Disguised Blessing [Mass Market Paperback]

Georgia Bockoven (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2000

Silver Linings

After years of being alone, Catherine Miller thinks she's finally found happiness. Engaged to an adoring, successful executive, she lives in a luxurious house, and her beautiful fifteen-year-old daughter, Linda, is on the brink of college and adulthood. Then, Catherine's rose-colored world is shattered. Her daughter is burned terribly in a freak accident, and just when Catherine needs him most, her fiance abandons her. Now Catherine must call on every ounce of courage and strength she has to help her beloved daughter recover. Fortunately, she's got help in fire captain Rick Sawyer, an expert burn counselor. Ruggedly handsome, appealingly down-to-earth, Rick is like no man Catherine has ever met. But Catherine made the wrong choice before. How can she trust her emotions--especially when it's not just her heart at stake but her daughter's life, too?

In the tradition of Barbara Delinsky comes this poignant, moving story of the bonds of family, the strength of love, and the courage to dare.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When a teenager suffers serious burns--the disguised blessing of the title--her scars prove to be a catalyst in transforming her and her mother's materialistic lives. Catherine Miller is planning her wedding to social-climbing Tom Adams when her 15-year-old daughter, Lynda, is accidentally burned at a barbecue. Hospitalized, Lynda must deal with pain, scarring and the mixed reactions of her friends. Tom's unsupportive attitude reveals his true character to Catherine--especially in contrast to the sterling qualities of Lynda's burn counselor Rick Sawyer, a Sacramento, Calif., fire captain--and she breaks off their engagement. The story of Lynda's healing is interlaced with Catherine's growing financial problems and her need to come to terms with her feelings for Rick, a man from a very different background than Tom. Bockoven (Things Remembered) subtly creates believable characters as she weaves a quietly involving tale that should please fans of mainstream romance. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Always terrific."

-- "Romantic Times

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (April 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061030201
• ISBN-13: 978-0061030208
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,049,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner from Georgia Bockoven!, April 4, 2000

By 

Beachreader "BeachReader" (Port Townsend, WA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Disguised Blessing (Mass Market Paperback)

Georgia Bockoven has done it again! She's created wonderful characters and a world the reader is able to immerse themselves in completely.

Catherine Miller seems to have it all - a luxurious house in a trendy subdivision, a successful fiance, and lovely teenage daughter. It all comes crashing down on her one night when her daughter, Lynda, is burned in a tragic accident. Her fiance isn't able to cope with Lynda's problems, leaving Catherine just when he needs her most. Rick Sawyer, the firefighter who is a volunteer support person for burn victims, and is assigned to Lynda's case, is there to pick up the pieces, not only becoming a support for Lynda, but a confidante for Catherine as well.

This book truly took my breath away. It really put me in Catherine's world and made me feel a part of it -- feeling her pain and sorrow -- and finally her need and her love for Rick. This is a book readers won't be able to put down once they start. If you enjoy the works of such great authors of relationship novels as Barbara Delinsky or Kristin Hannah, you are sure to enjoy this outstanding story from Georgia Bockoven, the master of the relationship novel.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blessing to have discovered this author!, April 17, 2000

By 

paula_k_98 "paula_k_98" (Muskogee, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Disguised Blessing (Mass Market Paperback)

I must exist on another planet because I have never read anything by Georgia Bockoven before today. If her other books are anything like this one, then I have a treat waiting for me. Disguised Blessing is a book that keeps you wanting more and more. Catherine's 15 year old daughter is accidentally burned at a party. She is taken to a burn center where she is assigned a mentor by the name of Rick who is a captain in a fire department. Rick is a fantastic leading man. We all know men like him. He is truly a good man who does whatever it takes to make the world a better place. Meanwhile, Catherine is dumped by her fiance who can't handle anything that doesn't fit into his perfect world revolving around himself. Lynda is a teenager who goes from having it all to learning to cope when life deals her a cruel blow. I expected light reading, what I got was a wonderful story with characters that leave an impact on you. I would really love a continuation of these characters in another book. How about it Ms. Bockoven?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Words that tell of the Essence of Life, May 4, 2000

By 

P. H. Gantz (VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Disguised Blessing (Mass Market Paperback)

Do you know that feeling you get when you look into the eyes of the person you love like life itself? That sense that everything is complete? Do you remember what it felt like when you were first falling in love with someone? Those heartwrenching feelings? The gut-twisting panic when you thought that maybe the other person didn't feel that way?

Some of you may remember how you felt when you got a phone call that no person would ever want to get--the one telling you that a friend or a family member had died. That numbing sense that this is not real, followed closely by the beginnings of the deep pain of the loss that can take years to overcome.

If you read this book by Georgia Bockoven, or any of her other books, you will most likely remember these feelings, and so much more. The good and the bad that make up this silly little thing called the human existence. How does Ms. Bockoven capture the essence of life, the emotions of love and loss, and put them to words so well that you relive the best moments of your life--and maybe a little of some of the worst? How does she weave a spell of words that touches your soul itself?

I have no idea--but I'll tell you that she then does the deed one better. Quite frankly, I would normally prefer not to be reminded of the sad events in my life, thank you very much. But Ms. Bockoven, after gently bringing you into the lives of her characters and letting you experience all that they do, gives the reader a priceless gift.

We have the capacity, each and every one of us, to chase away those dark shadows. All it takes is love. A simple little fact, easily forgotten in the midst of life's trials. When you are done reading a Bockoven book, you'll remember.