Sisters, Ink (Scrapbooker's Series #1) [Paperback]

Rebeca Seitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2008

Sisters, Inkmarks the first in a series of novels written by, for, and about scrapbookers. At the center of the creativity and humor are four unlikely young adult sisters, each separately adopted during early childhood into the loving home of Marilyn and Jack Sinclair.

 

Ten years after their mother Marilyn has died, the multi-racial Sinclair sisters (Meg, Kendra, Tandy, and Joy) still return to her converted attic scrapping studio in the small town of Stars Hill, Tennessee, to encourage each other through life’s highs and lows.

 

Book one spotlights headstrong Tandy, a successful yet haunted attorney now living back in Orlando where she spent the first eight years of her life on the streets as a junkie’s kid. When a suddenly enforced leave of absence at work leads her to an extended visit with her sisters in Stars Hill, a business oppor­tunity, rekindled romance, and fresh understanding of God’s will soon follow.

 

 

Endorsements:

"What more can any woman want? Sisters, Ink weaves the love of sisters, the fun of scrapbooking, and a romance as sugary and tingling as Sweet Home Alabama. A must read for those who love southern fiction."--DiAnn Mills, author of

Leather and Lace and When the Nile Runs Red

"Fun . . . funny . . . fantastic! Rebeca Seitz has brought together scrapbooking and sisterhood in a lively romp, with a love for going home again."--Eva Marie Everson, coauthor of The Potluck Club series

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Seitz (Prints Charming) continues to integrate fiction and scrapbooking themes in her new chick lit series, with mixed results. Thirty-year-old Tandy Sinclair is a hotshot attorney in Orlando, Fla., who is trying to quell memories of her homeless childhood. When an ethical dilemma causes Tandy to take a leave of absence from work, she heads home to the small town of Stars Hill, Tenn. There, she runs into her hunky high school sweetheart, who has started a band and now runs a cafe. Tandy's three adopted and diverse sisters (in an equal-opportunity contrivance that feels forced, one is Asian, one African-American and one Caucasian) urge Tandy to re-evaluate her priorities and give her old flame a second chance. References to scrapbooking are worked into as many scenes as possible, which will please hobbyists. However, problems plague the novel, including prolonged passages, lengthy back-to-back dialogue and too much mechanical detail. Other passages are breathlessly dramatic (Daddy waited down that winding gravel path. Daddy—and a lifetime of memories). The timeworn cliché of the city girl returning home to the country to find love and wisdom is in full force, and the ending holds no surprises. Plans call for each book in the series to feature a different sister; readers will hope subsequent installments have more substance. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Seitz hits the right note with the first book in her series featuring four adopted sisters sharing a love for scrapbooking. Tandy's character is fascinating, and readers will take to her and her desire to redeem her past. The romance is sweet and adds an extra dimension to the plot.

 

Melisa Parcel

Romantic Times Book Reviews

. . . a memorable tale of love, tough choices, truth and tears. I love the characters and family connection in this sweet story. It is passionate, if not intense."

 

Church Libraries

Winter 2007-2008

"An interesting tale starring an unhappy urbanized sibling finding love and happiness by returning to her urban roots."

 

"An entertaining tale with a fascinating concept of diverse adopted sisters who are also best friends always there for one another as affirmed by the theraputic scrapbooks they maintained."

 

Harriett Klausner

Klausner's Bookshelf

Midwest Book Review 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: B&H Fiction (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805446907
• ISBN-13: 978-0805446906
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,095,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars interesting tale with its therapeutic scrapbooks, April 30, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sisters, Ink (Scrapbooker's Series #1) (Audio CD)

In Orlando, Florida, thirtyish attorney Tandy Sinclair knows logically that she has come a long way from her homeless childhood, but emotionally remains insecure though she hides her doubts at work. Still she works incredible hours at Meyers, Briggs and Stratton keeping clients out of jail and off her to insure the fat check keeps coming. However, the Hope House embezzlement case places Tandy in a morality strait jacket. Her client Harry Simons admitted his guilt of taking funds that target the homeless.

Tandy takes a leave of absence to return home to Stars Hill, Tennessee where her three adopted sisters Meg, Kendra, and Joy still reside. The trio advises their sibling to reconsider her life goals as defending the guilty is ripping her gut even if it keeps her from sleeping on a beach. They also encourage her to give her former boyfriend Clay Kelner a second chance. Through all this her sisters show her the good times commemorated in scrapbooks; some electronic.

The first SISTER'S INK book (three to follow) is an interesting tale starring an unhappy urbanized sibling finding love and happiness by returning to her rural roots. The story line is at its best when Tandy argues for a pragmatic look at life especially the plight of the homeless; shaving, deodorant, and change of clothing are not easily accessible. The use of scrapbooks is a fascinating way to look back on the past without dwelling to long; however that technique is overdone and eventually feels intrusive. Still this is an entertaining tale with a fascinating concept of diverse adopted sisters, who are also best of friends always there for one another as affirmed by the therapeutic scrapbooks they have maintained.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Faith filled Chick Lit with Scrapbooking!, February 6, 2008

By 

Christina Lockstein "Christy's Book Blog" (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sisters, Ink (Scrapbooker's Series #1) (Paperback)

Sisters, Ink by Rebeca Seitz is the first book about the Sinclair sisters. Tandy is a successful business attorney in Orlando when she's given a leave of absence for insulting a client. She returns home to Stars Hill, Tenn to lick her wounds in the warmth of her family's love. Sister Meg has three children and is a homeschooling maven. Joy is a gourmet chef and newly married. Kendra is single and still trying to find her place in life through her artwork. Their father is a pastor, and they all still ache for the loss of their mother. It's this loss that has fueled Tandy's need to succeed and kept her from returning to the small town life she loves. Her life is further turned upside down by the reappearance of her high school love Clay, who has opened a diner in downtown Stars Hill. Because this is chick lit, the ending is never in doubt, but the route Seitz takes to get there is full of sweet sisterly dialogue, humorous small town characters (without being characters that populate so many novels about small towns), faith, and lessons about love. The Sinclairs adopted all of their girls, so they each come with baggage and heartache. Tandy feels the weight of her mother's expectations. All of the storylines are woven around the sisters' love of scrapbooking. I love to scrapbook, even though I'm all thumbs at it, and this book is inspiration for both your faith and your scrapbook jones.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars "The sisters" drive me crazy, April 15, 2008

By 

K. Duffy (Cincinnati, ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sisters, Ink (Scrapbooker's Series #1) (Paperback)

I'm surprised at the positive reviews for this novel. I'm not even finished with it and I wanted to see what others said about it. I have never left a review about a novel on Amazon before but I was so bored I wanted to save someone else the wasted hours. This book was about as awful as ...insert metaphor. People do not think in metaphor. I wish I could tell Tandy that. The constant cheesy phrases drove me nuts. I found the main character annoying and immature and the love interest too perfect. Plus, who refers to themselves as "the sisters"? I appreciate Christian novels that are fun, real and romantic but this book was none of those things. It seemed as though the author was told to flesh it out by an editor and spent days trying to think of the most inane things to write about. Save yourself the $10 (thank goodness I got it from the library) and buy something by Lori Copeland or Neta Jackson.