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White Dove #3

Learning to Soar

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Samantha has faced down bullies and begun to make a place for herself with her new family, but not everything is going smoothly. Jealousy in her ballet class leaves her as a target, and new friends might not be as kind as she believes.

Bonding with her new family, though, helps Samantha learn to stand up for herself, and she begins to build confidence. With Joy’s birthday approaching, her new bravery will be tested though when everything threatens to blow up her in face.

Will Samantha find the courage to tell her family what’s happening before it’s too late? And will her blossoming attraction to Samuel leave her heart broken or set her free?

402 pages, Paperback

Published November 17, 2019

18 people are currently reading
21 people want to read

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Maya William

6 books91 followers

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5 stars
114 (62%)
4 stars
52 (28%)
3 stars
14 (7%)
2 stars
2 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for Daisy Delfin.
1,478 reviews178 followers
November 23, 2019

Pages: 314
My rating (stars): 4
Read other books from this author in the future: yes

I like The White Dove series. I know Samantha is quite naive. But somewhere inside, there is this person who can boss people around in the kitchen and lead them. And her new flock love her really much.

Negative points:
Her relationship with Zach does not move on or develop. In the first book he asked her to trust him after betraying her by pretending to be his grandmother. They never solved this issue. They had more interaction in the first book than in any other book.
Same with Abigail. Both of them do not work on their relationship hence there is no development.
This book was first introduced as a rh story and at least two boys have shown interested in Samantha and maybe some of the O’Flannigan boys are interested in her (?) but you can’t figure it out, because there is only one relationship which seems to develop, Samantha and Samuel. And being a catholic who talks to the Big guy all the time, I do not know how the author is going to turn Samanthas believes around completely…
All this spanish: a glossary of the sentences would be good, because there are a lot of readers who cannot understand Spanish.

Plus points:
I like the flock and the Solis family.
There is still a story line.
Samantha is developing from the shy girl to a new version of herself.
The story was entertaining but the non happy ending for Samantha was clear too.
Profile Image for Brittany Devlin.
132 reviews3 followers
November 20, 2019
This series is one of my favorites. I love it and this book did not let me down. I love how we get to see so many dimensional characters. I love watching to characters relationships develop and that they aren't unrealistically rushed. The ending killed me though! I cannot wait doe the next book!
Profile Image for Jennifer G.
2,868 reviews54 followers
November 25, 2019
Samantha has started to find her footing among her new family. She has her dance, her new friendships, and the BG watching over her. She's starting to find her voice and gain a bit of confidence in this new world. But school is not going as well as she had hoped. Her dancing, her beauty, and her sweet nature have caught the attention of more than one guy and several mean girls. Jealousy has painted a target on her for bullying. Fear keeps her from telling her family. She doesn't want to be sent away. She doesn't want to create problems. Then there's Samuel. Her crush on him grows every day. He seems to love dancing with her, but could there be more or is she just setting herself up for heartbreak?

I love this series. I love the Little Dove. It's such a layered story. Yes, it centers around Samantha, but it includes every aspect of her life. We have her family, the Calvary, her classmates, the Solis family. It covers her school days, her home life, her training, her driving lessons, and of course, her dancing. And everything is enhanced by her inner dialogue. Samantha is a remarkable character in that she is so vividly portrayed that she has come off of the pages and seems real. She's so likable and so refreshing. Innocent, yet not stupidly naive, wholesome, yet tempted. This girl is precious and it's easy to understand why everyone is so taken with her. This is a difficult book to critique. There's not a lot of action. It's a snapshot of life barely spanning weeks. There's little over-the-top drama. It's all about the relationships, Samantha's personal growth, and her acculturation. Having said that I cannot get enough. Each dance rehearsal, each lab, each family dinner makes me fall more in love with this story. I celebrate Samantha's personal victories with her and worry with her over her troubles; I laugh over her ridiculous mishaps and cry with her over her hurting heart. I adore her monologue with the Big Guy.

