All My Belongings by Cynthia Ruchti, © 2014

Back cover:

A new identity can’t protect Becca from a past that refuses to go away.

Where do you turn when changing your name doesn’t give you the anonymity you want? When running hundreds of miles away isn’t far enough? When your search for a place to belong lands you right back where you began?

    One phone call destroys all hope Becca Morrow has for a life beyond the shame of her past. Further discredited by the death of her elderly, ailing patient—the mother of the influential businessman, Isaac Hughes—Becca’s new life is shattered and her longing for love slips away. Working to clear her name, Becca must learn to see the beauty in the ugliness of dying, to accept the precious tenderness in forgiveness, and—at last—discover that where she belongs isn’t as much about her family history as it is about her faith in the One to whom she’ll always belong.

Hope delayed makes the heart sick;
longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
   ––Proverbs 13:12

~*~ be-longing ~*~
I love looking at words within words!
The last sentence of the author's Acknowledgments ~ I am forever Yours, my Belonging Place, the Source of all my longing.

I am eager to begin this story. Cynthia (Ruchti = ROOK-tee, she pronounces for us) is a new author to me.

 ~*~

How do you live in the shadow of what someone else has done? Treated as if you have a contagious disease? Discomfort for others? Offered a fresh start, Jayne takes it. Her father has been convicted of murder and is imprisoned. Changing her name, "Becca" becomes a caregiver for her friend's sister, Aurelia, in a faraway state. With one-third of nurse's training, Becca's hopes of returning to school withers until she has the funds to continue. Her father's selective killings have put her life on hold for many years. As an eye-witness to the last victim, she reports him to the authorities. Life isn't easy when it is right. Decisions that are freeing when not held in bondage. Neglect and emotional poverty have brought her to care for those who cannot help themselves. In caring for Aurelia, she in turn receives the care she has needed herself ~ to be recognized, cared for, appreciated.

This story is not glossed over or full of glamour. It is restoration of a life in need of rescuing ~ from despair, guilt, blame, to embrace truth and worth.
 
Arriving to her destination, finally, after being interviewed over lunch by Aurelia's son, Isaac, Becca has a restful night. Walking to the grocers the next afternoon, eight long blocks that felt more like miles and miles carrying back plastic bags that cut into her circulation, shifting from hand to hand. What did it matter? The weight was the same. Forethought next time to have some conveyance.

After temporary caregivers have come and gone, Becca settles in to make it simpler and environmentally sound for Aurelia. Moving her to the sunroom where she could look out on upon the gardens and be enveloped in the scent of flowers she had loved, as well as having music cascade through the room to lighten her days, would spare her from being captive in an unmotivating room away from the activity of the home.

Can a life become new, without despair? Will Becca become real without having to hide her past that brushed up against her and did not begin with her?

Abingdon Press ~ author Cynthia Ruchti

Cynthia Ruchti is the author of the critically acclaimed Where the Morning Glory Blooms and They Almost Always Come Home. After 33-years as writer/producer of the daily 15-minute radio broadcast, The Heartbeat of the Home, Cynthia served a two-year term as president of American Christian Fiction Writers and currently serves as ACFW's Professional Relations Liaison. In addition to writing novels, devotionals, and magazine articles, she speaks for women's events and writers' conferences. Cynthia and her plot-tweaking husband live in Central Wisconsin, where she creates stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark. Find Cynthia on the web at CynthiaRuchti.com.

***Thank you to Lifuse Publicity Group for inviting me to be part of the blog tour for Cynthia Ruchti's novel ~ All My Belongings. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***

All My Belongings | Enter to win a $200 Visa Card from @CynthiaRuchti & RSVP for 6/11 LIVE Webcast Event

Cynthia Ruchti asks what it takes to overcome your past and become who you were meant to be in her latest novel, All My Belongings. Cynthia has woven a heart-wrenching tale of forgiveness, grace, and learning what it means to truly belong.

Cynthia is celebrating the release of her latest novel with a fun giveaway and a live webcast event!

 
One winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa cash card
• All My Belongings by Cynthia Ruchti

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 11th. Winner will be announced at the All My Belongings LIVE webcast event on June 11th. Connect with Cynthia for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Cynthia will also be taking questions from the audience and giving away books, fun prizes, and gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of All My Belongings and join Cynthia and friends on the evening of June 11th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by signing up for a reminder. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 11th!