Kansas Weddings by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Back Cover:

After losing her parents in a fatal accident, Marin Brooks must step into their shoes to care for her brother, John, who has Down Syndrome. Marin refuses to place him in an institution, despite the urgings of family and friends. Philip Wilder helps disabled individuals gain independence, but Marin isn't interested. Will God help these two caregivers reconcile their differences?

Carrie Mays, who is about to receive a large inheritance, doesn't want people to look at her and see dollar signs-she wants to be loved for being herself. Rocky Wilder has always dreamed of having money, but now that he has become a Christian, all he wants is to follow the path the Lord has laid out for him. Will these two find common ground?

Following her drug-related arrest, Angela Fischer is out of rehab and in God's family, but she still feels alone. Her newest Christian friend, Ben Atchison, can't seem to forgive her past and thinks she'll always be an addict. Will Ben allow his heart to trust Angela-and the God who promises to make her new?

A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHTS?

I love Novella's! They're sometimes the greatest books to read...especially when all the stories are related to each other! And in this case....They are! Now here's what I thought of each story!

Dear John:

When Marin's parents are suddenly killed in a car accident, her life is turned upside down. She now how to run the family business, and take care of her 30 yr old brother with Down Syndrome. This isn't how she pictured her life, Fresh out of college just being hurled into the business, and having the responsibilities of taking care of a family.

Then she comes across the add for New Beginnings. A place that helps people with disabilities to gain Independence, and freedoms. But can she talk the owner into 'babysitting' her older brother instead of enrolling him in the program? Or will she be able to get over her fear of letting John really live his life? Instead of being worried of what other people will think of him, and ultimately her.

Philip Wilder....Here's a guy with a great burden and passion for what he does! And it all started when he watched his brother (Rocky Wilder from section Story) Pick on a Boy and his sister...and through that event he started New Beginnings. And now this beautiful woman, comes asking him to hide her brother from the world while she's off at work. But will he be able to convince her that Independence is what best for her brother? And just maybe that She's what's best for him?

That Wilder Boy:

Rocky Wilder has had an interesting past. He was the bully at school, and eventually he became a thief. But that all changed when he became a Christian, now he wants to do whats right and acceptable to God. So for now he's a gardener, but he aspires to be more...but without the funds, he's not going to get very far.

Carrie Mays, A wealthy 25 year old, who doesn't want people to only see her money...in fact she wants the opposite. She would rather give away all her money and live a simple life with only the necessities, than have people not really see her. Then one day when out on her lunch break, she meets Rocky. And he doesn't even realize who she really is, only that she's an attractive girl, that he wouldn't mind getting to know better.

But will Rocky's Pride of being able to provide for a family, and Her not wanting people to love her for her money Drive a wedge between these two love birds? Or will it strengthen their relationship?

Promising Angela:

Angela has made some mistakes in her past...and one of them happens to be using an illegal drug, and getting caught...Or was that one of the best things that ever happened to her?

Fresh out of rehab, and New into the Family of Christ, Angela is determined to change her life around, and to start living the straight and narrow.

Ben's been hurt by drug abuse before, and can't go through the repercussions of it again. Not after seeing what it did to his cousin Kent. But will his heart listen, when he tells it that they need to stay away from Angela...Or will he be able to trust God when he promises to make someone a new creature?

These are all very well written stories. And I couldn't put down the book! I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to know what to read. A nice thing about it is, that it is a novella, so if you know you don't have enough time to read a full length Novel, but you want to read something, you can pick this up, and read just one story at a time. I can't wait to get a hold of some more of Ms. Sawyer's writings!

To Learn More about Kim Vogel Sawyer, and what else she's written visit her website: LINK