I finished with this book so full of emotion. I am so satisfied, so gratified, and yet I selfishly wanted more. I'm not sure that I will ever get enough of the Little Dove. She's come so far but has such a long way to go. There's still so much she doesn't understand. She's still too accepting, too trusting, doubts herself and underestimates her worth. She is so intuitive in many ways and clueless in others. I look forward to the day she takes control and makes herself heard. I look forward to her getting her heart's desire.
Profile Image for BookishBlondeNerd.
547 reviews
December 4, 2019
Loved

While I get annoyed at times by her inner dialogue to the Big Guy... I love this series so much. I love the family dynamics and team aspect. Though at times her family's treatment of her drives me crazy. They don't listen to her or allow her to flourish at times which I think connects to her keeping things from them. They all need to trust one another more and communicate better. Samantha does begin to gain some confidence in herself throughout the book which was nice. I loved all the dancing and intrigue between and Samuel. The paintball was fun as well. I loved how the relationships continue to grow and develop. Heartbroken at the end....looking forward to some resolution there. I feel her naivety gets in her way. David is precious as ever. I'll anxiously be waiting for more.
105 reviews
December 9, 2019
I love this series!

The innocence that you get from Little Dove. I love the way she's always referring to the "Big Guy" about everything! That brief moment of strength that she shows when she's digging in her heels, but Lord, I can't wait until she starts showing more backbone and standing up to the bullies! What I don't understand is all the secrets, like Portia shoving her. I understand she doesn't like violence but why not let her siblings & friends know what's going on? Why not just be upfront about things?
64 reviews1 follower
November 21, 2019
Perfect. I love this series and theses characters.

Picking up right from the end of the last book. Following Samantha and her flock as they continue to search Calvary for trouble.
Samantha continues her journey of self discovery and trying to build relationship with her siblings and new friends. All the while as her brother and sister learn to trust and value her.

So happy to see this one and can't wait for more.
Profile Image for Aimee.
230 reviews6 followers
November 26, 2019
As book three in this series it was pretty good. I think it would be nice to see more progress in Samantha's relationships with her siblings though. It seems like they are all stuck in the same cycle with no progression. I enjoyed the storyline in this one, it had some cute and sweet scenes. I enjoyed how Father Gomez played a bit more of a role in this one as well. I'm completely lost on the Spanish in the story though, lol. I do look forward to continuing the story as it progresses.
Profile Image for Julia .
23 reviews
November 22, 2019
Great story with a twist...

I completely loved this story. It has its usual highs and lows, about a poor girl from a convent school. To figuring out the birds and bees. Plus dealing with family dynamics, trying to live and love people whom you don't know. You also have to love all the ladies, and little David. He is just to cute. Can't wait until the continuation of this series.
1 review
January 5, 2020
Am I the only one getting tired of how Samuel treats Samantha. He gives her so many mixed signals. Poor Samantha
Profile Image for Simone.
472 reviews
November 26, 2019
Unfortunately, this series seems to be declining with each novel. Book 3 had me moved at the end, but frustrated for majority of the novel as a whole.

Samantha decides to start lying a lot in this novel. Compared to the little ones of the past two novels, her lies this time are mostly about 2 things: her feelings, and her experiences being bullied. As the mission of the school attendance is to discover who the bullies are and their methods, it doesn't make sense for eager-to-please Samantha to keep the knowledge to herself.

The spy-like events are comparable to the Ghost Bird series, particularly with the programmed phone softwares. The little paintball fight scene also reminded me of the scenes from the Scarab Beetle series, but the differences kept it unique enough for me.

I'm beginning to get impatient with Natalie as well. I need to know her backstory and who she is to Samuel, because so far all she is is an annoyance that confuses the other characters.

Hopefully the next sequel fixes my issues with the series, because I'm hoping it gets better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Christy Pfau.
11 reviews1 follower
December 4, 2019
When the 1st book in this series came out it was introduced as a RH? While reading the 3rd installment I kept wondering how the author is planning on turning this series in that direction with the religious aspect that has been throughout all 3 books, the relationship she has built with several others in the house and including the twins makes me hopeful but so much has revolved around samantha and samuel that it has me wondering if the author has decided to go a different direction that being said, Maya does such a wonderful job bringing these characters to life but this book left me with the more questions than answers. Either way I'm rooting for the flock and can't wait for the next book.
8 reviews
February 16, 2020
So this was a pretty good read but.....(spoilers)

2 things drive me crazy in a book:

1. When the main character DOESN'T ASK QUESTIONS!! I realize she spent 12 years with nuns so she's pretty naive but, for god's sake, the first time Natalie calls him baby and makes the statements she did....seriously? No warning bells went off? I wouldn't be able to quit asking questions until that story made sense.

