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The Truth About Love and Lightning {Review & Giveaway}

March 3, 2013 by Dawn

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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Love can be a tricky thing, there’s no denying it. And love as portrayed in fiction can be compelling and exasperating, all at the same time. In Susan McBride’s new novel The Truth About Love and Lightning, there’s a bit of both aspects in several relationships in these pages. Add to that a mystery man and a bit of magic, and you’ve got an emotional and entertaining read.

Family relationships are at the center of character development here, and for readers to truly understand Gretchen Brink, a woman who believed she had lost all chances at true love forty years ago, they must know of her past. The daughter of an unabashedly honest mother, Gretchen saw firsthand the pain that can be inflicted from absolute honesty. She made it through a childhood marked by the departure of her father, and she and her younger twin sisters learned to rely upon each other for support. The path of Gretchen’s adult life was built upon a significant lie, though one that was made with nothing but good intentions. When a tornado blows through her tiny Missouri town decades later, it brings with it the possibility of a second chance, but one that might be accompanied by a discovery she hoped would never be made.

Gretchen’s history wouldn’t be complete without Sam, the boy who loved her since they were young. Before he left on that fateful trip to Africa after high school, Sam declared his love to Gretchen, but she wasn’t in the same frame of mind. When he didn’t return, Gretchen made a decision she would have to live with forever. The lore attached to Sam’s family became as familiar to her as her own family life, though she was never quite sure how much of it to believe. Now she’s forced to face it in a way she never imagined.

Layers of the big picture are revealed through alternating narratives about different characters in Gretchen and Sam’s families, all leading to the closing chapters in which readers will discover Gretchen’s fate all these years later. McBride proves to be a concise storyteller with The Truth About Love and Lightning, creating images and generations of history in a novel that is easily read in one or two sittings.

Intrigued? You can win your own copy of The Truth About Love and Lightning by entering via the Rafflecopter below. U.S. and Canada residents only, please.  New to Rafflecopter? Watch this 45-second video on how to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dawn loves escaping into a novel, and when one makes her shed a tear or two while riding the bus on her morning commute, she knows it’s a keeper. Dawn tries to blog every once and a while at my thoughts exactly.

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Around the Blogosphere-Add YOUR Giveaway Link
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About Dawn

When she's not reviewing books, 5 Minutes for Books contributor Dawn (and her online alter ego, morninglight mama) can be found blogging at my thoughts exactly and contributing to The DC Moms.

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43 Comments

  1. Terri Menke says

    March 14, 2013 at 10:48 pm

    I love mysterious suspense

    Reply
  2. Chuck says

    March 14, 2013 at 10:32 am

    If I win, I’ll pass on to someone.

    Reply
  3. Jennifer L. says

    March 14, 2013 at 9:52 am

    I like romances best.

    Reply
  4. Angela E. says

    March 13, 2013 at 11:04 am

    Would read this one for sure!

    Reply
  5. Jennifer H says

    March 13, 2013 at 1:08 am

    I love historical fiction
    jenhedger at hotmail dot com

    Reply
  6. Melinda says

    March 12, 2013 at 11:11 pm

    I love historical fiction

    Reply
  7. Kimberly says

    March 12, 2013 at 11:04 pm

    I love reading mysteries and chick lit novels 🙂

    Reply
  8. Karen says

    March 12, 2013 at 8:55 pm

    Mysteries are my favorite, but I love several genres

    Reply
  9. tiffany Ibarra says

    March 12, 2013 at 8:48 pm

    My favorites are inspirational romance. Carla Rossi is my favorite author right now.

    Reply
  10. Jessica T says

    March 12, 2013 at 7:33 pm

    Any escape literature!

    Reply
  11. Amy Baker says

    March 12, 2013 at 4:31 pm

    Historical fiction and mysteries are my favorite but I read everything!

    Reply
  12. Garrett says

    March 12, 2013 at 10:26 am

    This sounds like a good book to me.

