March 23, 2020
Kingsbury (Two Weeks) explores what it means to be family in this charming inspirational. After Dawson Gage’s girlfriend, London, dies in an accident, London’s grief-stricken mother tells Dawson she had donated a number of embryos years before, one of which was carried to term through an embryo transplant. Dawson then sets out to find the sister London never knew she had. Maddie West had no idea that she was the result of an embryo donation until Dawson shows up at her workplace in Indianapolis and tells her. Feeling angry and betrayed by her parents, Maddie heads to Portland to meet her biological parents. There, Dawson acts as a tour guide, taking Maddie to all of London’s favorite places. He is struck by her similarities to London, but soon begins to appreciate Maddie for who she is, especially the deep faith that both she and Dawson share. Dawson and Maddie feel a powerful connection, but Maddie is already engaged and must decide where her heart and loyalties lie. Kingsbury includes eloquent scriptural references that guide her faith-filled characters through both tragedy and pivotal life choices. This emotional, thoughtful tale will please Kingsbury’s fans and make her new ones as well.
April 1, 2020
The Baxters are back. In this 30th series entry (after Two Weeks), Maddie Baxter West graduates from college, gets the job of her dreams, and is engaged to her longtime boyfriend. But when Dawson Gage shows up and tells her about the death of the woman he loved, her biological sister, Maddie is shocked and confused. Her sister is alive and well. That's when Maddie discovers her parents have been keeping a secret for a very long time: Maddie is the product of a frozen embryo adoption. Angry with her parents, Maddie goes to Portland, OR, to meet her biological parents and learn about the sister she never met and never will. As Maddie deals with her anger and feelings of betrayal, she also begins to discover how much she has in common with Dawson, including their strong faith. And Dawson realizes that helping Maddie reunite with her birth family is the right thing to do even if it costs him the woman he loves--again. VERDICT Kingsbury's "Baxter" series is a perennial favorite and a required purchase for inspirational collections. The plot is predictable, but it raises interesting questions about science, fertility, and the legal status of frozen embryos. With a Baxter TV series in the works, libraries should purchase according to demand.--Melanie C. Duncan, Washington Memorial Lib., Macon, GA
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