Customer Reviews

Disguised Blessing

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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.

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?

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.

Georgia has done it again. This story is believable and thecharacters true to life. It is a nonstop page turner. The maincharacter Catherine has depth and feeling. The victim her daughter is a typical teenager.Vane to a degree. Catherine shows strength and also she puts her daughter first and she changes her world to evolve around her daughter. A true mother. Rick is a mature hero and because of Catherine's bad choices of men in her past she pushes him aside. You laugh and cry with these people and you feel like you are right there with them. I recommend this and ALL her past books HIGHLY. If this is your first try of Georgia I know you will go out and find her previous novels. ENJOY.

I am never disappointed when I pick up a book by Georgia Bockoven. Her writing pulls you emotionally into the story and doesn't let go, even after you put the book down. If you're looking for great women's fiction, this is the writer for you. If you're looking for a great read, don't miss Disguised Blessing.

Ever dread finishing a book because you just know the next one you start won't come anywhere near to being as good? This was how I felt when I read the last page of Disguised Blessing. Before this, I'd read and enjoyed The Beach House, but Ms. Bockoven's latest surpasses that.

I read the book in one sitting, not wanting to have to put it aside for the night to find out how it ended. The dialogue is convincing and the characters totally sympathetic and in one spot I was in tears. Ms. Bockoven does an admriable job of showing that us while life may be horribly unfair, with love and hope the score can be evened.

I urge anyone who wants an uplifting book to read to put this one your To Buy list. As for me, I'm off to hunt up the author's backlist.

You know the way you finish a book and can't stand to pick up anything else right away. Because the one you just finished insists on lingering inside of your head a while longer, because it was *that* good? This is one of those books. I hesitated over it because of the subject matter, but Georgia handled it beautifully, of course. Lynda, the daughter, was fabulous, and her boyfriend and the friend she made in the hospital. Catherine did what any good mother would do -- holds herself together, no matter what. And I'd take a man like Rick anyday.

Catherine Miller feels good about the world as she vacations with her beloved teenage daughter Lynda and her beau Tom Adams. Adding to her feeling of euphoria is that Tom and Lynda seem to get on so well together. However, her idyllic world crashes down around her when Lynda is badly burned during a party and is flown to a Sacramento hospital for emergency treatment. Tom fails to be there for the distraught Catherine and unceremoniously hides from the woman who badly needs his support.

Local firefighter Rick Sawyer works closely with burn victims, making sure they receive the needed emotional support to surmount the trauma. As he works with Lynda, the duo hits it off as if they are old buddies. He also falls in love with Catherine, who is weary because her first two choices in males (Lynda's father and Tom) let down both herself and her daughter when they needed them.

DISGUISED BLESSING is a wonderful contemporary relationship drama that will enthrall readers with its message of hope. The plot centers on everyone's reactions to Lynda's trauma. All the charcaters are fully developed so that their motives and actions toward Lynda feel genuine. The lead couple makes a fine pair, but Lynda's plight steals the show, as the audience wants her to fully recover. Georgia Bockoven knows how to pull the strings of her audience and this novel is a virtuoso performance.

Harriet Klausner

This was a typical book for this author, which is a pretty good thing. Her stories aren't especially gripping but she always delivers a nice love story, this time about a male firefighter and a divorcee who previously has only married/dated wealthy men. There is also a very good teenage daughter in this book who also needs the firefighter's help and affection and a great dog.

Another great job, Georgia Bockoven! I tried hard to take more than a day to read this book--it was so good I didn't want it to end. The emotions rang true, the characters were complete, and the story was so real that these people might've lived next door to me. Real people--that's what made this book a winner to me.