2. I'm gonna be so upset if the next book doesn't have this girl laying out her so-called "family" for letting Samuel get away with his crap. There's NO WAY they all didn't know about Natalie. Abagial is supposed to be all about keeping those she loves from being hurt but she just let it happen. They would be groveling for awhile before I would be able to forgive them.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kim Latham.
486 reviews3 followers
April 5, 2020
Heart Warming

This is the third book in this Series and I have enjoyed it immensely. This is most definitely a slow burn as our MC is 16. The whole group of characters has been through so much. I look forward to seeing what happens next. Each character is unique and beautifully written.

This story must be read in the order it is written. If you haven’t read book 1 then you need to start there!
Profile Image for Phoenix Fairy.
43 reviews
November 22, 2019
When is the next book?

So I may have woke up in the middle of the night and decided to would be a good idea to read, which I don’t regret even though I have to go to work on no sleep. I could not put this book down. I absolutely loved it. When I got to the end I wanted to cry, scream and rage all at the same time. I need the next book now, please? Pretty please.
Profile Image for Angela.
22 reviews
December 25, 2019
Wonderful

I'll be waiting impatiently for the next one 😉. Every interaction between Samuel and Samantha makes my heart pound. I even looked up all the dance techniques on YouTube lol. Thanks so much Mrs. Williams, your ability to transport me into their world takes my breath away. I love all your characters and the parts they play. Can't wait until the next one. 💜
51 reviews1 follower
February 22, 2020
Wow!!!!

It happened again, another fantastic book by a fantastic author. My heart took everything that happened to the main character Samantha like it was me. Maya is a great author, I can’t wait for the next book, I hope it isn’t long before it is ready but if it is awhile before it comes out I know I can wait for a book this good.
Profile Image for Brandi Augustine.
896 reviews25 followers
January 5, 2023
Keeps getting better

I am really in love with this series. I hope Samantha goes to her family and friends more with her bully problems and learns to trust more. I love her having Darcy as a friend and I just love Samuel's mom and David. Oh that ending! It had me in tears. Please don't make it more heartbreaking in next book.
90 reviews1 follower
November 20, 2019
I'm so honestly in love with this series! I love the characters they grow and evolve. Maya William's writing sucks you in and you cant leave the story she makes you have all the feelings ! I highly recommend this series!
11 reviews
November 22, 2019
Love this series!

A great installment to a fantastic series! Can't wait for the next book! All of the characters great but I love the interactions with Samuel and Samantha. Keep up the great work!
28 reviews
January 21, 2020
Love this series

So I ended up crying at the end of this book, my poor heart cannot take it. Hope the next book comes out quickly as I have little patience, but cannot wait. A great slow burn series.
Profile Image for Niquela McAravey.
15 reviews8 followers
December 17, 2020
What the actual frack.

CLIFFHANGER. What the carp?? It’s was going great, but I really wish it hadn’t ended on a cliffhanger. Not to mention these three books were really short and sloooowwwwww. The story was great but I have a serious issue with the layout and ending.
371 reviews2 followers
November 23, 2019
Omg- what a way to bring my emotions on a rollercoaster!! I love this book, I love this series- and I love this author! She really make you hooked by the first page and throug this book I’ve felt happy, angst, angry and sad! So sad I actually cried a little! A fantastic book- can’t wait to see where she wants to go now!
Profile Image for Jennifer Paulet.
1,153 reviews4 followers
November 23, 2019
Love it!

So good! The characters are engaging and endearing! The storyline is solid and well written . ! ! ! !
51 reviews4 followers
November 23, 2019
Love this series

I really enjoyed this book. This was a good story with lots of interesting pieces. I really enjoy Samantha and look forward to where this series goes.
Profile Image for Stephanie Barry.
4 reviews
November 25, 2019
Oh my heart!

Amazing as always! I need more Samantha and Samuel it can't end like that! This story never fails to test my emotions!
Profile Image for joanne.heaver.
99 reviews
November 28, 2019
A**********

I’ve fallen in love with the white dove series
The characters throughout these books are perfect they blend together so well can’t wait to read more .
Profile Image for Laura.
106 reviews2 followers
November 30, 2019
I liked this book! The character development was better than the last two. The story was a bit less predictable. I’m looking forward the the next in the series.
468 reviews3 followers
December 5, 2019
Must read

I need more...my heart is in so much turmoil with this book. I need the next one to be out now
203 reviews1 follower
November 22, 2020
Loved it

So far I’m really into this series and I love the main female character Samantha. Really looking forward to the next book!
4 reviews
April 11, 2021
Love this series. Bummed at the end of this one. Does anyone know if/when the next book is coming out?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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