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Lifelines: Kate's Story
In this women's fiction novel, a recently widowed therapist begins to put her life back together, but tumbles into an ethical nightmare that embroils her in an inflamatory situation that threatens her career, her life, and that of the man she's falling in love with. Kate Taylor hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since her husband David died. It doesn’t help that David’s dog, Socrates, watches her constantly as if he expects her to bring his master back; that her personal life is a series of telephone conversations with her evasive adult daughter and her demanding mother; that working as a family counselor she regularly faces a client named Rachel, a narcissistic woman who evokes Kate’s most painful memories. Kate is tired of coping, tired of listening, tired of life. Then one night on an icy road, she goes into a treacherous skid. A razor’s edge from death, she realizes she wants to live. She makes plans. She sets goals. She takes a lover. She copes with her daughter’s newest crisis and her mother’s financial foolishness. Then Kate discovers something about Rachel that throws her into an ethical nightmare. Her career could be destroyed … so could her life.
390 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 20, 2013
59 people are currently reading
562 people want to read
About the author
Vanessa Grant
88 books44 followers"I love writing fiction - it's the perfect occupation for someone who can't decide what they want to be when they grow up. With each new story, I get to explore a new world."
Vanessa Grant's love affair with writing fiction began during a protracted illness at the age of 12 when she decided to write a novel of her own, sitting up in bed using the typewriter she'd been given for her birthday. Not a computer, not an electric typewriter, but a then-state-of-the-art manual typewriter. The story ground to a halt on page 50 but Vanessa never forgot the excitement of bringing her own characters to life.
In 1985 Vanessa's novel Pacific Disturbance was published in hardcover by Mills and Boon. She now has over 10 million books sold and has been translated into 15 languages. She also has written what one critic described as, "by far the best writing book I've ever read." Writing Romance, published by Self Counsel Press, won the Under the Covers Best Writing Book Award, and is currently in its third edition.
Over the years her love of storytelling and curiosity about people led Vanessa to study psychology, volunteer on a crisis line, complete individual and relationship counselor training, volunteer as a peer counselor for a family life organization, and tell stories about life, love, and secrets. Vanessa is also a university professor, a publisher of educational materials and eBooks, and has given workshops to writers' groups in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.
Vanessa and her husband live on Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest with their two Australian Shepherd dogs.
Vanessa Grant's love affair with writing fiction began during a protracted illness at the age of 12 when she decided to write a novel of her own, sitting up in bed using the typewriter she'd been given for her birthday. Not a computer, not an electric typewriter, but a then-state-of-the-art manual typewriter. The story ground to a halt on page 50 but Vanessa never forgot the excitement of bringing her own characters to life.
In 1985 Vanessa's novel Pacific Disturbance was published in hardcover by Mills and Boon. She now has over 10 million books sold and has been translated into 15 languages. She also has written what one critic described as, "by far the best writing book I've ever read." Writing Romance, published by Self Counsel Press, won the Under the Covers Best Writing Book Award, and is currently in its third edition.
Over the years her love of storytelling and curiosity about people led Vanessa to study psychology, volunteer on a crisis line, complete individual and relationship counselor training, volunteer as a peer counselor for a family life organization, and tell stories about life, love, and secrets. Vanessa is also a university professor, a publisher of educational materials and eBooks, and has given workshops to writers' groups in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.
Vanessa and her husband live on Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest with their two Australian Shepherd dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
March 20, 2014
I've read several of Vanessa Grant's books but have to admit that this one is my favorite one of all.
It is a wonderfully told story, well written with a very likable main character, Kate who has recently lost her husband. He was the love of her life and she is having a hard time coping without him. Their daughter to me was a bit selfish in so many ways. She seemed so cruel to her mother until she needs her. Then there is Kate's mother. She is a very self centered woman that always blamed her daughter with everything that went wrong in her life. Kate has a hard time confronting her mother about everything even when she is only trying to help her.
Mac is a good looking contractor that Kate befriends who is building a house in the neighborhood where Kate lives who has problems of his own with a childish, selfish wife who he has recently left and who is also Kate's client. Kate is a therapist by the way and has no idea that Rachael is Mac's estranged wife which could cause Kate more trouble than she is worth.
I loved this book from start to finish and it is yet another that I was up way to late reading. It kept me on the edge of my seat in so many ways and wondering what was going to happen next. I could feel Kate's pain in so many ways and her happiness too in other ways. She is a strong woman who is having a hard time dealing with her loss, her daughter's problems and a possible future love.
