Review: The Lost Hours

 

Title:  The Lost Hours

Author:  Karen White

Review Copy Provided by: Pump Up Your Book Promotion

About the Author:  After playing hooky from school one day in the seventh grade to read Gone With the Wind, I knew I wanted to be a writer—or become Scarlett O'Hara. In spite of these aspirations, I grew up to pursue a degree in business and graduated cum laude with a BS in Management from Tulane University.

I have always been a voracious reader and was encouraged by my teachers to write ever since elementary school. Writing a book was always in the back of my mind, but definitely something I'd "do later when I have time."

One day in 1996 when my children were just babies, I decided it was time and started writing my first book. When I had a few chapters written, I sent it in to a writer's contest and by some miracle it won. The finalist judge was a New York literary agent and she offered to represent me. That first book, In the Shadow of the Moon, was sold and then published in 2000. It was a double finalist in Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA award.

I have since published eight award-winning novels, and three more books are scheduled: The House on Tradd Street (November 2008) , The Lost Hours (May 2009) and the as-yet untitled sequel to The House on Tradd Street that is scheduled for release in November 2009.

While growing up, I lived in London, England and am a graduate of the American School in London. I currently live in sunny Georgia with my husband and two children. When not writing, I spend my time reading, singing, scrapbooking, carpooling children and avoiding cooking.

I love hearing from readers. Please email me at AuthorKarenWhite@aol.com or write to Karen White, PO Box 623, Roswell, Georgia 30077.

You can visit Karen White's website at http://www.karen-white.com/.

About the Book: Now a near fatal riding accident has shattered Piper’s dreams of Olympic glory. After her grandfather’s death, she inherits the house and all its secrets, including a key to a room that doesn’t exist—or does it? And after her grandmother is sent away to a nursing home, she remembers the box buried in the backyard. In it are torn pages from a scrapbook, a charm necklace—and a newspaper article from 1929 about the body of an infant found floating in the Savannah River. The necklace’s charms tell the story of three friends during the 1920s— each charm added during the three months each friend had the necklace and recorded her life in the scrapbook. Piper always dismissed her grandmother as not having had a story to tell. And now, too late, Piper finds she might have been wrong.

My Review:  This is the 2nd book I've read by Karen, the first being, The House on Tradd Street, which I loved.  When Dorothy contacted me to do this one, I jumped on it!  Trust me, I was not disappointed!

Karen is an excellent writer!  One of the things I love about her books is how she makes you feel like you are really "in" the book.  I really connect with her characters as her writing makes them come alive!  I really enjoyed how she intermingled the generations in this story.  The story is about Piper's grandmother and the story behind the box, the secret room, and missing out on knowing a woman she wished she had known.  But, it's also about Piper and her learning to love herself again, get back on a horse, and find love.  Karen's books are about romance, but she never makes that the center of her books and I like that.  There is always a story within a story and it makes for a great read!

The other thing I enjoyed about this book is the character development.  Karen really takes the time, as an author, to bring her characters to life.  She doesn't just skim the surface, but digs in deep and allows the reader to "know" the characters, minor or not.  I really connected with Piper, agonized for her, cheered her on, and cried with her.

I hope that you will enjoy this book as much as I did, should you choose to read it!

Today is the last stop on Karen's tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion.  There have been many great reviews and interviews on this tour.  I hope that you have been able to check out alot of them.  I am so glad that Dorothy allowed me to join in on this one, because I am a HUGE Karen White fan!  I am anxiously awaiting the sequel to The House on Tradd Street!