The Color of Heaven

The Color of Heaven #1

by Julianne MacLean

"Sophie Duncan is a successful columnist whose world falls apart after her daughter's unexpected illness and her husband's shocking affair. When it seems nothing else could possibly go wrong, her car skids off an icy road and plunges into a frozen lake. There, in the cold, dark depths of the water, Sophie experiences something profound and extraordinary--something that unlocks the secrets from her past, and teaches her what it means to truly live"--Publisher description.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Ebooks, Chick Lit, Christian Fiction, Contemporary Romance

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the contemporary women’s fiction Color of Heaven Series. Readers have described her books as “breathtaking,” “soulful” and “uplifting.” MacLean is a four-time RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been published in over a dozen languages.

MacLean has a degree in English literature from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a degree in business administration from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. MacLean currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter.

For more information about Julianne and her writing life, please visit her website at www.juliannemaclean.com. Be sure to follow her on Bookbub to be notified whenever her ebooks are offered for FREE or 99 cents. (www.bookbub.com/authors/julianne-maclean) and chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JulianneMacLeanRoman...), Twitter (@JulianneMacLean), and Instagram (@JulianneMaclean).

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well! What just happened there then? I'll tell you what happened, ' The Color Of Heaven' grabbed hold of me, gave me a good shake, and taught me a lesson. The lesson? Don't dismiss a particular genre out of hand due to a previous poor literary experience. Normally, anything that includes the labels Romance/ Chic Lit are not for me. I know they're popular but it's just not my thing. However, this book offers so much more. The main character, Sophie, has an awful lot of sadness in her life, there's childhood betrayals, her mother leaving when Sophie was fourteen years old, her desperately sick child, and a cheating husband( phew!) On top of all this,Sophie is then involved in a car accident that leaves her trapped beneath an ice covered lake,where she has this profound near death experience. What follows is an extremely moving experience,that reveals so much about her past life, and really adds meat to the bones of this story. It ranges from real 'lump in the throat heartbreak', to ' you go girl' admiration. A box of tissues is highly recommended to accompany this book. It was well written and worth reading. I was in need of a complete change when I chose this book, and it fulfilled that need perfectly. That's it, review over, I've done enough gushing. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those we love are just a thought away and are by our side when we need them the most.
You will definitely need tissues if you decide to read this book, i certainly did.
Very well written thought provoking book that was hard to put down.
I really enjoyed this book and as an added bonus it was free on Kobo. Highly recommended.

[Shannon Cahill · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was good, and I really wanted to like it. however, it read like a laundry list of events rather than the truly touching story it could have been. It just seemed like so much opportunity was missed. The characters were surface only, even the narrator. The word choices were often very odd. There should have been so much emotion, but it was missing. I could excuse a lot of this as inexperience, except that this author is supposed to be renowned and commercially published many times over. After reading this book, I'm surprised by that.

The biggest problem I had with the book is the end. forget that it is unbelievably happy, but it is obvious that the author has tied up her delusions of grandeur into it. There is an entire chapter about how everyone wanted her story and she sold it for a huge advance, yada yada blah blah. It's contrived, and frankly, a real turn off.

I wish that this was a beta read. I wish I could ask all of the questions that I wanted to ask and have this only be a draft. I'm sad that so much potential was wasted.

[SueBee★bring me an alpha!★]

FREE on Amazon US today (8/14/2015)

Book 1.

BLURB:
A deeply emotional tale about Sophie Duncan, a successful columnist whose world falls apart after her daughter’s unexpected illness and her husband’s shocking affair. When it seems nothing else could possibly go wrong, her car skids off an icy road and plunges into a frozen lake. There, in the cold dark depths of the water, a profound and extraordinary experience unlocks the surprising secrets from Sophie’s past, and teaches her what it means to truly live...and love.

Watch for book 2 in this series: THE COLOR OF DESTINY - Available now for pre-order.

http://www.amazon.com/Color-Heaven-Bo...


FREEBIES are often good for MORE than one day, I have gathered all my FREEBIES on a special shelf: Kindle-freebies (currently over 460 books)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

[Jenni Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Color of Heaven is a story about the life of columnist Sophie Duncan. Sophie is married to the man of her dreams, has a beautiful daughter Megan and is living what seems to be the perfect life. Suddenly, one day she notices some changes in her young daughter. Her daughter Megan is then diagnosed with myeloid leukemia. Then Sophie's husband confesses to an affair and announces he is love with a woman from his office-- who happens to be pregnant.

