Catching Lightning

by Katie Stephens

Is there ever a right time and place for love?
Can one ever tell when or where it will strike?
Can the love of a man win over the loathing of his country?

Praise for the #1 bestseller CANDLES ON THE SAND:
Chicklit Club - This is a wonderful story about finding your true self no matter how much it may hurt.
Love on the Bookshelf – Stephens weaves an involved tale with lots of nice, neat ends tied up for the reader. You’ll truly fall in love with these characters. A well-told tale full of humour, poignant moments, and real emotion, this book stands out among the women’s fiction I’ve read lately. Pick up a copy for something heart-warming that’s sure to lift your spirits.
The Romance Reviewers – CANDLES ON THE SAND is a cheery and delightful romantic read.

You never know where or when lightning will strike, but when it happens on a trip back to Kenya to bury your parents you know the timing isn’t great.

Mel has spent the past 14 years resenting her parents for abandoning her at a boarding school in England while they went back to Kenya, a country she had come to hate, to run an orphanage and school for their charity. A tragic accident forces her to return to Kamuti for her parents’ funeral, forcing her to face her fear of flying and hatred for the place which has now stolen her parents from her for good. But meeting the people who meant so much to her parents and above all the gorgeous, England-educated Sam was not part of the plan.

Finding her mother’s diaries reveals a lot of unanswered questions and the discovery of a detailed itinerary of a trip round Kenya that her parents dreamed of making with her makes Mel realise that maybe she has had things wrong all these years.
Will taking the trip help her find her answers? Will visiting the most beautiful and memorable locations of the land make her fall in love with the man, the country, neither or both?

When Mel discovers the ultimate painful secret about her past and loses her job as a teacher at a posh girls’ school, she has one final choice to make – as they say lightening only strikes once.

A modern day OUT OF AFRICA in reverse story, CATCHING LIGHTNING provides the kind of realist escapism which would appeal to readers of Jill Mansell, Erica James and Santa Montefiore, with a pinch of Belinda Jones thrown in for good measure.

Katie Stephens is the #1 bestselling author of CANDLES ON THE SAND. She works in PR and lives in Surrey, England, with her husband Will and two young daughters. In 2008 Katie signed herself up for a creative writing course, loved it and found herself spending all her spare time (not much with 2 young children) at the computer. Her first novel Candles on the Sand, set on the Amalfi Coast, was published in 2011 and went on to become an Amazon bestseller.
www.katiestephens.co.uk Facebook Katie-Stephens-Author Twitter @KatieStephensGB

447 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 23, 2015

About the author

Born and brought up in the Surrey Hills near Guildford, Katie now lives in Camberley and is married to Will. They have two young daughters, Abigail and Georgia.

Katie's love of creative writing started at school and as well as writing short stories she found great enjoyment in writing poetry. While primarily writing for friends and family, she has had two poems published in anthologies plus a number of others in event programmes and in-house publications.

In 2008 Katie decided it was time to take her writing up a level and started on a Creative Writing course. During the course she found not only the inspiration but also the confidence to take her writing seriously. Her first completed book was born from a piece of homework on her course. She spends any spare time she can find sat at her computer and writing and sees this as her escape time.

For the past 18 years Katie has worked in PR, firstly in agency then in-house. While in agency she dealt with consumer PR and Sports Sponsorship, working on music retail, homebuilders, mobile telephony and fashion as well as the England Cricket Teams. During this time she ended up working on events such as the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party and touring with the England Women's cricket team. Since 2002 Katie has worked in-house for The AA - the motoring one rather than the alcoholics.

Working in PR Katie is able to mix her love of writing and creativity with her career.

Reviews

[Magdalena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mel travelers back to Africa, to bury her parents that have died in a car crash. She carries a lot of anger towards her parents whom she felt abandoned her to a boarding school when she was young to traveler back to Kenya to run an orphanage and a school. Mel was born in Kenya, but she and her parents left when she was little and she has never been back since then, both because of her anger towards her parents and because of is afraid to fly.

