The Songs That Could Have Been + Giveaway

Title: The Songs That Could Have Been

Series: Segewick County Chronicles #2

Author: Amanda Wen

Genre: Historical Fiction, Dual-time, Contemporary Fiction, Christian Romance

Publisher: Kregel Publications

Source: Publisher Provided through Audra Jennings

My Review:

It took me a hot minute to remind myself of the characters from Roots of Wood and Stone, but that didn't stop my enjoyment of this book.

I would highly recommend reading the first book before diving into The Songs That Could Have Been.

The first line immediately caught my attention.

Carter Douglas hated running out of makeup.

I was like, what? Did I read that right? I did, so why is this guy wearing makeup?! I could not read The Songs That Could Have Been fast enough. I would be hard-pressed to say which story line I enjoyed more, the present timeline or the one set in the 1950s. They are both exceptionally written and captivating.

We got someone willing to take away all our sin and let us live with him forever in exchange. Seems worth celebrating to me.

This story is one of loss, love, heartache, second chances, and so much more. It addresses the topic of racial relations with grace and understanding, not attempting to be preachy or as one who has all the answers.

White keys. Black keys. Ebony and Ivory. A piano would be a piano without both. So why couldn't people get along like piano keys did?

I cannot express how beautifully written and relevant this story is. I loved the characters, the story, and the emotions it evoked. This story is written in such a way that the emotions are felt by the reader, instead of just telling you what the characters feel. I was not ready for the story to end, and I hope there will be a third book.

Thank you to Kregel Publications and Audra Jennings for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

★★★★★/5

Click on the image below to be taken to the giveaway! 

 

About the The Songs That Could Have Been:

Two couples in love. Two sets of impossible circumstances. One powerful God of grace.

After a devastating tailspin in her late teens, Lauren Anderson’s life is finally back on track. Then a chance meeting with Carter Douglas, her first love and the man who broke her heart, threatens to throw her well-balanced world out of control.
 
Now a TV meteorologist, Carter is determined to make amends with Lauren. After all, she still owns his heart. But his old demons are forcing him toward the same decision he faced in the past. Is he courageous enough to make a different choice this time around?
 
When Lauren’s elderly grandmother, Rosie, begins having nightmares about a man named Ephraim--a name her family has never heard before—a fascinating and forbidden past love comes to light. As Lauren and Carter work to uncover the untold stories of Rosie’s past in 1950s Wichita, they embark on a journey of forgiveness and second chances that will change their lives—and Rosie’s—forever. Along the way they’ll learn that God wastes nothing, his timing is perfect, and nothing is beyond his grace and redemption.

The Songs That Could Have Been is full of the same deftly handled, resonant writing that readers and critics alike enjoyed in Amanda Wen's first book in the series, Roots of Wood and Stone. Fans of Lisa Wingate and Rachel Hauck will add Amanda Wen to their must-read shelves.

Click here to read an excerpt.