Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Road to Freedom

 


A marriage which shouldn’t be. The path to forgiveness begins in unlikely places. And love can bloom among the thorns.
Immigrant Francisco has escaped the cruelty of Cuba, but has been a man without a true home. Now terminal cancer has driven him into the arms of Stacy.
Traveling half-way around the world together, they each have a journey to take. Francisco confronts his past. While Stacy tries to open her heart after a devastating first marriage. Both pushing each other in ways they are unwilling to accept.
Can he make amends and say he’s sorry for his wrongs? Can she learn to let go and be free to love again?

 My thoughts: This story was an interesting one, with going back and forth between the voices of the two main characters. The story was unexpected, with it's many layers that unfold. I wish that there was a translation every time that Francisco talked in Spanish, since I am not fluent in Spanish and felt like not having the interpretation to the story right there detracted from it a bit. I also was disappointed in some of the language in this story.

I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Leigh has spent the better part of the last thirty years involved in homeless and poverty advocacy in one way or another. Her first novel – Road Home – was born out of this work. She wanted to make people think about their lives and how they live. But most importantly, about how they treat others and how they want to be treated. Her second novel – Road to Freedom – looks at how our lives don’t always follow the path we choose. But yet somehow we must pick up the broken pieces and move on. How we grow and where our strength comes from is what’s most important. These two novels form the basis for her series – Broken Roads. Each shows how life is raw, painful and often leads us on journeys we never expected or imagined. While each book doesn’t seem to relate, the final book in the series will connect the dots of how these characters have touched the lives of each other in ways they never knew. Keep watching for updates on when new books will come out!

Leigh loves to travel, paint and hike. You never know where she’ll end up next, for she’s on her own journey of discovery.

 

More from Leigh

I wrote this book as my pandemic project – with all this time on my hands I needed something to do. No traveling, no meeting new people, no leaving my house, no, no, no. Fine, I thought to myself, I’ll sit at my computer and remember people I’ve met on my journeys, places I’ve been, things I’ve seen, foods I’ve savored. And then cram them all into a book. For those of you who want to be adventurous, I’ve learned how to make paella. It works best in a heavy skillet on a gas stove, but a non-stick pan or an electric stove will work as well. Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup stock, 1/8 cup olive oil, 1/4 large onion finely chopped, 1 clove fresh garlic minced, 1/3 cup tomato sauce, handful of fresh peas, 3/4 cup pearl or valencia rice, 1 large bay leaf, 1 cup meat (chicken, Spanish chorizo or seafood – or go crazy and do a mix of meats), salt, pepper and saffron to taste. Instructions: Saute onions, garlic, bay leaf in olive oil until soft. Add rice, continue to saute for 3-5 minutes until rice is a golden brown. Add about a 1/4 cup of stock, tomato sauce, peas, and spices. If you are using chicken add it at this point. Cook on low or medium low, shaking the pan from time to time, making sure the rice ends up level. Slowly pour about 1/4 cup of stock evenly around the pan every 5-10 minutes. Do not allow it to come to a boil, do not stir and do not cover. When the rice is almost tender, add Spanish chorizo or seafood if that’s your meat of choice. I often serve paella with fresh bread, a bowl of olive oil to dip the bread in and a few slices of lemon if people want some tang added to their paella.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 15

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 16

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 17

Texas Book-aholic, May 18

Inklings and notions, May 19

For Him and My Family, May 20

deb’s Book Review, May 21

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 22

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 23

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 24

HappyWhenReading, May 24

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 25

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, May 26 (Author Interview)

Pause for Tales, May 27

Through the Fire Blogs, May 28 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Leigh is giving away the grand prize package of a signed copy and a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10bbc/road-to-freedom-celebration-tour-giveaway

5 comments:

  1. The other reviews have been very similar to yours. I think everyone had trouble with the Spanish. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds like a good read and series.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this story, I prefer stories told from dual/multiple viewpoints myself so this one sounds like a must read for me

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for your review - I do think I need to put a note about the Spanish in the beginning based on this and similar reviews. I was trying to show people how hard it can be to have a conversation with someone when you don't speak the same language. I often have problems when I go to Miami - words get misinterpreted and misunderstanding happen. Which lead to frustrations for both me and my immigrant friends.

    ReplyDelete