I was expecting a romance book when I started to read this one, and yes there is romance in this book, but it is also so much more, it's about finding yourself. Mel has to make peace with the past and by reading her mother's diary and scrapbook she comes to better grip with her past and why her parents returned to Kenya. She has always felt that her parents loved Kenya more than her, but through the reading of the books, meeting the people that worked with her parents and the children there do she realize that that she didn't know the whole truth. And, then there is Sam, the gorgeous guy that worked with her parents and shows her Africa.



This was a lovely book to read. One thing I really enjoyed was that the book took placed in Africa. All the Out of Africa references was also great, I love that movie. I think this is perfect for anyone that wants to read a romance book, but also want to read about forgiveness and friendship. Btw, I love the cover, the mix of colors.

I was provided a free copy of this book through the Catching Lightning Blog Tour and this is my honest review!

[Maryline M's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was first published at M's Bookshelf - http://mssbookshelf.blogspot.com

The first thing that struck me (hehe) about this book was it's gorgeous cover. Great design and colours!
... and what a fabulous story to match. Katie Stephens made me fall in love, not only with Mel, Sam and Kerry, but with Kenya as well. A country I've never been to before and never shown any interest in now feels as wonderful and familiar as an old holiday destination.
Catching Lightning is an incredibly emotional story full of love, friendship and loss. But most of all, it's beautiful. The people, the Center, their relationships... All of it is breathtakingly gorgeous and moving.
"Kenya gets under your skin"? Catching Lightning certainly got under mine. I will think back on all these wonderful characters long after reading this.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart-warming story of love, loss and finding oneself, this beautifully depicted tale has everything: a cracking pace, a stunning setting, a dash of romance and plenty of intrigue. An emotional tale of a woman’s quest to come to terms with her parents’ choices and the reasons that prompted them to do what they did; a quest that leads her on a journey of discovery in the process of which she unearths long buried secrets and uncovers shocking truths about herself. But most of all, this book is a love story to a beautiful, warm country: Kenya, which is as much a character in this novel as Sam and Mel. This skilfully narrated novel will have you turning the pages, desperate to know more and make you want to escape to Kenya and discover it for yourself.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always sign up for blog tours with a little bit of trepidation, saying that you will read a book with know previous reviews to look at & then review it can be a bit daunting. What happens if you don't like it? Thankfully I didn't just like Catching Lightning, I loved it from it's gorgeous cover to it's exotic location, there was just so much to love.

Melinda Purcell is a teacher in a girls' secondary school, she enjoys her job & at the beginning of the book we see her looking forward to spending her annual holiday with her parents. Her parents, Nick & Freda have spent most of her life working for a charity in Kenya so she treasures the time that she spends with them. Unfortunately tragedy strikes when her parents are both killed in a tragic car accident forcing Mel to face her fears & get on a plane to Kenya to attend their funeral & sort out their estate.

Her fear of flying is so great that she has to be sedated in order to fly to Kenya & it's not just her phobia of flying that is causing her concern. She has a strong hate for Kenya always feeling that her parents loved it their more than they loved being with her. So with a sense of duty she heads out with her godmother Moira to make arrangements to bury her parents, Mel has every intention of getting everything over & done with quickly so that she can return to her life England as soon as she can.

Upon arriving in Kenya, Mel meets Samson who picks her & Moira up from the airport & despite his good looks she can't help but find him annoying & arrogant. On the drive from the airport to the camp she can't hide her disgust for the country that she believes took her parents from her & it takes a while for her walls to come down. What follows is a journey about Mel finding peace as well as finding her parents even though they are gone. Mel had always believed that her parents chose Kenya over her but through her mother's scrapbooks, journals & diaries she learns otherwise.

This is a truly beautiful story about love & loss, secrets & lies & about a young woman's need to find herself in a country that she has loathed for so long. Mel is a truly wonderful character who has to overcome so much at such a painful time in her life. Kenya really gets under Mel's skin and I found myself falling in love with Kenya through Mel's eyes. Katie Stephen's writing had the ability to sweep my along & I devoured Catching Lightning in one sitting, staying up way too late in order to finish it.