I don't like to give anything away about the books that I review so I just have to say that this was a wonderful book. Told beautifully and so easy to get lost in. It was given to me by the author for an honest review and I'm being totally honest when I say I LOVED IT and feel it is a strong 5 star read.
It is a wonderfully told story, well written with a very likable main character, Kate who has recently lost her husband. He was the love of her life and she is having a hard time coping without him. Their daughter to me was a bit selfish in so many ways. She seemed so cruel to her mother until she needs her. Then there is Kate's mother. She is a very self centered woman that always blamed her daughter with everything that went wrong in her life. Kate has a hard time confronting her mother about everything even when she is only trying to help her.
Mac is a good looking contractor that Kate befriends who is building a house in the neighborhood where Kate lives who has problems of his own with a childish, selfish wife who he has recently left and who is also Kate's client. Kate is a therapist by the way and has no idea that Rachael is Mac's estranged wife which could cause Kate more trouble than she is worth.
I loved this book from start to finish and it is yet another that I was up way to late reading. It kept me on the edge of my seat in so many ways and wondering what was going to happen next. I could feel Kate's pain in so many ways and her happiness too in other ways. She is a strong woman who is having a hard time dealing with her loss, her daughter's problems and a possible future love.
I don't like to give anything away about the books that I review so I just have to say that this was a wonderful book. Told beautifully and so easy to get lost in. It was given to me by the author for an honest review and I'm being totally honest when I say I LOVED IT and feel it is a strong 5 star read.
October 29, 2014
Have you ever gotten a free ebook and felt like you were ripped off? If this is something you'd like to experience this emotion you might enjoy LIFELINES: KATE'S STORY.
First the positives:
-Kate, the main character, isn't completely unlikable. She has some positive qualities.
-The book was free
-Interesting
A few negatives:
-Kate was a horrible therapist. The writer, Vanessa Grant, may have done a little research or might have had personal experience, but she missed the mark in making the sentences.
-Kate constantly talked to herself and told herself what to do.
-I couldn't relate to Kate.
-Predictable
-Overuse of passive-voice
-Too much telling, not enough showing.
After I few chapters I skimmed some pages, hoping the book would improve. Then I skipped a few chapters, hoping for improvement. I was going to skip to the end, but I just didn't care enough. I rarely don't finish books.
Advice: don't spend a penny on LIFELINES, borrow or get it for free, or just choose a different book.
First the positives:
-Kate, the main character, isn't completely unlikable. She has some positive qualities.
-The book was free
-Interesting
A few negatives:
-Kate was a horrible therapist. The writer, Vanessa Grant, may have done a little research or might have had personal experience, but she missed the mark in making the sentences.
-Kate constantly talked to herself and told herself what to do.
-I couldn't relate to Kate.
-Predictable
-Overuse of passive-voice
-Too much telling, not enough showing.
After I few chapters I skimmed some pages, hoping the book would improve. Then I skipped a few chapters, hoping for improvement. I was going to skip to the end, but I just didn't care enough. I rarely don't finish books.
Advice: don't spend a penny on LIFELINES, borrow or get it for free, or just choose a different book.
October 16, 2014
I loved a previous Vanessa Grant book and when this was free with really high ratings I couldn't wait to read it .... worst book I think I've ever picked up, abandoned at about 30%, I just can't read any more!!
March 15, 2018
Loved following all Kate's lifelines!
Loved Kate's story! It was like reading about a friend and wanting to help her. Great story, great author! Will be ready for more of Vanessa Grant's books!
Loved Kate's story! It was like reading about a friend and wanting to help her. Great story, great author! Will be ready for more of Vanessa Grant's books!
February 8, 2020
You will not be able to put this book down.
A gripping story of love, loss, and friendship. This book is so well written. There is suspense, mental illness, healing, love discovered and closure. I highly recommend this book. Read it. You won't e disappointed.
A gripping story of love, loss, and friendship. This book is so well written. There is suspense, mental illness, healing, love discovered and closure. I highly recommend this book. Read it. You won't e disappointed.
April 15, 2020
Thumbs Down
The ridiculously exaggerated inner dialogues of the protagonist’s mother, daughter, and the wife of her lover are so similar in tone it felt as though the author wrote from a template. Painfully amateurish characterization at best, made worse by a predictable plot.
The ridiculously exaggerated inner dialogues of the protagonist’s mother, daughter, and the wife of her lover are so similar in tone it felt as though the author wrote from a template. Painfully amateurish characterization at best, made worse by a predictable plot.
