Review: Spare Change

Spare Change

by Bette Lee Crosby

Quote:" I believe he's a man who can be trusted, but you'll have to be the one to decide whether or not you want to tell him the truth of what happened."-Olivia pg. 212

Started: Jan. 3, 2013

Finished: Jan.5, 2013

280 pages/ paperback

From the cover:

Olivia Westerly's father disowned her when she tossed her nose in the air and left home in pursuit of a job he considered scandalous. He expected that she'd marry and settle into having babies as her friends had done; but Olivia simply couldn't tolerate the thought. Why just the mere mention of children sent chills up her spine!

 Believing that children weigh a woman down like a pocket full of stones, Olivia avoids such entanglements for almost forty years... but then she meets Charlie Doyle and everything changes. Even though Charlie has a son, and a grandson he's supposedly never seen, Olivia is blinded by love and happily says " I do,"

 That happiness is cut short when Charlie dies on their honeymoon and Olivia returns home to find eleven year old Ethan Allen Doyle sitting on her doorstep. The boy's parents are dead and only two people know the truth of what happened- Ethan Allen isn't talking and the murderer wants to make certain he never does. Olivia is the only one who can stop it from happening.

My Review:

I am so excited to finally get to this review! This is my first review on a book that was sent to me personally from the author! Signed and everything!!! Woo hoo! I am more than delighted to do this review for what I am discovering is a wonderful author, Mrs. Bette Lee Crosby.

Be sure and visit her website or you can even be her fan/friend on Goodreads by clicking here.

Don't forget to add her books to your reading list!

Spare Change was such a sweet, heartwarming and sometimes sassy book. While some reviewers have claimed this book to have a slow start, I rather enjoyed the character building aspect of the first few chapters. I really enjoyed the well way it was written in short chapters by individual characters views.

The character's personalities immediately show through and draw you into the story.

Olivia is a woman who has always known what she wanted and what she didn't want in life.

Charlie is the all American man of her dreams, Olivia has been waiting for.

Susanna is a feisty, dreamer that struggles with what she can do and what she wants to do

Benjamin is the hard-working, never has it good enough, rough-necked drunkard

Ethan Allen(my favorite) is the neglected, spunky little guy with too much life experience for his age

Scooter Cobb is the slimey, over sized, above the law wannabe!

Detective Jack Mahoney, good-guy, christian cop who wants to save the day and right all wrongs

There are several other, smaller characters, but all have very distinguished personalities.

This book showed me how you never know how or when you will find faith, trust and hope. The Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways. Crosby shows that no matter what we think we want in life, He always has something better for us. at least in Olivia's case.

I don't want to include any spoilers which makes this part of the review so difficult. I really enjoyed this story and hope that there will be a sequel. I will say I wish Crosby had written more about why Charlie hadn't spoken to his son and where did Susanna really come from. I think those were the only two things that never really got answered for me.

I have already recommended this book to several friends and have 3 people in line to borrow my copy!

Definitely 5 stars*****