Awakening Heart (Portraits Series #1) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Emma Davis is determined to break out of the isolation she's created for herself as the sole caretaker of her elderly grandmother. Although she's always been the "practical" one, a spur-of-the-moment visit to a travel agency sets her on a journey far from her small-town home.

A breathtaking cruise begins to soften the shell around Emma's heart as she learns to open herself up to new experiences and newfound friendships, but it isn't until her arrival in Papua, New Guinea, that Emma begins to truly realize her identity as a child of God. Amid the lush landscape of the tropical island, Emma regains her sense of purpose by caring for three motherless children, and befriending their father, Josh Daniels, whose own eyes reflect a haunting and painful memory.

Can the love Emma has discovered help conquer Josh's tainted and bitter past?

About the Author

Melody Carlson's many years of experience in working with children have formed the basis for her award-winning career as an author of nearly twenty books, most of them for children and young adults, including Jessica, a SPRINGSONG book, Benjamin's Box, Tupsu, and The Ark That Noah Built. Melody resides with her husband and two teenage sons in Oregon, where she is senior editor for Multnomah Publisher's Gold 'n' Honey Books. size : 5.4 x 8.3

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556619987
• ISBN-13: 978-1556619984
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,177,031 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, January 6, 2000

By	Erin Grenoble (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

Melody Carlson is one of my favorite authors and this book is wonderful! I can usually tell from the first page if I'll like a book, and this one grabs your attention right away. The characters are all described in great detail. The book is romantic, funny and suspenseful all in one!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Of course it works out..., April 27, 2005

By	Rachel Carmichael (East Coast, Canada) - See all my reviews

This book is about a woman, Emma, who takes care of her grandma and works with a guy who sexually harrasses her. Not badly though, this is a Christian book :) She ends up going on a cruise to Papua New Guinea, by pointing randomly on a globe. Of course she falls in love on the way, makes a new friend who helps her fall out of love, they part, she decides to work as a nanny, she falls in love with the guy she then works for(Josh)...the friend she made comes to visit, Emma gets jealous of her friend and Josh, it all comes to a climax when the natives get restless. And of course the ending works out.
I found it poorly written in the way it tells unnecessary details "she had a shower, dried off, blew dry her hair, had a drink of tea, sat down, read a book" etc. (that line didn't come out of the book, I made it up as an illustration, just in case you start looking for it :))Only really good writers can pull that off. And her relationship with Josh goes from 0 to 'will you marry me?' in a few pages, leaving you puzzled to when they actually had anything going.
But it's a cozy read if you have a bit of time and some chocolate at hand.