October 24, 2016
Good read
Good storyline. Complicated coincidences. Death can surely wreak havoc on ones life. Great story about the struggles involved in moving on after loosing a loved one.
Good storyline. Complicated coincidences. Death can surely wreak havoc on ones life. Great story about the struggles involved in moving on after loosing a loved one.
November 13, 2014
Kate is a counselor whose husband of 25 years has died. Her daughter is away at college and isn't on speaking terms with her, except when she needs money. Her mother lives three hours away, and they don't get along either, but her mother is showing alarming signs of memory lapses and questionable use of her money. There's also an old dog named Socrates who seems to live up to his name: He knows who the good people are.
A new client comes in and wants Kate to counsel her and her husband. Mostly she wants Kate to tell her husband that he's all wrong about an issue that's come up for them. On ethical grounds, Kate refuses to be a couples counselor when she's counseling one of the couple.
This is a fascinating story of love, loss, and ethical issues galore. The characters are well-drawn and the issues and complications from the complex relationships kept me glued to the story. The ending felt just right.
I'm looking for more stories from this author.
A new client comes in and wants Kate to counsel her and her husband. Mostly she wants Kate to tell her husband that he's all wrong about an issue that's come up for them. On ethical grounds, Kate refuses to be a couples counselor when she's counseling one of the couple.
This is a fascinating story of love, loss, and ethical issues galore. The characters are well-drawn and the issues and complications from the complex relationships kept me glued to the story. The ending felt just right.
I'm looking for more stories from this author.
March 30, 2014
Compelling women's fiction.
The writing in Lifelines: Kate’s Story is excellent, the characters complicated and very human, which makes them especially interesting. Kate Taylor is trying to recover from loss of her husband but feels judged on every side—even by Socrates her dead husband’s dog. As she struggles to give her life new order and energy, she finds herself colliding with her daughter, her mother, and a self-centered patient. She is lost, directionless; it’s easy to relate to her deep sense of defeat and uncertainty as she feels her way through each troubled relationship. She begins to find solace in a new friend who is easy to talk to, but fears their relationship cannot grow among violated ethics, violence, and threats against their lives. She might be strong enough to survive, but is she strong enough to allow herself a chance at being happy? A compelling read.
The writing in Lifelines: Kate’s Story is excellent, the characters complicated and very human, which makes them especially interesting. Kate Taylor is trying to recover from loss of her husband but feels judged on every side—even by Socrates her dead husband’s dog. As she struggles to give her life new order and energy, she finds herself colliding with her daughter, her mother, and a self-centered patient. She is lost, directionless; it’s easy to relate to her deep sense of defeat and uncertainty as she feels her way through each troubled relationship. She begins to find solace in a new friend who is easy to talk to, but fears their relationship cannot grow among violated ethics, violence, and threats against their lives. She might be strong enough to survive, but is she strong enough to allow herself a chance at being happy? A compelling read.
Read
January 28, 2016Kate's husband died six months ago. She is a therapist and trying to work through her grief and deal with her daughter who is away at college.
Her new client is a woman who is a control freak who aborted the baby her husband desperately wanted. As the marriage falls apart, the woman tries harder and harder to keep her husband and expects Kate to tell her how.
Meanwhile Kate meets a construction worker building a house down the solitary street she lives on an falls for him and they start a relationship. Come to find out, the man is her client's husband.
Her client finds out and goes into a rage. She ends up wrecking her car and getting killed. The husband moves away but decides to move back to give the relationship a chance.
Her new client is a woman who is a control freak who aborted the baby her husband desperately wanted. As the marriage falls apart, the woman tries harder and harder to keep her husband and expects Kate to tell her how.
Meanwhile Kate meets a construction worker building a house down the solitary street she lives on an falls for him and they start a relationship. Come to find out, the man is her client's husband.
Her client finds out and goes into a rage. She ends up wrecking her car and getting killed. The husband moves away but decides to move back to give the relationship a chance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2014
Counselor heal thyself.
coming to terms with the death of someone you love when you are a counselor should be easy,after all,you know the right words to describe the feelings you are having,but somehow it just doesn't seem to be working. When Kate makes a friend who can aid in her salvation she is tormented to find a conflict of interest could destroy the progress she has made.When it leads to attempted murder she has to make a decision that could crush her hopes for happiness.
coming to terms with the death of someone you love when you are a counselor should be easy,after all,you know the right words to describe the feelings you are having,but somehow it just doesn't seem to be working. When Kate makes a friend who can aid in her salvation she is tormented to find a conflict of interest could destroy the progress she has made.When it leads to attempted murder she has to make a decision that could crush her hopes for happiness.
