Carie Lawson

I knew when I started reading this book it would be good, because I have read the first three in this series by Carie Lawson and they were all a "home run". This one did not disappoint me. Jude McCord is a baseball player with an injury he is recovering from and finds himself taking on the job as a police officer while his shoulder heals. He first meets up with Isabelle Winters when he pulls her over for speeding. He later finds out she is his long time friend and partner's grand-daughter, who he doesn't think very highly of. Which is okay because she doesn't think very highly of him at first. But they end up working together on Jude's dream of building a baseball camp to help teach kids the basics, and learning that both of them were wrong in their initial opinion of each other.

I wish there could be more men out there like Jude McCord. He was a man with a personality that drew people to him, a person with respect and love for his elders, who didn't think more highly of himself that he ought to think, who had personal convictions and stood by them even when it would have been easy to give in to the moment. I just thought he was a "knight in shining armor" in this story. The way Isabelle grew to understand and know him was fun and endearing and I just enjoyed myself all the way through the book. This is just a great series and I say "well done!" to Carie Lawson. You can read this book by itself, but I must encourage you to read the whole series because you will fall in love with the rest of the McCord family.… (mehr)

Jude McCord is all about baseball. When he receives a shoulder injury he's forced to return home to recuperate and not sure if he'll be ready when spring training comes. While home, he purchases the neighboring ranch and begins working on another dream. A baseball camp to help young men gain skills as well as find a love for the game. Isabelle Winters is having some family problems and decides to pay a visit to her grandparents. She doesn't know that her Nannas had a stroke or that her Pops has sold the land to Jude. Jude feels Isabelle would have known if she had bothered to call them in the last decade. Nanna and Pops are like grandparents to Jude but Isabelle thinks he's taking advantage of them. Can a very skeptical Isabelle and a very protective Jude ever come to terms?

Carie Lawson hits another home run with Beyond Baseball! WOW! I LOVED this story! It had it all. I found myself laughing (you will love the scene with Isabelle 'cooking' in the kitchen), crying, sighing and just plain loving ever minute of the story. In the other three stories we have gotten glimpses of the fun and playful Jude but this story allows you to see the whole man. And Ladies let me tell you...he's worth seein'! It was so much fun hanging out with all the McCords. They are such a neat family. You just want to be a part of them. I especially loved all the verbal sparring. Zane and Carly's girls are an absolute riot and will getcha right in the heart! Jude and Isabelle are a great match for each other. The romantic tension ran wild! It was fun watching to see what they would do next. The message of reliance upon the Lord ran strong through the story and caused me to ponder whether I was really doing that myself. Each of the four stories in the Twisted Roots Series can be read as stand alone but I would highly recommend that you start at the beginning. (Beyond Africa, Beyond Summer, Beyond Ever After and Beyond Baseball) It really is a journey of the McCord Family and you won't want to miss a single moment with them. Trust me. As much as I loved Beyond Baseball it was hard to say farewell to this family. I am really going to miss them but at least they're only a bookshelf away. Great job Carie! A thank goes to the author for providing this complimentary copy for my review.
Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc (August 30, 2011)
ISBN: 978-1-61252-074-2
Category: Inspirational
Rating: Sweet
Release Date: September 1, 2011… (mehr)

Okay, I just finished this story and words cannot fully express the emotions I felt reading this story!! This is the 3rd story in this series and Carie Lawson just seems to get better and better (which is hard to believe because her 1st two books in this series were great!).

This story is about Haven (McCord) Castlin and her husband Brody. They are two people that have loved each other for a long time, but have a hard time showing their love and expressing it well to each other. Brody has grown up around the McCord family and fell in love with them all. He thinks he could never be deserving of dating, much less marrying Haven. So when their "courtship" gets out of hand and the wedding takes place there are already issues they need to discuss and share, but neither one of them seem very good at this. When Haven decides to go on a mission trip to Africa, Brody must go with her to protect her. There, away from family and old wounds, they discover one another again. But it is shortlived when Brody sends Haven home without him.

This was just a open honest look at a couple who wanted to love each other, but couldn't open up and be honest with each other. Honest communication without anger and hostility was hard to come by for these two. My heart went out to them so many times. I loved them both and saw each of their flaws and each of the strengths. I could not stop thinking of the story even when I wasn't reading it. It was a page turner and a book I could hardly put down until I finished. I can't imagine anyone not falling in love with these characters and cheering them on to the end!… (mehr)

Haven McCord Castlin has loved Brody Castlin since she was seven years old. But marriage didn't turn out to be what she'd hoped for. It seems like all they ever do is fight. The closeness and friendship they once shared has disappeared. Feeling the need to get away she asks Brody if she can go to the African Mission. Her brothers, Case and Zane have told Brody of the dangers there so he offers her a summer truce and says he'll go with her to make sure she's safe. Brody loves Haven but doesn't know how to make her happy. He feels undeserving of her love and knows her family would always resent him. He thinks the only way to truly make her happy would be to set her free. What they find in Africa is more than what they expected. Each of them learn and grow as they work together but will it be enough to cover past hurts? Will they find the strength to fight for true love?

Beyond Ever After is one of those stories that continues to linger in your mind long after you close the book. It was hard to put down and I found myself thinking about the story until I could pick it up again. We have witnessed Haven and Brody's relationship in Beyond Africa and Beyond Summer and I was very curious as to why their marriage was the way it was. Why Brody seemed so distant from her family. This story is Brody and Haven's journey. My heart hurt for our lead couple as we find out their history of mistakes and bad decisions. What a toll that takes on a relationship. One thing I really respected about Brody was that, for all the mistakes, he was man enough to take responsibility for what he'd done. You could understand why Haven was an emotional mess. Brody was hard to read sometimes. I loved watching Brody and Haven in Africa as they learned to work in together and hold their tongues. The Lord was working in each of them. I must say this author wrote such a clear description of the African orphanage that I could see the children's faces, feel the rain and heat on my skin and see the beauty as they walked the jungle paths. I enjoyed catching up with Case & Lilly, Zane and Carly and of course Preston and Grace. The McCords are such a great family. I have to say I absolutely loved the ending! BIG SIGH! If you have never read a Carie Lawson book you are missing out! I would HIGHLY recommend Beyond Ever After! But to really get the most out of this story I recommend you read this series in order. Awesome job, Carie! Can't wait for Beyond Baseball! A thank you goes to this author for providing me with this complimentary copy for my review!… (mehr)