If these catastrophic blows weren't bad enough for Sophie, she gets into a car accident on the way to see her family. Her car plunges into an ice-covered lake and what happens then is...

Well, you will have to read to find out. You won't be disappointed.

At first, I wasn't going to share all that happened to Sophie with her husband and daughter, but since this all happens in the first few chapters I figured it wasn't really considered a 'spoiler.' These tragedies, while important in Sophie's life, simply lay the groundwork for what this book is really about-- Sophie resolving some issues in her life, finding out some secrets from her past and moving on to a fresh new life.

I had a hard time putting this book down, and I love reading stories that keep me so engaged. The chapters were short, the storyline was interesting, and I loved Sophie's character. I felt what she was feeling, and cried when she cried.

This would be a perfect book for a book club to read, as there are several discussion points in this book that would make for interesting conversation.

[Carol (StarAngel's Reviews) Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 This was Free? Stars

Now that's the first question that I ponder...This book was phenomenal and it's FREE on Amazon??

No, it wasn't perfect - I think the only problem I had with it was the ending seemed to wrap up too quickly, but other than that...Damn, this was a good soul searching, emotional book!

Come on...it's FREE - it doesn't hurt to try it out! xo

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really know what to say. Miracles occur every day, I don't know if this was based on a true story or not but it was a nice book. It wasn't anything that threw you for a loop or that you would read again in my opinion but it was nice to read.

The first husband was a douchebag in my opinion. How can you cheat on your wife, knock up your mistress and divorce your wife to marry your mistress after your daughter has just died. What a weak person and character if you ask me. Just had to rant about that. Yay for Kirk! Oh and the heroine was pretty awesome overcoming everything she went through.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Color of Heaven

Julianne MacLean

Wow, all I can say is, keep the tissues handy! THE COLOR OF HEAVEN by Julianne MacLean will have your emotions all over the place. Once I started reading, it was very hard to stop! I have never read a book by Julianne MacLean but I know this won't be the last! The twists and turns made it impossible to put down, as I had to know what was going to happen to Sophie after so much heartache!


Sophie is happily married and has a beautiful young daughter, Megan. One day, she begins to notice how sluggish Megan is. She takes her to the doctor and they receive a devastating diagnosis. Megan has myeloid leukemia. While all of this is going on, Sophie's husband confesses to having an affair with someone in his office. She is pregnant with his child and he is leaving Sophie and moving in with this home wrecker! Hold on tight!! THE COLOR OF HEAVEN is a quick read, the chapters are short and before you know it, you are finished and emotionally wrecked! At least that is what happened to me.


On a trip to her childhood home, Sophie's car slides off the road and plunges in to a frozen lake. THE COLOR OF HEAVEN at this point, takes a very different turn and has Sophie fighting for her life. While she is in the lake, she has an overwhelming experience and unlocks secrets from her past. THE COLOR OF HEAVEN is filled with forgiveness, hope, love, and faith that hooks the reader from the very first chapter and never lets them go. It is a heartwarming story that pulls on the readers heartstrings. This is the first book in the series and I'm excited to continue with it.

[Stacie Naczelnik · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing style turned me off and made the story unbelievable. Too much summarizing and not enough storytelling. If I wasn't reading it for a book club, I wouldn't have wasted my time reading it.

[Myrn🩶 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story but I didn't love it. Sophie's story was emotional. You feel everything she feels. I wasn’t intrigued with Cora’s story at first until many, many chapters later. It is a unique novel that I hope to remember. 3.5 stars!

[Deborah Blanchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an extraordinary work of art. You will need a box of tissues for sure. Amazing character development and a great storyline. This is the first book I have read by this author and after finishing it, I bought the next 2 in the series. The writing is exquisite and you will be drawn into it from page one. You will keep turning the pages till the end. Amazing book, I highly recommend this one. Do not miss out!I can't wait to start the next one.

[Melodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, this is a review of the audio version of this book. Overall this was a decent albeit slightly overwrought story of a young woman on the brink of great change. In a short period of time, Sophie Duncan goes from wife and mother to divorced grieving mother. Reeling from the loss of her daughter and the betrayal of her husband, she finds herself drowning in grief and bitterness.
This is an emotional story from start to finish. The narrator, Jennifer O'Donnell while quite talented, draws the pathos out way too much. Every sentence is dramatic, there is no ordinary tone of voice. It's dramatic all the time. I found this wearing.
The story line was choppy frequently and I confess to being lost more than once. Initially I thought I had fogged out while listening, but rewinding I found this was not the case. I think if I choose to read another in the series, I'll read not listen. Maybe that will make a difference.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Color of Heaven is an amazing contemporary fiction novel. I wasn’t sure what to expect, so was surprised when I was so quickly drawn into Sophie’s story and did finish reading it in one sitting. I loved each of the characters; they were richly developed and so carefully woven into the story. And what a story – certainly loaded with joy and sadness, regret and forgiveness, and loss and new beginnings. But most of all, it was a love story. All different kinds of love: between a husband and wife, between friends, between child and parent. There were plenty of twists and turns and I laughed and I cried. I love a story that can make me cry! This is a must read. I would definitely recommend this novel; I think it would appeal to those who enjoy romance stories with a little suspense. I received this novel as a free e-read from the author's Valentine's Day newsletter.

[Lu Bielefeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Liked it!
====================

Nine months after the death of our child, Michael came home from work, sat me down on the leather sofa in the living room, and told me he was leaving me. He explained that he couldn’t bear the tears anymore, that I wasn’t the same woman he had married, and that he deserved a brighter future.

“I’m not going to be on my own,” he explained. For a long time he was quiet, then at last he looked up and met my stricken eyes. “I’m in love with someone else, Sophie, and she’s pregnant.”

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a four hankie read, but only three stars. I liked the story but there was a lack of real depth to the characters, IMO. But then again, I read it in a day, it kept me wanting find out what happened next.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, full of ups and downs. Grab your tissues and a few hours to yourself since you will probably read this in one sitting.

[D Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Color of Heaven by Julianne MacLean writhing as E.V. Mitchell

Sophie Duncan is a successful columnist whose world falls apart after her daughter’s unexpected illness and her husband’s shocking affair. When it seems nothing else could possibly go wrong, her car skids off an icy road and plunges into a frozen lake. There, in the cold dark depths of the water, Sophie experiences something profound and extraordinary - something that unlocks the secrets of her past and teaches her what it means to truly live.


My thoughts:
Life is good for Sophie Duncan. She had a great career, the love of a fantastic man and her beautiful daughter. Then her world comes crashing down around her. Her beautiful daughter becomes desperately ill and her husband has an affair. Then to make matters worse her car skids off the road and she plunges into a lake. Who would have thought that enlightenment would come at such a time? Sophie is launched into a journey that will forever change her life.

The Color of Heaven is a very emotional read. When Sophie cried, I cried. When Sophie smiled, I smiled. I couldn’t stop reading it. From the beginning there were questions that needed to be answered. This is a story about love, grief, disappointment, hope, faith and happiness. Some may call it depressing. I call it living. Julianne’s story-telling is great. I highly recommend this read

[Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

O livro não é o que parece, não se trata de um simples romance trágico, muito longe disto! É uma história envolvente e fascinante sobre uma experiência quase-morte.

As primeiras páginas são extremamente dolorosas em que a filha da Sophie, a personagem principal do livro, morre com leucemia aos 5 anos de idade, e depois a Sophie perde o marido que a troca por outra mulher.

Desde que a Sophie tem um acidente de viação e passa para outro lado, não se consegue parar de ler. Ela vê a sua própria filha, mas a menina diz-lhe que a mãe tem que voltar à Terra para perdoar uma pessoa...

Senti-me extremamente tocado com a história toda, as lágrimas a jorrarem-se-me sentindo toda a dor e injustiça, mas depois quando terminei, estas gotas salgadas foram substituídas por sorrisos, alegria e amor à Vida!

Recomendo altamente a leitura deste livro, uma preciosidade que devemos abraçar!

http://livrolico.blogspot.pt/2013/02/explodido-cor-do-ceu-de-julianne-maclean.html

[Shan ~A~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of this book is E.V. Mitchell, which is a pseudonym for author Julianne MacLean.
This is one of the best books that I have read lately. I was actually reading Taken by the Cowboy by Julianne MacLean and when I finished there was an excerpt of this book. I think about the first 10 chapters. After I read those I was instantly hooked. I went online to Ms. MacLean's website to see where I can purchase t he book.
Well, low and behold it was .99c at All Romance Books and may be the same price if you buy it from Amazon.
One thing is for sure, it is worth a whole lot more than what I paid for it.

