Friday, November 27, 2009

Thirsty by Tracey Bateman ~ GIVEAWAY

thirsty
by Tracey Bateman
ISBN: 9780307457158
Publisher: WaterBrook Multnomah
Book Summary

There's no place like home, they say.

"Hello, I'm Nina Parker…and I'm an alcoholic."

For Nina, it's not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier–and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone–or something–igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire.

Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?

As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina's feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end.

My Review

Alrighty, I requested this book after I read the publisher info, but not clearly. I'm not really a vampire genre fan so when I read that Thirsty was about an alcoholic, I stopped reading the rest of the information.

Imagine my surprise when I started reading the book and found out, "Yes, Mimi, there are vampires in this story." Shoot. I was really hoping it wouldn't be scary, ridiculous, or unable to connect a Christian theme.

Thankfully this wasn't Ted Dekker scary, but it had it's creep factor. It definitely wasn't ridiculous with the story lines that were circulating through the story. And there was an underlying Christian theme, but it wasn't in your face.

Nina heads home to Abbey Hills and is faced with the past that has brought her to where she is right now in her life. Heading home she brings her 17 yr old daughter, Meg, with her who is furious that she has to spend time with her alcoholic mother, whom she calls Nina.

Nina is heading back to the town that drove her away in the first place. She will eventually have to face the parents she left without a word. There she will come face to face with the man who fathered her child. Will she be able to handle it all without turning to the bottle?

Along with Nina's story is the turmoil we see in Meg. She loves her adopted dad and has never eally questioned who her biological father is. She is very angry and has every right to be. Nina's husband, Hunt, has loved her throughout their alcoholic marriage, but to protect their children finally divorced her.

We also meet Markus at the beginning of the story. He is the vampire. He meets Nina when she's a teenager, but she has no recollection of that meeting. Markus on the other hand hasn't forgotten that brief moment of time they shared. He has been waiting for her. He has his own demons to face in this story.

You can see the correlation between Markus's battle against his natural tendency to drink blood and Nina's battle against alcohol, which has pretty much consumed her life. She doesn't realize it when they meet up again, but their lives are inevitably entwined as Markus tries to connect with her emotionally.

This isn't a story about conversion or salvation, but one about the strength of love and family. Yes, there's a vampire in the story, but it doesn't take away from it. I wasn't sure that I would care for it because of the vampire element, but I was sucked into the story!

About the Author

With close to one million books in print, Tracey Bateman is the award-winning author of more than 30 titles. Fan favorites include the best-selling Kansas Home historical series; Color of the Soul, a tale of race and prejudice chosen as an editor’s pick by Christian Book Distributors; and her many popular romantic novels for Heartsong Presents, which boasts more than 20,000 members. Tracey resides in Missouri with her husband and four children.

I'd like to thank Liz from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group a division of Random House for my review copy and giveaway copy of Thirsty. You can find Thirsty here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9780307457158

Giveaway
If you'd like to win a copy of Thirsy, leave a comment here letting me know if you've read any vampire stories and whether you like them. I liked Tracey's book, but I don't know that I'd go out and get any other vampire-like stories. It's just not my thing.

Giveaway open to US residents only who are 18 and older. Please leave an email address or you will NOT be entered in the giveaway. Void where prohibited. Random drawing will use the Top Hat software. Giveaway ends 11/30, 10:30 CST.

20 comments:

Virginia C said...

To me, "Bram Stoker's Dracula" is in a league of its own, "the GrandVampire" of all subsequent vampire tales. It is truly a horror story that will scare the stuffing out of you and stick with you! There are many versions of vampire lore being marketed today. Some focusing on good versus evil and the religious aspects of the paranormal. Others are written as humor or romance (or both). Since this is a speculative subject, the quality of the writing and the imagination of the writer determine the enjoyment level of the story. I have read several reviews of "Thirsty", and I really look forward to reading this book. I would love to win!

gcwhiskas at aol dot com

Joshlin said...

I have read the Twilight books. I do like them, but not really for the vampires. I don't usually read vampire stuff. This book does look interesting though. I would like to give it a try. The story sounds good.

savingmomssanity at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

i have never read a vampire book. my grand daughter really likes twilight so i am going to read it just to bond better with her and encourage her to read.

Anonymous said...

I have not read any 'vampire' stories as of yet.

karenk
kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)com

hippmom said...

I have read all the Twilight books - I wanted to see what my preteen daughter was reading. I enjoyed them and it is something that we have shared. I have heard about this book and I would love to win it for her. I wanted he to see that there is good, fun CHristian literature! THanks for the giveaway.

angelahipp (at) charter (dot) net

unidiverse said...

I have read the twilight series. The last book in the series was my favorite because the main character Bella finally starts to get smart. I have looked at but never read Anne Rice. Your review leaves me interested in what happens next.

unidiverse[at]hotmail[com]

Linda said...

No, I haven't read any other vampire book. Tracey's would be my first. Please enter me. Thanks.

unidiverse said...

I have read the twilight series and have thought about reading some of anne rice's books. I liked the last book in twilight because Bella finally grows a brain :) Your review has me interested in what will happen next in Thirsty.

unidiverse[at]hotmail[com]

Anonymous said...

I have read vampire stories like Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice and have seen some movies. However, I am not into the Twilight series right now. I think it's way over done for teenagers to be so crazy about it. However, I understand the allure.

Thanks for this giveaway!

middayescapades at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

Looks like a good book, I love old style horror books and movies, including the vampire subgenre.

Please enter me into this drawing.
Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
jake.lsewhere[at]gmail.com

Molly said...

I have not read any vamp-like books and would love to read this one just to see what they are about. Many thanks for hosting this giveaway!!!

Mollydawn1981 at aol com

Suzanne Eller said...

I'd love to see this alternative to books like Twilight! Hey girl, it's good to see what you are doing. Love your participation at Christian Momlogic. : )

ossmcalc said...

I really have not read any vampire books as of yet which is hard considering that a good friend of mine has seen New Moon four times. You said that there was still an underlying Christian principle. That is a positive to me. I have been wanting to read a vampire book just out of curiosity. Hopefully this is the book for me.

Thank you,

Christine
womackcm at sbcglobal dot net

Anonymous said...

i have not read any vampire books but this one sounds good. cant wait to read it wolfbayou@yahoo.com

Winning Readings said...

I've watched a couple of movies and haven't been too impressed. I AM interested in the current fad and would appreciate the chance to find out more about it!

janemaritz at yahoo dot com

We posted about this giveaway at Winning Readings: http://winningreadings.blogspot.com/2009/11/thirsty_28.html

sharon54220 said...

I haven't read a vampire book, but this one really looks good.

Thanks for the chance.

sharon54220@gmail.com

Mark said...

I haven't read any Vampire stories, but your review makes me want to read this one
marcus802001(at)yahoo(dot)com

plb8156 said...

I love vampire romances but not horror!
plb8156@aol.com

Deb K said...

I like the Vampire Books so this one would be great to read too :-)

deb55106{at}gmail{dot}com

Unknown said...

Thanks for the giveaway. I read the Twilight series and I enjoyed the books. This sounds interesting as well! maggie965 at yahoo dot com

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Woven by Words by Mimi B is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.