Catching Lightning made me feel so many emotions, I felt Mel's pain, I shared her joy, at times I found myself smiling to myself as Mel experienced new things. The story was also made by the many secondary characters who all played major roles in telling Mel's story. Kerry who became Mel's friend whilst at the camp added some humour & sparkle & it was wonderful seeing the bond that grew between the pair. There were the many other people that Mel met during her time in Kenya, the teachers & children at the school and of course Samson. Samson plays a major part in helping Mel to grieve and find the peace she has been so desperate to find.

This was a magical read from start to finish, a wonderful setting, an engaging story & a wonderful cast of characters. It was both a powerful & emotional book that left me longing for more. Well done to Katie Stephens for writing such an amazing story.

About The Author


Katie Stephens is the #1 bestselling author of CANDLES ON THE SAND. She works in PR and lives in Surrey, England, with her husband Will and two young daughters. In 2008 Katie signed herself up for a creative writing course, loved it and found herself spending all her spare time (not much with 2 young children) at the computer. Her first novel Candles on the Sand, set on the Amalfi Coast, was published in 2011 and went on to become an Amazon bestseller.

[Paris Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on Paris Baker's Book Nook as part of the Catching Lightning blog tour.

Mel’s grown up as a very independent woman, having boarded since the age of twelve when her parents moved back to Kenya. With a paralysing fear of flying, Mel refused to join them there or even to visit, and had to suffice with the couple of times a year her parents were able to make it back to the UK.

She’s coming to the end of the Summer term at the school she works out, and ready to welcome her parents to stay for three weeks, when disaster strikes and Mel has no choice but to face her fears and travel to the country she has spent most of her life hating and envying for her parents decision all those years ago.

What she didn’t expect was to begin to see the magic of Africa that her parents had fallen in love with. From the selfless teachers and helpers of the charity, to the beautiful children who are so eager to learn, she learns there is so much more to Kenya than the dust, dirt and creepy crawlies she’s always remembered it by.

Once I got into the story, I was thrilled to be joining Mel on her journey, as she discovered the truth about her past and her family. Catching Lightning is a beautiful story about that explores the extreme strengths that can be found in people – strength to love and to heal, but also to hurt the ones we care about. We watch Mel go through the whole spectrum of emotions, as people generally do when grieving, but when her relationship with her parents was so filled with bitterness, regret, and – as she now discovers – secrets, pain and confusion, it really is a difficult time for her. Throw in the growing intimacy between her and Sam and it complicates things all the more, and finds her overrun with guilt – if something were to happen, would she be disrespecting her parents and her grief? Or was it fate’s grand plan for her to find comfort in a time of great need?

Another thing that cannot go unmentioned, are the wonderful supporting characters. Kerry, an Essex girl who works with the charity and befriends Mel on arrival was truly a wonderful character, who I instantly warmed to. She added a great humour to the story, and instantly lifted the atmosphere of the scenes she was in. Wendy, Mel’s best friend since they were 12, was equally wonderful, and I loved their relationship – the kind that is only earned after being best friends for many years, and growing up together. The whole story was filled with intrigue although I’d had a sneaky suspicion of what was going on from early in the book, the whole plot was excellently executed and beautifully written.

There’s two little things that have stopped me rating this book as 5*, as it was otherwise excellent. Firstly, I found the story quite slow to begin with and a little hard to get into, but once I did I couldn’t have been more captivated. Also, some of the writing of speech, particularly early on in the book, felt a little stagnant. It felt like I was reading someones writing, if that makes any sense, it didn’t feel like natural speech – simple things really like the lack of use of contractions such as it’s, wouldn’t, can’t etc – when these aren’t used the speech came across as a little formal and unnatural – especially for characters such as Kerry, an Essex girl. For me, this took away some believability of otherwise wonderful characters, and made it more difficult to relate to them. However, this really was mainly nearer the start I felt this, and as I continued it flowed much more easily, so it is still so very worth reading.

I highly recommend Katie Stephen’s beautiful and original story of self-discovery and the power of relationships and love.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review first posted on my blog: http://spoonfulofhappyendings.blogspo...

