Lost is found...and another review

While searching through my drawers and bins of stash I found a bin of finished but unfinished cross stitched smalls.  Some I had forgotten about and some I had lost and could not find where I put them.  So I have decided to finish up some of them.  Today I finished a pin cushion/ornament (if I add a hanger) which was a bonus design from a stitching retreat I went to several years ago.  I did the stitching at the time and then put it away to finish later.  Now it is finished.  I also finished up a bookmark from a piece of fabric that I used to try out some floss colors.  I think I will be giving this to someone who is as avid a reader as I am.  I will be finishing up a couple of more things tomorrow if all goes well.  I will try to get photos tomorrow as well.


I just finished reading The Great Gift by Misty Wright.

Alyssa is 26 and doesn't like the way all men mistreat her. She decides a change is needed and applies to be a jillaroo on a cattle station named The Oasis, which is located in outback Australia.

She meets a cowboy, Kent, who is a rodeo champion. They agree on a bet. Eventually both want out, but neither wants to be first.

Through a series of adventures that stretch from the city to a fast-flowing river in the outback where Kent must save Alyssa from drowning, love germinates in the middle of a storm.

In her heart, Alyssa is a woman who adores the city's nightlife, but as the sun sets on each day, the Australian outback becomes more enticing and the excitement of the city fades. Then she saves The Oasis.

Love is growing between Alyssa and Kent, but then Brandt, Alyssa's obsessive ex-boyfriend, tracks her down.

My thoughts:
When I started reading The Great Gift I got very confused. I could see no connection between the first chapter and the rest of the book. When Alyssa's story was being told there was no indication that the story took place forty years or so in the past. I spent much of the time reading trying to figure out just how it all connected. It wasn't until the last chapter that this was revealed and I was quite surprised to discover that Jake and Bernice were the children of Alyssa and Kent. How did Jake not recognize his own father at the funeral--even though it had been twenty years since they had seen each other. I know I would have recognized my father even if it had been fifty years!

My other biggest complaint was the speed with which everything happened. Even with *love at first sight*, physical things tend to be a bit slower. Kaite and Mitch engaged after only one day! Alyssa and Kent together almost as quickly. I feel that Misty found a unique and interesting plot concept for her book and I think if she had taken a little more time to let the characters and relationships develop that this book would have been much more enjoyable.

I also really did appreciate the fact that she refrained from all the explicit sex that so many authors find necessary today. In spite of the weakness of some areas of the story I did enjoy the book and look forward to reading more from this author. I think as she matures as an author, Misty will be great.

At the moment I am reading a book which is totally out of my *normal*.  It is called Robyn's Egg by Mark Souza.  I will review it as soon as I finish it.

Until next time...