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Monday, August 6, 2012

Marian Baay reviews Central Park Rendezvous a Novella Collection - MaryLu Tyndall

Central Park Rendezvous

Central Park Rendezvous 
Four-in-one-collection
by Ronie KendigDineen MillerKim Vogel Sawyer and MaryLu Tyndall
Barbour Publishing, 2012


Review by Marian Baay of MaryLu Tyndall's novella


5 stars *****


Beauty from Ashes by MaryLu Tyndall
Civil War, 1865
Permelia and Annie Shaw are sisters who live on the Shaw Plantation. Their parents died during the Civil War and their brother is serving in the Army. Annie is engaged to Wiliam Wolfe, colonel in the Army. When he left he gave Annie the coin with the inscription 'Love Never Fails W W'. He's been gone for years and Annie gave up on William and found a new boyfriend. She stopped writing to William and tossed the coin out of the window. Her sister Permelia found the coin and started writing letters to William. William thought Annie was writing the letters and he discovered that she has more depth than he thought. He started to fall in love with this new Annie. 


When the war is over he rushes over to the Shaw Plantation and wonders what Annie will think of his injury--burn marks on the right side of his face. When Annie sees them she is shocked and she cannot make herself look at him. Permelia is shocked too, but she is not afraid to look at him or his scars. What he sees in her eyes is confusing him.


Annie is hiding in her room for two days and Permelia is trying to encourage Annie to come out and meet William. When she finally meets him she can't look him in the eyes or to his injured face. William finds out that she sounds so much different than she did in her letters. He also finds out that he is no longer attracted to her, but Permelia makes his heart race.

A Wolfe is man of his word and he promised to marry Annie, so he still intends to do so.


When Annie's other lover comes calling, she must make a decision, but she doesn't. Who will she finally choose? What will William do when he finds out who wrote the letters? Who will meet William on New Year's day on the Bow Bridge?


This was a tremendous read! I loved to see all the novellas get connected to each other. Ronie Kendig's Dream a Little Dream is split up in four parts and is told between the other three novellas. Jamie and Sean's story each time develops further after they have learned more about the Wolfe family (after another novella). Will they also find love?


All novellas center around the Bow Bridge in Central Park - William Wolfe's coin with inscription 'Love Never Fails' - in each story someone is struggling to trust God and in each story a man goes or went to war.


*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy.*


Guest Bio: Marian is international reviewer for Overcoming Through Time - With God's Help where she will be reviewing the other three novellas in two weeks.  She lives in the Netherlands and is a lector for Kok Publishing.


GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week’s contest.  Drawing will be late Saturday.  Paperback copy of this book*. Void where prohibited by law. *No International winners for this drawing.

56 comments:

  1. Oh! I want this book!!! MARIAN, you have immediately hooked me with this review :)

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  2. Sounds great! Of course, that's what we've come to expect from MaryLu!! :) I am looking forward to reading this one. I can't wait to check out the two other authors I have never read in this book (Ronie Kendig & Dineen Miller).

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    1. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by all the novellas, LADETTE! They all did a great job on writing this book!

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  3. Thank you, Marian!!! I'm thrilled you enjoyed it! We had so much fun putting these stories together, deciding who would do what and how we could weave in the military theme along with the 1 Corinthians 13 Love theme, and the heirloom coin, through all the stories. Ronie was mainly responsible for putting it all together! I think it turned out well! Thank you for the great review!!

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    1. I think you all did a great job on the book and the stories are beautifully woven together. It turned out great.

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  4. I have loved every book by MaryLu Tyndall so far! I just finished Surrender the Night and can't wait to read more by her!

    heidi.sorensen95@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. HEIDI, thanks for stopping by! I have Surrender the Night on my Kindle, but haven't had the time to read it yet. I hope to find some time soon!
      Good luck in the drawing.

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  5. Oh, I cannot wait to read this one! I absolutely love MaryLu Tyndall.
    cross.karen.r@gmail.com

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    1. KAREN, we'll enter you and I wish you a lot of luck in the drawing!

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  6. Yeah another book give away. Oh.hello.hiya@Gmail.com
    Love you MaryLu =)
    Danie

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    1. DANIE, thanks for stopping by. You're entered!

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  7. I have read just about everything that Kim has written. I love her novels. I'm a new MaryLu fan. This has GOT to be a good one is these two are part of the group of writers.
    Amy Campbell
    campbellamyd at gmail dot com

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    1. AMY, if you already know and love two authors, then you can't go wrong with this book!

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  8. I read this novella and I absolutely loved it! These authors did a great job with the story lines.
    Good luck to all the entrants and I am sure whoever wins will really enjoy this tale!

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  9. DEBBIE, so glad to hear that you enjoyed the book, too!

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  10. MARIAN, thanks so much for allowing us to use your review here on CQ! We love having you as our guest, too! I am thinking you are probably off to bed by now!

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    Replies
    1. CARRIE, thanks for having me! Yes, I was in bed and I guess now you are asleep. :)

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  11. Marian, this is one of "your best ever" reviews! I'm sorry I'm so late getting over here. I didn't know you had a review up. :( Sounds like a wonderful story, but that's to be expected from ML Tyndall!

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    Replies
    1. Well, thank you, miss Flowers! That's very nice of you to say. :)

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  12. Would love to win this. Sounds like a great book.
    Battles2001@hotmail.com

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    1. MELISSA, we will enter you in the drawing. Thanks for stopping by!

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  13. Oh...I can't WAIT for this to come out! I so love stories that have letter writing in them! There's a certain romance in it. Oh, that we still wrote letters like that in these days.

    Thank you so much for this giveaway!

    joleeng(at)trclife.com

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    1. LIFEDANCE, yes it is very romantic to write letters. Although my hubby and me never did before we got married. I think I hadn't find out how romantic it could be. ;)

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  14. I enjoy reading historical fictions that involves with the war and romance, especially the Civil War where the soldiers and wives st the antebellum homes on the big cotton plantations write to each other and it takes several days to receive. Lover Never Fails is a part of the relationship to make them stronger. I would love to win this book.
    JKTerrazas09@aol.com

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    1. One of the things I so loved of this book is that each story is about another war. From the Civil War till the Afghanistan war today.
      We'll enter you in the drawing!

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  15. Historical Fiction, my very favorite! Thank you for the research to place your characters within events/happenings. Kathleen
    lanehillhouse[at]centurylink[dot]net

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    1. KATHLEEN, thanks for coming by! Good luck in the drawing.

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  16. I can't wait to read it!! DEF add me to the drawing!

    paleface(dot)lu(at)gmail(dot)com
    http://insunshineandshadowsmew.blogspot.com/

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  17. Sounds like a wonderful book. I will have to add it to my TBR list. Historical fiction is my fav genre. Pleasssse add me to the giveaway!

    mamaw1050[at]att[dot]net

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    1. PATRICIA, okay we will enter you, because you ask so nicely. :)

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  18. Oh yeah! I'd love to be in the drawing for this one. :)
    twinwillowsfarm at gmail dot com

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  19. This sounds like a good book. Thank you so much for the review and giveaway. I love Conlonial Quills and the books and history I learn about here!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, 4READIN. Nice to hear how much you like visiting here!

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  20. Ooh, sounds good! Can't wait to get my hands on this one!

    ecriggs1990(at)aol(dot)com

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    1. Then you will be entered in the drawing and I wish you a lot of luck, LIZ!

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  21. I can't wait to read this Book, it sounds so good, please add me to your Giveaway.

    ingrids62448(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. INGRID, thanks for stopping by. You're entered in the giveaway!

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  22. I couldn't wait to see if I won this Book, so I went to buy it, can't wait to read it. Please take me off the Giveaway.

    ingrids62448(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  23. You know you did a great job on a review when someone can't wait for the winner to be drawn and immediately buys the book, MARIAN! Awesome!

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  24. I can't wait to read this book. Just by looking at the cover alone makes me want to read it.
    Thanks for adding me to the contest.
    Janet Estridge.

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    1. JANET, I can tell you the story inside is even better than the cover!

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  25. Wed Aug 8th .... Having read all of MaryLu Tyndall's books thus far ... I would love to win a copy of "Central Park Rendezvous", Novella. All four authors are sure to be a major hit, and the stories all sound great. Thanks for the opportunity. I'd be thrilled to add this book to my library.
    Take care, and, God Bless, In Him, Brenda Hurley
    brennie7@hotmail.com

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, BRENDA. I hope you'll enjoy reading this book when you get to it.

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  26. Wow, what a good review, and Wow I want to read this book NOW!!
    really sounds very entertaining :), melting allready.
    mirjam(at)fotoflits(dot)com

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    1. Well, thank you MIRJAM!! This is a good book and I hate to disappoint you, but... no international winners this time. :(

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  27. Nooooo, why not? ahh I never read the small print haha......oke will put it on my endless wishlist haha
    MaryLu all the applause is for you, great book!

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  28. Several of my favorite writers in one book! Woo Hoo!

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    1. That's exactly what I thought when I first spotted the book. :) Thanks for coming by, MELODY!

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  29. This book sounds great!

    Please enter me in the contest.

    Thanks--Becky
    ischu9@aol.com

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  30. CONGRATS to PEGG THOMAS, winner this week for our drawing! You will receive a paperback copy of this book! Blessings!

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  31. Congrats Pegg!! I'm sure you'll enjoy this book!

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