Among Us.

 

Comments Section
Leave your comments or reviews using
Facebook or our Comments System

 

 

Add your comments or reviews here:
Name:
Rating: / 5
Comment (*):

 

M. Smith
5.0 / 5
Given the fact that this book doesn't fit my "genre," I was surprised by the tears of sadness and happiness that flowed by the time I closed the book. Among other interpersonal relationship issues, Ruby Among Us asks us to look at how we might be remembered after we have left the lives of those closest to us. Or equally, the rememberences and misunderstandings that color our own relationships and those of future generations. We all make mistakes in life, but as Ruby and Kitty discover, there is always hope both in new relationships and in our ability to remember and recover our past.

 

Michelle Sutton
5.0 / 5
Ruby Among Us starts with a heavy theme, but it's important in order to understand Lucy's perspective throughout the story. If you love and miss your mother who has passed on, this story will move you to tears of healing and unleash memories of love. My mother had gone to be with the Lord for over ten years now, and reading Ruby Among Us sparked memories of loving times as I reached the conclusion of the book. I don't want to give away any key plot points because half the pull of this story is not knowing imporant things about Lucy, Kitty and Ruby's pasts, and wanting so desperately to find out that you have trouble putting the book down. Forkner's writing style and voice is fresh, unique, and insightful. It's beautiful how she pulls you into the heart and mind of someone sheltered from life so much that she truly is an innocent in many of the things that take place around her. But the fresh, healing experiences she embraces, and her journey toward trusting others outside her immediate family is exciting and deep. And the romantic portions of this book are WONDERFUL and exciting. I felt my heart being tugged and moved with the tiny steps of faith that Lucy made toward healing...and toward love. For someone who has always had a father in her life, it was eye-opening for me to see how truly painful it is for a young woman to never have a father figure in her life. In fact, so much pain is evoked that the hurt can taint choices and destroy a young woman's security for years to come. Our culture has tried very hard to shut down the importance of a man's role in a family and in a daughter's heart. Ruby Among Us beautifully illustrates how erroneous this belief is. For that reason alone I would love to see many men embrace this book. The bummer is that this story was so good I'm sad it had to end. I am praying that Waterbrook has enough sense to realize that readers will want more of Forkner's work in their hands, so hopefully there will be a sequel coming. Pretty please?

 

P. Le Blanc
4.0 / 5
This to me was a very thought-provoking book about family and the perceptions we ourselves have of our own families. Sometimes things are not as they appear and sometimes people make bad choices. This is a story about Ruby and the choices she made in her life and how they affected those around her. Do you ever wonder how the choices you make may affect others? Like I said, this was very thought provoking and definitely a worthwhile read. I loved the characters and couldn't wait to get more of them. Each page brought forth a new revelation that kept me spinning and seeking to learn more about the details that brought them to the choices they made. This is a book that I would highly recommend.

 

S. Mazankowski
5.0 / 5
Ruby Among Us was a fantastic book. Tina did a great job of bringing the characters to life. I felt like I really knew them. I found myself becoming angry at Kitty for what she had kept from Lucy and Ruby. I loved how the ending pulled together, it was absolutely beautiful. I cried tears of joy. I am looking forward to future books by Tina Ann Forkner.

 

C. Janes
4.0 / 5
I generally shy away from reading books by a brand new author, but I was glad I made an exception in this case. Ruby Among Us is a positively beautiful story! I loved the vivid descriptions throughout the book of the gardens, the vineyards, and the town of La Roseleda itself. The author kept me turning the pages waiting to discover secrets that had been kept in this family for many years. The only thing I thought lacking in this book was the Christian message. To me, it was very subtle. I noticed the themes of grace and forgiveness, but there was very little shared about personal relationships with Christ.

 

Pam Meyers
5.0 / 5
I didn't know what to expect when I received Ruby Among Us in the mail, but it didn't take long for the story to pull me in. Michelle Sutton expresses it well when she says that the story starts heavy, but the weight is necessary to understand why Lucy, the protagonist thinks, acts and feels the way she does. She yearns to remember her mother Ruby who died when Lucy was eight years old, yet grandmother Kitty is hesitant to fill in the many missing pieces of the puzzle that makes up their heritage. As time passes the pieces of her family's past fall into place for Lucy and she finds she has come full circle, rediscovering herself and a faith in God she thought she never had. I loved this book. Forkner's writing style brings alive the setting in a way that the Sonoma Valley becomes a character on its own. She opens up her characters hearts and draws the reader inside until you almost feel as though you are one with them. I look forward to many more books from Ms. Forkner.

 

Rachel Morris Kulp
5.0 / 5
I don't usually shed tears when reading a book. This one brought on the tears. Ms. Forkner makes her characters come alive. It is an engrossing story that captivates until the very end. Rachel for Siloam Springs Writers

 

Andrew J. Brewer
5.0 / 5
"Ruby Among Us" is a great book. I enjoyed most its depth. All the characters are layered and real, not cookie-cutter. I think this is one of those books which, every time you read it, you will notice something you had not thought about before. Makes it a great book. Forkner has definitely premiered well with Ruby.

 

Sam from Wyoming
5.0 / 5
This lovely, sweet story is like a gentle stroll in a rose garden. There are velvety blooms of love; thorns of past hurts and fears; new buds of hope and innocence; tangled thick stems of hidden truths and lies; the faded blooms of past memories and of what might have been; and at the center the beautiful, heart-warming discovery of the most beautiful flowers of all: faith and unconditional love. Readers of inspirational stories will especially enjoy this one.
       

Home    ::    Book Reviews    ::    Annual Award Contest    ::    Author Services    ::    About Us
Support Center    ::     Become a Reviewer    ::    Affiliate Program

© 2009-2012 Readers Favorite. All rights reserved. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.