The Renovation: Carter Mansion

Project Restoration #1

by Terri Kraus

Ethan Willis has made a career out of restoring old houses like the Carter Mansion so he’s an expert with doors and windows. He knows his way around a toolbox, a construction site, and anything else having to do with rebuilding. If only he could do the same with his own life. Tragically widowed and left with a young son, he’s done the best he could, but now that Chase has become a teenager that best somehow isn’t quite good enough.

For his part, Chase doesn’t know what he’d do without baseball, his best friend Elliott and the secret hideaway even his dad doesn’t know about. What he does know is that the reporter lady who suddenly started chatting with his dad can’t be a good thing.

In a small town where everyone knows everything, does an outsider—a young, cute, ambitious reporter-kind-of-outsider like Cameron Dane—even have a prayer of getting to know the handsome but moody builder? Does it matter that they both hold secrets from their pasts? And can Chase ever be freed from the hidden guilt of his mother’s death? Only time, and a special kind of patience, will tell.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Romance, Christian, Contemporary Romance

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2008

Reviews

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started out strong, but then about middle way through it got slow and a little drawn out. I started out liking Ethan and his ideas on restoring old homes. But when he constantly started making decisions and buying material that was NOT what the homeowner wanted - I got frustrated. I completely understood CeCe and her concerns over whether to keep him or find someone else.

I also felt his communication with Chase lacked greatly. I didn't like how much time Chase spent with the neighbors and alone. The relationship he had with Cameron felt weird as well. I appreciated the connection that Cameron felt toward Ethan and eventually how it worked out.

I really enjoyed the quotes the author shared before every chapter. I thought it was a nice touch. I have the next two books in the series, but I'm not sure I'm invested enough to continue reading. I think I need to do a little bit of research and see what they are about. If it's Ethan and Cameron, I most likely won't continue.

Rating: small area of gun violence
Language: clean read
Recommend: possibly

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The middle of this book seemed to bog down. In addition, the faith part seemed odd. She didn’t know if she was a Christian? The pastor’s prayer when she had her “ah ha” moment was strange. And Ethan’s insistence on hanging on to the past regardless of what his client wanted—that was ridiculous.

I don’t know if I will read the next one in the series. I would only recommend this to someone with reservations.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this was a good book. There was enough things going on to keep me interested. The romance between Ethan and Cameron was kind of odd. It went from meeting, going on a couple of dates, not talking for a long time ( It didn't even mention him thinking about her during this time. For Cameron though, she thought it might be love) to meeting up again by chance and getting married.

[Cindi P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Summer Read

Well written and easy to enjoy! I loved the characters, the descriptive setting, and tagged along on the twists and turns of the plot. The opening quotes on forgiveness starting each chapter are beautiful. I’ve now read all three books in the series. Tough to pick my favorite. But I am inspired again to finish remodeling our old home!

[Linda Rainey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Beautiful Christian Fiction

This was a beautiful story about forgiveness and God's love.
I enjoyed the storyline and amazing characters.
This book is recommended for those that love Christian fiction with a strong inspirational message.

[Ruth Schmeckpeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young reporter tries to break into the funk of Ethan and his son, Chase. I loved the renovation motif as Ethan works to restore the Carter Mansion in spite inner conflict with the owner’s ideas. Chapters are short and engaging. I stayed up late to finish this book!

[Heidi Matheson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. A good mix of moral lesson and romance. Looking forward to the next one in the series.

[Rhonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was hard for me to get into. It jumps around between story lines too much and it is a slow read. I stopped about half-way through.

[Catherine Decious]

Hoopla

[Kristy Hetzel]

3.5 stars. Very slow-moving book but liked the conclusion.

[Kimberly Westrope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book one in a series. This one took a bit for me to get into it, but I loved the characters. The story tackles a lot of spiritual issues...mixed faith relationships, suicide, alcoholism. This is the second one I've read in the series, and I really enjoy them.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an OK story - based on some of the other reviews, I was expecting more descriptions of the renovation, and was a bit disappointed there wasn't enough that I could actually picture the home in my mind (plenty of descriptions of the work involved, just not the finished product). While I knew what the final outcome would be (it is a romance, after all!) there were enough little twists to keep me engaged.

