$50 Amazon GC-WW-Scattered Links-Michelle Weidenbenner-Ends 5/4

What a heart rendering book this is. Oksana, a thirteen year old, is living on Russia with her drunken Mom and an Aunt who makes a living somewhat. There is very little food and the aunt gets Oksana to steal from vendors to keep them from totally starving. When she ends up stealing from a priest, instead of having her locked up, he take her under his wing. She helps with the "soup kitchen" at the church. When she is left at an orphanage by her aunt after having delivered her Mom's baby (by herself I might mention). The baby is also dropped at a baby orphanage a couple of feet away. Oksana has a deep dark secret about the birth which follows her to the United States when she was adopted by an American couple, which she had wanted to tell her mother but never got the chance. Well, actually the couple has adopted the baby but felt bad when they realized that Oksana really loved her little sister and adopted her as well.

Oksana, never having had a good relationship with her Mom, or at least the love that a mother normally provides has a lot of trouble coping with her new environment. She does not really know how to give or receive love-she was never shown how. Oksana really can not believe her Mom knew about her going to an orphanage and imagines that her Mom is looking for her and that some day they will be reunited. About the only thing that brings her around is an abused horse being rehabilitated at her now aunts ranch. It seems that Oksana is a natural with horses.

Then the unthinkable happens, Oksana's little sister is diagnosed with leukemia and only a bone marrow transplant will save her life-----what happens next will both make you sad and extremely joyful all at the same time. More goes on and yes, Oksana goes back to Russia with her new Aunt to discover that her memories may not be all that she remembers them to be.

Definite 5 stars for this book. I would love to have everyone read this book, it is truly a winner.

Thirteen-year-old Oksana lives on the streets of Russia with her pregnant mama and abusive aunt—both prostitutes. When Mama swells into labor, Oksana makes a decision to save herself from abandonment, a decision that torments her forever. But her plan fails when her aunt dumps her in an orphanage before she has the chance to say goodbye to her mama or tell her the secret that haunts her.

Scattered Links is a story of family and the consequences that come from never learning how to love. It’s a story of a girl’s inability to bond with her adopted family and the frustrations that follow.

How can a child understand the mechanics of forming a healthy relationship when she never had a mother who answered her cries, held her when she was frightened, fed her when she was hungry, or loved her unconditionally?

Only when the child meets a rescued abused horse, and recognizes the pain in his eyes, does she begin to trust again.

"CAPTIVATING!
SCATTERED LINKS takes you down the street of nearly any Eastern European town, arm-in-arm with the orphaned. Michelle has captured the beauty and horror millions of children live everyday. The attention to detail is impressive. Having lived in a post-Soviet country for a time, visiting orphaned children, this fictional account rings with truth, from the heart-wrenching pain of abandonment to the realization of self-worth, and the love family and faith brings. Thank you for such an uplifting book, appropriate for the young reader, as well as adult. May your heart be encouraged, as mine was." - Kim de Blecourt, speaker and award-winning author of "Until We All Come Home: A Harrowing Journey, a Mother's Courage, a Race to Freedom"

 “Scattered Links is a novel that pulls its characters from the gutters and, in the end, celebrates the tenacity of the human spirit.” A reviewer comment.

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About the Author

Michelle grew up in the suburbs of Detroit with five brothers.  She enjoys writing her novels and encouraging writers and readers alike. She is living her dream writing stories of real people searching for their dreams and confronting their fears, showing the passion of the characters' plights, often giving her the ability to show the reader the 'other' side of the story. When she is not writing she enjoys life on the tennis court and is known as “Queen of the Rim Shots.”

Her debut novel, CACHE a PREDATOR, a geocaching mystery. was launched in July, 2013 and has been an Amazon best-seller in the crime/thriller category.  Her other works include: Willow, Scattered Links, Kelly’s Story, Eclair Series, and The Vision in a Kiss.  She has won contests in both The Writer’s Journal and The Writer’s Digest. Love is Just a Word (Scattered Links) was a bronze medalist is the 2010 Frasier Contest, a 2011 semi-finalist in the ACFW Genesis Contest, and won the Aspiring Writer’s Contest withe THE READING ROOM, 2013.

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I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.

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