October 26, 2014
This book didn't grab me until I was a bit into it, but in spite of having a generic plot, it was a good suspenseful read and the characters were well developed. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a tight suspenseful plot or women's literary fiction. I' like to give it another 1/2 star.
March 28, 2015
Just finished an engrossing book that was totally different from what I normally read. It was a free Kindle book - one of the first ones that I really loved. Intriguing, real and flawed characters, interesting inner thoughts of a psychiatrist treating her patient while she has problems of her own. Very unique story, and kept me thinking all the way through.
October 9, 2015
This novel had real promise, but the weird dialogue was simply too much to award more than 2 stars. How many 18 year old girls call their married lover "darling". Even the main character at 50, sounded like she was 75 or 80. The female characters were all mentally deranged to a degree & the men were all strong & virile...a tired romance formula.
November 2, 2015
A GREAT READ!!
Loved this story with all its intricacies. It has such an authenticity about it, characters making lots of mistakes, just like real life. Perhaps Rachel was a little stereotypical, and then again maybe not. I have known people that were very Rachel like. Thanks and kudos to the author!
Loved this story with all its intricacies. It has such an authenticity about it, characters making lots of mistakes, just like real life. Perhaps Rachel was a little stereotypical, and then again maybe not. I have known people that were very Rachel like. Thanks and kudos to the author!
November 12, 2014
My motto: Life's too short to read mediocre books. I stuck with this more than 25% through and just couldn't waste any more time. It jumps clumsily from neurotic character to neurotic character and I didn't care about any of them.
October 9, 2014
Quick reading, emotional characters showing the complicated communications between mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and everyday living . For those of us with parents who left us at a young age it was good to see that I'm not the only one who wanted "answers" but will never get them.
October 28, 2014
Great reading
I really enjoyed the book. Never one to read a mushy romance, I was skeptical about it at first. But with the unfolding crime(s) it made out to be a good storyline. Loved how the dog was the protector.
I really enjoyed the book. Never one to read a mushy romance, I was skeptical about it at first. But with the unfolding crime(s) it made out to be a good storyline. Loved how the dog was the protector.
December 1, 2014
Slow at times but generally and enjoyable story with some excitement towards the end. I enjoyed the counselor aspect to Kate and seeing how all of her relationships evolved over time. Socrates was definitely a highlight in the book as well as how the other characters reacted and spoke to the dog.
November 28, 2014
Overall, I liked the story (I do prefer happy endings), but I felt too much of it was predictable. This is not normally the type of book I read, so my opinion is more from a thriller reader standpoint. I don't think the read was a waste of my time, and it did exceed my expectations.
January 15, 2016
Kept my interest with good leading character and some mystery to an engaging plot. As a dog lover, I especially enjoyed the main character's wise pet, Socrates. The bad guy (and bad gal) were shallow but kept the story moving.
October 10, 2014
A page Turner
couldn't put it down. I knew what was coming, but I had to go there anyway.
great read for a rainy day!
couldn't put it down. I knew what was coming, but I had to go there anyway.
great read for a rainy day!
October 12, 2014
Amazing read!!! Love how the story comes together! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
October 11, 2014
Kate's Story
The story was very interesting. Exciting to read, not knowing what was going to happen next,t. Loved it!!! I would read mms ore books by this author.
The story was very interesting. Exciting to read, not knowing what was going to happen next,t. Loved it!!! I would read mms ore books by this author.
October 15, 2014
Loved the way the characters developed. As well, like the fact that the author realized long explicit sex scenes were not needed as story enhancement.
October 30, 2014
Quiet novel, but full of emotion.
October 29, 2014
not my usual story...romance. it was ok
November 13, 2014
Enjoyable
I enjoyed the character development and storyline. Near the end it was difficult to put the book down. Worth the read.
I enjoyed the character development and storyline. Near the end it was difficult to put the book down. Worth the read.
November 16, 2014
I enjoyed this book. A romance novel of love gone wrong meets love gone right
November 21, 2014
Loved it!!!!
This book was one of those books you just did not want to put down. A little action and a love story, what could be better.
This book was one of those books you just did not want to put down. A little action and a love story, what could be better.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews