The Return of Cassandra Todd - Review

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingThe Return of Cassandra ToddRealms (February 5, 2013)
byDarrel Nelson



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am a schoolteacher by profession and have taught school for (thir—ahem!) years. I grew up in Raymond, Alberta, and attended the University of Lethbridge after graduating from high school and serving a two-year mission to Japan. During university, I met and married Marsha Smith, and we are the parents of four children, which has grown to include their spouses and our ten grandchildren.



I have always loved to write. I started writing stories before I was old enough to realize I was writing stories. It seemed a natural thing to pick up a pencil and paper and create a world simply by using words—worlds of adventure in steaming jungles (Tarzan was an early influence on me) or realms of adventure in outer space (Buck Rogers). But as I have grown older, I have discovered that the real inspiration for me is exploring the theme of love and how it can make such a difference in the world.



I’ve had an article published in Lethbridge Magazine and have written several dramatic plays, two of which won provincial recognition and were showcased at a drama festival. I won the CJOC radio songwriting contest two years running, and have had one of my songs receive international airplay. I have written four novels intended for the juvenile market. They are unpublished as yet, but I read them annually to my fourth grade students and my students tell me they love them, the darlings.



ABOUT THE BOOK

When the girl he hated in high school suddenly reenters his life, little son in tow, and asks for his help, Turner must put the past behind him if they are to survive.



Turner Caldwell works at a local motel as a handyman while attending college full-time. On his way to class one day, he passes the bus depot just as Cassandra Todd and her young son arrive. He is shocked to see her, remembering how cruel she was to him in high school. She was the popular head cheerleader and he the target of her mean-spirited pranks.
Turner could never have imagined that the outdoor training and survival skills he learned at Camp Kopawanee, a summer youth camp where he worked three years as a leader, would one day become so crucial. But when Cassandra and her son check into the motel where he works and she asks for his help in eluding her abusive husband, Turner finds himself entangled in a situation that will require every skill he has in order to survive.






If you'd like to read the first chapter of The Return of Cassandra Todd, go HERE.




MY THOUGHTS:

Once I requested this book, I could NOT wait to receive it! It just sounded like one of those books that I KNEW I was going to love! I was right! Once I turned the first page, I was lost in the story of Cassandra Todd.

I have to say I am so happy the author Darrel Nelson has retired and is writing now! HE IS GOOD YA'LL!! He tackles some very important issues in this book - bullying, domestic abuse, and coming face to face with your past behavior and judgments and learn they were soooo wrong!

This is not just Cassandra's story but also Turner's as well. Turner was bullied in school by Cassandra and all of her other popular friends, but he thought he had worked through it all and had moved past it, until one day when he saw Cassandra and all the emotions came right back! Seeing Cassandra in town brought back all of those horrible days when he was tormented emotionally, and all he could do was wonder why in the world Cassandra was here!

The Suspense in this book is CRAZY!! You really can't turn the pages quick enough and finding a place that you can put the book down, can, at times, just be impossible! Cassandra and Turner will each face their demons and fight them with all they have. Cassandra faces her younger self and the choices and judgments she made that have affected Turner and as she learns, they were completely wrong! She also faces her abusive husband and stands on her Faith and God to show her what to do! As Turner and Cassandra work together to help Cassandra and her Son escape the abuse and get to a place of safety they learn so much about one another that they never had known all those years ago. But Cassandra's husband is on the hunt and has help. Will they catch them and if they do can Cassandra and Turner survive long enough to ever be totally free?

The Return of Cassandra Todd is an excellent book!! I LOVED it and would recommend it to any and all!

Happy Reading!