    Reply
  13. angie says

    March 11, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    love ones that are historical based

    Reply
  14. Heather! says

    March 11, 2013 at 9:40 am

    I like classic literature. It’s tried and true, and a classic because it’s (usually) pretty universal.

    h4schaffer at gmail dot com

    Reply
  15. Lori D. says

    March 10, 2013 at 10:23 am

    Sounds so good to me.

    Reply
  16. Carolyn Bahm says

    March 10, 2013 at 9:57 am

    I am an eclectic reader and would love to receive this book.

    Reply
  17. Heather J. says

    March 8, 2013 at 3:49 pm

    Thanks for being a part of the tour!

    Reply
  18. Anna says

    March 8, 2013 at 11:37 am

    I love mostly romance but I can read anything

    Reply
  19. Don says

    March 8, 2013 at 10:37 am

    I like reading autobiographies.

    Reply
  20. Charlene S says

    March 8, 2013 at 9:58 am

    I like romance books.

    Reply
  21. Anita Yancey says

    March 7, 2013 at 3:08 pm

    My favorites are thrillers, mysteries, and romance books. Thanks for the great review, and chance to win this book.

    Reply
  22. nannypanpan says

    March 7, 2013 at 2:25 pm

    mystery and romances
    [email protected]

    Reply
  23. Beth C says

    March 7, 2013 at 11:43 am

    I like romance and mysteries.

    Reply
  24. Carolyn says

    March 6, 2013 at 4:00 pm

    mysteries and fiction

    Reply
  25. June says

    March 6, 2013 at 11:00 am

    I like non fiction books.

    Reply
  26. trish says

    March 6, 2013 at 2:00 am

    I get the feeling that the ending would make me cry — which makes me want to read it right now! I love books like this!

    Thanks for being on the tour!

    Reply
  27. Cindi says

    March 6, 2013 at 12:43 am

    I really enjoy reading books with family dynamics!
    Also, a favorite genre of mine is historical romance…
    Many thanks, Cindi

    Reply
  28. Daniel M says

    March 5, 2013 at 9:15 pm

    mostly scifi & fantasy

    Reply
  29. Jennifer Haislip says

    March 4, 2013 at 3:32 pm

    I like scientific fiction (Kathy Reichs), dramas both historical and contemporary, some mysteries, you name it! More than that, once I find an author I like, I read everything they’ve ever written…

    Reply
  30. Carol Wong says

    March 4, 2013 at 2:08 pm

    I love to read a variety of genres! Amish fisction, mysteries from thrillers to cozies, contemporary, a little bit of YA, historical fiction, history, chick lit.

    Reply
  31. benita says

    March 4, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    mysteries, historical romance.

    Reply
  32. Sandra K321 says

    March 4, 2013 at 1:00 pm

    My top is historical fiction.

    Reply
  33. Idaho Jill says

    March 4, 2013 at 11:56 am

    So hard to pick a favorite – love mysteries and thrillers, and epic stories (pillars of the earth, etc).

    Reply
  34. Denise M says

    March 4, 2013 at 11:13 am

    i love historical fiction

    Reply
  35. anne says

    March 4, 2013 at 10:42 am

    Fiction is my favorite, family sagas. Many thanks.

    Reply
  36. Tiffany Drew says

    March 4, 2013 at 8:27 am

    I love all kinds, but mysteries and chick lit are my favorite 🙂

    Reply
  37. Susan P. says

    March 4, 2013 at 3:24 am

    Your automated tweet link has the wrong book title in the tweet!

    Reply
  38. Susan P. says

    March 4, 2013 at 3:17 am

    I like thrillers, mysteries and historical fiction.

    Reply
  39. chelsea says

    March 3, 2013 at 11:12 pm

    I like historical romance

    Reply
  40. Tami Valentine says

    March 3, 2013 at 10:51 pm

    True crime is one of my favorites

    Reply
  41. DebbieKL says

    March 3, 2013 at 8:53 pm

    fiction with a bit of romance!

    Reply
  42. Stacie says

    March 3, 2013 at 8:37 pm

    drama and fiction!

    Reply
  43. DEBIJOT says

    March 3, 2013 at 7:09 pm

    Mystery and Intrigue are my favorite.

    Reply

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