Melinda Purcell works as a teacher at an all-girls school in England. While she has a job she loves, a nice apartment, and good friends, there are also things she misses in her life, such as her parents. She has never quite forgiven them for leaving her behind at boarding school in England when she was 12, while they went to Kenya to work for a charity organisation, where they've stayed ever since. Then, completely out of the blue, Melinda receives the news that her parents have passed away after a terrible car accident and before she knows it, she is on her way to Kenya to bury them. Stuck in a country she never wanted to visit but which her parents loved so much, Melinda not only has to find a way of dealing with her grief, but also with the many memories her parents' things bring back and the secrets they were hiding.

This book really managed to surprise me, mainly because it turned out to be so much more than I initially expected. I was quickly taken in by the storyline, the characters and the amazing setting. I've never been to Kenya and it's not a country I had read or heard much about, but thanks to this novel I've now had a sneak-peak at its beauty and what it has to offer. One of the many amazing things to love about reading is the fact that you get to travel to places you might not have picked yourself and make new discoveries along the way! However, this novel has much more going for it than just the setting, such as Katie Stephens' great and comfortable writing style which I personally really enjoyed.

The main protagonist, Mel, is quite a complex character who has been through a lot. I really felt for her and instantly warmed to her, just like I did to the rest of the wonderful cast of different characters, such as Essex girl Kerry, Sam, Mel's parents, and all the other people at the centre in Kenya. While this book is a romance, it is also about discovering who you really are and what it is you want in life. 'Catching Lightning' is a thoroughly enjoyable read with a captivating plotline, a great group of characters and a pretty amazing and unique settting. It's a beautifully written story about love, loss, and staying true to yourself; a stunning read!

[Arielle Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted on my blog www.livinglifewithjoy.com

Catching Lightning is a heart-warming story filled with important lessons about life and love. I originally thought that I wasn’t going to enjoy the book because it got off to a bit of a slow start, but once things started to pick up and I became engaged, I couldn’t put the book down and wanted to know more. It was a fabulous, enchanting and geographically beautiful story filled with charming and intriguing characters with a few surprises along the way.

The novel was filled with relationships; new ones, old ones and ones that were changed for good. It never fails to amaze me what people will do for love, even if it’s not always the best things for others. One of the most important concepts in this novel was the strength of the human capacity to love, lie and ultimately move on with life. Sometimes it feels impossible but over time the pain will ease and you can move on when you’ve lost loved ones. You never know how short life can be, that’s why it’s so important to take every opportunity and to live your life the way you want.

Another interesting part of the storyline was Mel’s overwhelming guilt. Guilt over not having come to visit sooner, of not understanding her parents’ true feelings about their daughter and Kenya. Guilt over the way she always viewed her parents’ home and the people that lived there. Through her unfortunate loss, Mel goes on a beautiful journey of self-discovery and learns more about herself and her parents’ home and it’s people than she ever thought possible.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Like I mentioned, it took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I was captivated by the story. It’s a beautiful story about loss, love and life. About allowing yourself to be happy and asking yourself what you truly want out of life and doing those things. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to realize what’s most important in life and sometimes we don’t know until it’s too late. That’s why it’s important to seize the moment and live everyday by asking ourselves what we want and then doing everything we possibly can do accomplish those things. Five striking stars for this lovely novel.

[Coffee-crafts&books · Rating 5 out of 5]

i received this book for an honest review, i gave this a 5 star rating cos i loved the stories it was well detailed and i loved the cover.
some of the book made me cried some made me happy i loved the characters sam mel and kerry i was loving the image i was getting about kenya and the places around it.
i hope to be able to read more from katie sephens as this was her first book i have read and i really enjoyed i wasnbt able to put it down
"i received this book for an honest review, i gave this a 5 star rating cos i loved the stories it was well detailed and i loved the cover. some of the book made me cried some made me happy i loved the characters sam mel and kerry i was loving the image i was getting about kenya and the places around it. i hope to be able to read more from katie sephens as this was her first book i have read and i really enjoyed i wasnbt able to put it down"

[Dorothy M's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

superb story, very romantic, beautiful breathtaking descriptions of Africa. Beautiful story line, you immediately symphatize with the main characters. The. story reads easily and has a surprising twist in the end

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, emotional storyline. The tension was so clear at times while other times had you wanting to whoop with joy.