I read speculative fiction of all sorts, have a fondness for metaphysical tales and particularly like stories with a strong female protagonist. How could I pass on reviewing this novel?

Review summary: Sedona Hutton has written a well-constructed contemporary romance novel with interesting characters, complex subplots and a splash of metaphysical theory. This is a book that many will enjoy. Details are below.

About this book: Katie Callahan longs to start a family of her own. Infertile and unable to convince her relatives to accept the man she married, she regrets giving away the daughter from her secret teenage pregnancy. When a twist of fate brings a second chance at motherhood, she’s caught between joy and the fear of her husband’s rejection of another man’s child… until a devastating motorcycle accident rips the decision out of her hands.

With her body trapped in a coma, Katie finds herself in the dreamlike space between Earth and the afterlife. Guided by spiritual forces and the soul of her beloved dog, she learns the life-changing power of intention and self-transformation. From her ethereal vantage-point, she watches as her loved ones work together to connect the pieces of their broken hearts. As she finally realizes her true destiny, Katie’s only chance to fulfill her purpose means completing an impossible journey back to life…

Cloud Whispers is a mind-expanding women’s fiction novel with a strong spiritual message. If you like headstrong heroines, heartwarming stories of family and forgiveness, and new age concepts, then you’ll love Sedona Hutton’s empowering tale.

About the author: Author Sedona Hutton finds inspiration in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, where she lives with her husband and curly-coated retriever. In addition to writing, she’s a Reiki Master and a certified Chopra Center Meditation instructor. She enjoys reading, yoga, gardening, playing with her dog, and riding motorcycles. Her “Peace, Love, & Joy” blog can be found on her website. Visit her website, find her on Facebook at SedonaHuttonAuthor, and on Twitter @SedonaHutton.

Buy the book at Amazon. 

Giveaway: Sedona Hutton will be awarding a $40 Amazon or Barnes & Nobel gift certificate to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Learn more, and register to win.

Review summary: Sedona Hutton has written a well-constructed contemporary romance novel with interesting characters, complex subplots and a splash of metaphysical theory. This is a book that many will enjoy. Details are below.

My full review: If you don’t like coffee, and I prepare you a well-made cup and then flavor it with French vanilla (which you love) you probably won’t like the beverage, no matter how well made it is or how much French vanilla I add. Right?

That’s the problem I have with this book. I happen to not enjoy romance novels, with all due respect to those who do. There’s nothing inherently better about the science fiction and crime novels I relish; it’s just personal taste. I try to avoid reviewing genres I don’t appreciate, but it happens.

And, at its heart, this book is written in the romance genre. From the large amount of time characters spend lusting to the focus on appearance and clothes (always beautiful, always hot) the book speaks the language expected by romance readers. I can’t fault the author for doing that, and doing it well, but it’s not what the blurb led me to expect.

What I liked best:

1. The book is well crafted. The pacing is nice, the changing points of view are well-handled, the mix of dialog, action and description is effective.
2. The characters are the best part. They have quirks and interesting back stories and occasionally behave in unpredictable ways. I also liked her multi-generational approach. Teens act and talk like teens, older adults are believable and not relegated to bit parts. The emphasis on families is warming.
3. I genuinely enjoyed the story line about the daughter given up for adoption and her reuniting with her birth mother.
4. There is this one scene where Katie-in-a-coma gets to see the energy that connects all of humanity. I loved it.

What I liked least:

1. The book is chiefly driven by a smoldering love affair between the protagonist’s sister and her husband’s brother. I know it’s hard to write a blurb, and I can understand why the author wanted to focus hers on what was unique about this book, but it is misleading. As much as anything, this is the story of how Liz and Shane finally have sex.
2. I was disappointed in the metaphysical aspect, and it is the main reason I chose to read and review this novel. Maybe a third of the word count during the first half of the book (so like 15% of the story) is about Katie’s time in the clouds where she is being told about the Law of Attraction. Katie is supposed to be an intelligent woman, but her reaction to this philosophical education is in the vein of “I can have anything I want if I believe hard enough? Cool. Good to know.” I am certain that if I found myself on a cloud with two “beautiful” spirit guides and my dead dog and they assured me I could fix everything in my life, I would have a lot more to discuss with them.

While I don’t recommend this book to a nerd like me, who loves sinking my teeth into a hearty analysis of metaphysical theory, I do recommend this book to anyone who likes contemporary romance and wouldn’t mind a dab of basic new age philosophy with it.

This review is part of a book review tour sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions. Visit Goddess Fish on Facebook  and on Twitter.

Read more reviews of Cloud Whispers at:
Long and Short Reviews
Uplifting Reads
Locks, Hooks and Books
Fabulous and Brunette

My favorite excerpt: Absently, Katie rubbed her wedding band. Now that she knew Savannah was her daughter she had to tell Liam the truth.

She’d wanted to tell him before, and she had almost told him many times. But family was of the utmost importance to Liam, and more than once he had made comments like, “How can a father not want to see his daughter?” and “How could any parent give up their own child?” What would he think of her once she told him she’d given up her baby girl at birth without ever holding her, hugging her, nursing her?

A personal note: I am a writer myself and therefore come to all reviews with biases born not only of my personal preferences but also of my own writing style. In this case, the author of Cloud Whispers and I just didn’t mesh in our interests and our approach in the way I had hoped. I can’t keep that from coloring my review, but I acknowledge my part in that chemistry, and wish her and her writing great success.

I also received a free pdf copy of this book from Goddess Fish, the value of which would never be enough to entice me to write a better review for anyone.

If you are interested in a review from me: I read speculative fiction of all sorts and I will consider novels of almost all types that relate to the general theme of world peace. I am not interested in reviewing non-fiction, romance novels, stories which promote any particular religion, children’s books, or horror of any type. Please do not ask me to review books about vampires or zombies. If you would like to be considered for a review please send all the usual information to Lola (dot) Zeitman (at) gmail (dot) com.