‘FORGET ME NOT,’ BY AMBER STOKES

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Published in 2014, Forget Me Not is actually the first novel in The Heart’s Spring series, falling first in the timeline to its published predecessor Bleeding Heart. Comprised of three novels and a collection of novellas, Forget Me Not is another journey saga, both literal and fugitively.

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STORY: It tells the story of the young Elizabeth Lawson whose young life shatters when she loses her parents. Now as a young 18-year-old, she learns that she has a brother she’s never met. Seeking something she doesn’t know, she leaves the safety of her adoptive mother’s home. When she falls into trouble, she’s rescued by a young man named David. Not immune to feeling lost, David instantly feels a familiar tug to the young woman and on a whim offers to escort her to Nevada never expecting to feel so much for this girl.

Forget Me Not, by Amber Stokes | Book Review

Less than a year after her first release, Amber shares this story centering on the woman who broke the heart of a prominent figure in Bleeding Heart.  The theme of this novel is feeling a part of a “place,” like you belong to someone or somewhere. In this regard, all of us will be able to relate to David and his need to remember. Between David’s search, and Elizabeth’s indecision (or innocence), the story is heavy on things long forgotten as its running theme.

As always, Amber executes her reflective topics beautifully. I will confess that on a minor note, the swiftness with which Elizabeth trusts – and travels miles on end – David doesn’t work as completely realistic though I understand this is more personal preference than an author fault. One thing I don’t think any reader can dispute is that these stories are dear to Amber’s heart. Many of us know her from our blog community and most if not all of us have been excited to be a small part of this publishing journey with her.

I started this novel late one evening and breeze through a decent portion of it, and in a mere twenty-four hours later, I was wrapping it up. Amber’s charming and beautifully simple way of telling this story (which is a compliment of the highest regard) is difficult to put down because her characters read well as do the elements of surprise. Where Bleeding Heart is gutsy and full of grace, its prequel is sobering. She also teases us with Jacob’s origins (which readers can now read about in Bellflower). I’d advise anyone who hasn’t read Bleeding Heart to read this first. Not because they cannot be read separately but one character figures importantly in the sequel title and for anyone who isn’t fond of working backwards in series, you’ll get a major spoiler in Bleeding Heart that hasn’t yet come to pass in Forget Me Not

If you’re a fan of Janette Oke or western inspirational fiction in general (or like the When Calls the Heart TV show), then do be sure to pick up Forget Me Not by Stokes. It’s a picturesque kind of story that will charm any of its genre fans merely by being true to exactly what it is; a tender sage of love and never forgetting the sway of memories. A powerful reminder to the reader to never take precious moments for granted.

About the Book:

Author: Amber Stokes
Publisher: Seasons of a Story (Self-Published)
Publication Date: 2014
Find the Review elsewhere: Goodreads | WordPress
Add the Book: Goodreads
Series: The Heart’s Spring – Book 2
Genre: Fiction; Historical, Western, Christian
Rating: 4 out of 5

Sincere thanks to the author, Amber Stokes for providing a complimentary ARC e- copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

About Rissi JC

amateur graphic designer. confirmed bookaholic. bubbl’r enthusiast. critical thinker. miswesterner. social media coordinator. writer.

10 comments

    1. Aw, no worries, Juju! I'm honored you want to check them out. :) I've got two books out and one free short-story for newsletter subscribers – with another book and short story to come later this year!

      ~Amber

  1. Thank you so much for this lovely review, Rissi! I'm honored that you would take the time and effort to read my books for their blog tours when they're only in e-book format. :)

    My proofreader actually made the remark about Elizabeth being so trusting, and I had to think more about that – how she's so quick to trust these men who are strangers to her… I address it a bit in a scene in Part 2 with Joe, but yes – she's very naive!

    I'm so glad you enjoyed the story overall. :) It's wonderful to read your thoughts, and I so appreciate your feedback and encouragement! *Hugs*

    ~Amber

    1. Thank you for this opportunity, Amber. And I'm glad to read your books – e-book or not. Will definitely snag a print copy come its release date. :)

      Really, in the scheme of the story, I didn't mind Elizabeth's easy trust. I mean, I'm the kind of reader that also doesn't like stories lagging and right or wrong, David offering to take Elizabeth right away gets things rolling. Which, of course, I really like! :)

      Funny story about these FMN posts – I got them all ready pre-weekend because I didn't know how much time I'd have either day to read/format/edit them, so I wanted to at least get them in their draft post (I don't always "schedule" the posts early because who knows if Blogger would publish them before it should). Late Sunday night came around and I realized that prior to logging off-line and shutting down the Internet connection, I FORGOT to schedule the posts! Made me laugh at myself – here I thought I was being so organized and BAM! I forgot. ;)

      Hugs!

    2. Thank you for your sweet support, my friend! And yes…I confess I do like writing shorter pieces so I can focus on the scenes that really count, and hopefully the pacing doesn't lag. I like to write what interests me, haha. ;) Glad you don't mind too much!

      And aww, that was so kind of you to want to make sure things went off smoothly! Goodness, isn't is sad how easy it is to forget things, though? It's usually when you see one thing and you're like, "Oh yeah! I was going to do that!" Or something like that. Not sure if that makes sense, but anyway, you were following the forgetting/remembering theme of the tour, right? :P Hehe…

      Hugs back!

      ~Amber

    3. I didn't mind at all, Amber! I like books that keep things going and yours do. And of course, I can relate to writing about things that interest the writer. I think in some ways that is very important – if the writer doesn't care, it's probably unrealistic to expect readers too… Or that is my initial thought. :)

      Yes, I totally know what you mean about being reminded of things only after you *see* something. I do that ALL THE TIME. It's really not even funny I do it so often. ;)

      Well, yes! I was indeed following the theme of the tour. See? Really I was just taking cues from its lovely topics. ;)

      *HUGS*

  2. Well done, Rissi! It's always a pleasure to read your reviews. I can see a lot of what you mentioned, as I've read the book already. And I tell you, you're spot on. I will be publishing my review on the 7th, and so I'm glad to read other reviews. Not that it changes my mind about what I think! Lol!

    Again, lovely review!

    1. Hey, Miranda. Thank you for dropping by – you're always welcome and I so appreciate your perspective. Cannot wait for the 7th to read your review – betting it'll be spectacular. :)

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