Sophie's story is hard to put down, so I suggest that you give it a try. This book is like nothing else that Ms. MacLean has ever written to my knowledge, but I is definitely one of the most tragic and heartwarming stories that I have read in a while.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I enjoyed the book, hands down. I, like many other reviewers, felt that the author must have experienced some of the things written about in the book to be able to write about them so honestly. I will confess to being utterly confused about 3/4 of the way through the book (if you read it you'll understand). Everything was cleared up by the end of the book but I felt there was probably a less confusing way of explaining what was happening. I would read additional books by this author - good characters, an oft-used formula, but you know what, it works!

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh dear. The three stars were for the first quarter of the book and I must say that part really had me hooked but when the story took a different turn with Sophie's mother telling her story it just lost my interest and I felt it became totally disjointed and far fetched.

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a roller coaster of emotions and heartache...
But also a confusing mess as the past and present keep colliding ...
And that unexpected secondary 'love story' only adds to the confusion.

I hate reading about deaths in stories especially the kind that break the heart!
Add a childhood emotional trauma for the h, that seeps into every aspect of her life. So well, you can now imagine the load this book carries!
But my biggest heart-sore is having the h watch her husband easily move on, on to another love too. I know such things happens in RL too but the angst is just off the charts as the h has her heart completely shattered. After few years of living a perfect life, things just go 180º for her. One wonders - how can a love go so wrong? I don't know about the h but I just couldn't move past this.

And then the story veers off to another dimension. With her childhood's unresolved issues and the 'other' romance taking over, I kinda lost interest.
But yay for Kirk and that win-win end for the h!

A/N: In few things, the book reminded me of Gravity - a cheating husband, the h fleeing, car accident and then it's off to another dimension...

[✨Susan✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad this story moved along quickly or I would have lost interest. Sophie, the main character, really goes through a great deal and while a bit sappy for me it is a good tale of survival. I liked the story within the story, it was a nice way of giving some background and depth to the characters, however, I could have done without Sophie's mother describing her private love life in detail to her own daughter. It was just not relative to the story. All in all, a good premise and a fast read. For those of you that like romance you should love this one.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25+ stars

This was hard. Lots of devastation wrought in the h’s life. I just wanted to reach in and hug her. The H was barely an H and disappeared with his own HEA relatively soon into the book so probably more of a side character.

I felt the first quarter was strong, the middle half was very detailed and strong but the last quarter was missing depth.

This could almost be Cora, Matthew and Peter’s story and Sophie was a spectator. I’d send this back for a bit more editing to tighten it up.

Otherwise, it was a solid heart wrenching read.

[Tmstprc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sucked me in and ripped my heart out, decimated.

[Linda Brueggeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Color of Heaven

Wow!! This is a fast paced, surprise-around-every-corner kind of book. I read it in one sitting, because I couldn't put it down. It's full of once-in-a-lifetime love and heartbreaking tragedies, and life long friendships that don't come around every day. It is different - it has an out-of-body- experience in it that is riveting. To say the book is well written is an understatement. The grammar and punctuation are impeccable, which is unfortunately a dying breed in many writers today. The author, Julianne MacLean, is very gifted and has a way of getting right down to the meat of the story right away and continues to keep you on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend his exceptional novel.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book synopsis raised my expectations perhaps a little too high. This book was all tell and might as well been a tax file for all the absence of emotions brought forward. While there's deep philosophical reflections on heaven and the afterlife, I felt the characters were robotic and I failed to connect with any of them.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. Heartfelt. Emotional. Honest. I downloaded The Color of Heaven because it was a free download. I read The Color of Heaven because it spoke to something within. I finished The a Color of Heaven because it was a touching story of love, loss and forgiveness that I couldn't put down.

[Ewa ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book.

[Thereadingbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Color of Heaven is a story about the life of columnist Sophie Duncan. Sophie is married to the man of her dreams, has a beautiful daughter Megan and is living what seems to be the perfect life. Suddenly, one day she notices some changes in her young daughter. Her daughter Megan is then diagnosed with myeloid leukemia. Then Sophie's husband confesses to an affair and announces he is love with a woman from his office. The women is also pregnant.

If these catastrophic blows weren't bad enough for Sophie, she gets into a car accident on the way to see her family. Her car plunges into an ice-covered lake. You must read to find out what happens to Sophie.