That being said, there were several elements that prevented the story from being a real standout. First off, the writing felt very heavy-handed. I know that's not the best description, but there were too many descriptions of people's facial expressions (yes, nonverbal communication is huge, and the author was trying to show emotions rather than just tell the reader how he or she was feeling, but it just felt overly dramatic). I know teenage boys eat a lot, but there was way too much time spent describing this. I also didn't really buy into the "connection" that Cameron had with Chase - she'd only seen him across a baseball field when she learned his "secret" and she suddenly had this intense emotional bond with him? I also felt like Ethan's commitment to anything from the past was a bit overdone - both with the house and his first wife. And furthermore, if he's a good contractor, why on earth would he continually choose to go against his client's wishes? (CeCe may have been a bit over the top, but there's no way I would have put up with Ethan).

And lastly, the faith element. It was fairly minor, but when Cameron has her big breakthrough at the church, it's described this way: "Then she felt a soft Light and an overwhelming Presence all about her, as if she were standing on a beach..." (location 4113). Ooooookay. The pastor then starts praying for her, and one line jumped out at me: "Accept her as Your treasured child." (location 4118). What?!?! God "accepting" us is never the issue - we need only to accept HIM!

While I wouldn't say I regret reading the book, I would not recommend it to others.

[Jill · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book--the premise seemed interesting and I was interested to see how the renovation aspect was integrated into the plot. However, I found the book to be rather dull and contrite. While it was interesting enough to hold my attention through the first few chapters, after the first 30 pages or so I started to loose interest and by the end I was struggling to find the motivation to read the final chapters. They way religion was written into this book seemed heavy-handed and lacking. I didn't feel like the portions about her visits to church contributed to the plot in the way they could have and ended up hindering character development. Rather than showing how Cameron dealt with her past in the light of her new-found faith all we see is this notion that she now believes God has forgiven her and now all of this (nearly) lifelong grief/guilt/etc is magically washed away in an instant. And then we see the same the exact same thing happen with Chase? I didn't feel like any of the characters grew as a result of their experiences or interactions with one another. Aside from that, the ending seemed very abrupt--we went from the characters barely knowing one another to them not speaking for at least six months to a sudden reconciliation and marriage? The most positive aspect of the book was that it was an easy read and the characters (for the most part) were at least semi-likable.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than a little pleasantly surprised.

Inside are real characters with real personalities. Not some Barbie doll romantics where boyfriend and girlfriend are so perfect it makes you want to gag. No these are real people who act real. A man who berates his child in front of the woman he's dating. The boy who walks away from the scolding parent. In addition to home restoration, this book's central theme is forgiveness.

This isn't a romance. It's a love story. God's love for us and how we extend that love to others through forgiveness just as He has forgiven us.

Oh some things about Ethan I couldn't stand. He wants his way on a job site even though it's not his property and he is the contractor. He thinks things should remain the same. And that's his prerogative but not his home. His living in the past extends to other things as well.

[Andrea Stoeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminiscent of L N Cronk's Chop Chop story arc, this book is the beginning of the story of Ethan and Chase Willis struggle with the loss of Ethan's mother Lynne from an unfortunate series of events. Cameron Dane is also strugglling with her past, and has reinvented herself as she tries to move forward. Their lives interesct and a wonderfully sweet story unfolds.

I loved this book and will look for the rest of the series. This book will make your heart smil

[Christie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok. While there were definitely parts that grabbed at my emotions, overall it was very slow moving and didn't hold my attention. (I had no problem putting it down to go to sleep or do something else.) The story has a nice point to it, but it probably could have been communicated much more quickly.

[Jkmays · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. It takes place in my home town, but I could not get into it at all. The only reason I had to continue reading was to see how true she was to Franklin, but after awhile that did not even cause me to go on. I stopped reading about 33% of the way through.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

free on Kindle

[Christy Carmean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Real characters with real problems. Some hard to follow moments, but a good read. More depth than a typical Christian fiction.

[Terri Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love Terri Kraus' style of writing. It makes me feel like I've just read a book of poetry.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed this writer...

[Kathbick · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit too long for what it was.

[Haije Bergstra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable plot, the story touching.

[Nancy Blades]

too "spiritual"

[Cheryl Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a book about forgiveness and how much better your life and future can be when you forgive and are forgiven.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book that combines a love story with learning about God and how God can help our lives. Enjoyed the story.

[Valerie Teeling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unique story---I thought it dragged out the plot somewhat.