Hide and Seek is the sequel to Finders Keepers. Written by best-selling author Catherine Palmer, this romance novel celebrates life and love. It clearly shows that despite our desire to hide from life, the only safe hiding place is in God. Author Catherine Palmer is an award-winning fiction writer in both the general and religious markets. Sales of her twenty books have exceeded one million copies! This latest work is sure to please fiction lovers of all ages.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Catherine Palmer lives in Atlanta with her husband, Tim, where they serve as missionaries in a refugee community. They have two grown sons. Cathy is a graduate of Southwest Baptist University and holds a master's degree in English from Baylor University. Her first book was published in 1988. Since then she has published over 50 novels, many of them national best sellers. Catherine has won numerous awards for her writing, including the Christy Award, the highest honor in Christian fiction. In 2004, she was given the Career Achievement Award for Inspirational Romance by "Romantic Times" magazine. More than 2 million copies of Catherine's novels are currently in print. The Author's Work With her compelling characters and strong message of Christian faith, Catherine is known for writing fiction that "touches the hearts and souls of readers." Her many collections include A Town Called Hope, Treasures of the Heart, Finders Keepers, English Ivy, and the Miss Pickworth series. Catherine also recently coauthored the Four Seasons fiction series with Gary Chapman, the "New York Times" best-selling author of "The Five Love Languages."
A very good older contemporary story based on a young woman getting out of prison and trying to find her way in society again. Her father-in-law is determined to track her down and keep her from doing so, and it's easy to feel empathy for her as she does everything she can to get free of her past.
While I did really enjoy it, I found it to be quite a bit weaker than the first story in terms of details, especially in the area of Luke's restoration of the Chalmers House. In the last book he was awarded the contract to restore the house, but now it's been over a year and he's just now getting started. Not a smart thing for an old house in critical condition, but also not likely for an owner who needs an office space for his business and has to wait for Luke to finish. The roof has just been put on and the termites have just now been sprayed. Where it really lost me was the whole scene where the floor caves in so someone can fall right through, and Darcy says, "Oh, I think I found where the termites were getting in." What? Termites are pretty easy to see by the time they weaken a floor enough to cave, and with people stomping in and out of that room, someone would definitely notice the spongy floor, and that repair has to be done before the walls get painted. In short, this guy knows nothing about his own business, and it would have totally made the story better if the author had really researched home remodel/restoration before writing some of these scenes.
I also felt that the ending was too abrupt and I wish the author could have made it into a long-running series, since there's plenty of material in this small town.
I really loved the strong emphasis on faith and the small-town life. It was also fun to see them talking about not having A/C systems except for window units, fluffing a hairdo by blow-drying upside down, and not using cell phones or computers for anything. It's barely in this century with a 2000 publication date, and the step back to that sort of thing was neat.
I read the first book in this series a couple years ago. I thought it was pretty cute. For some reason when I read the description of this book it didn't seem very interesting compared to the last story. And for some other reason I picked up this book in the last week. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. "Jo" is looking for a place (in the beginning) it seems to hide out. As story goes along it is more that she is looking for a new start; she should have been trying to hide out but mainly just needs a new home & job & place where no one knows her. Her new faith that she gained in her last few years has made a huge impact on her and how she views the world. Her faith has a big impact on a man she happens to meet her first day in town. If you read the first book you will know Luke & his daughter. Luke has given up on his faith (for the most part) after he lost his wife to cancer. Jo/Darcy inserts herself into his life and his town so he has trouble escaping her. She reminds him of God and how he is always waiting. Luke offers a stabilizing force in Jo/Darcy's life, which she has never had before. As the book goes on (and anyone who has read Christian fiction know) the two find themselves coming to realize they have made big impacts and care for each other a great deal. This book was interesting, in general consistent but also unexpected for me. It's hard to explain that. But I liked it and thought it was good. I probably won't reread but I enjoyed it more than I thought I was going to.
Quote: “But Darcy had shown him a different way to walk the Christian path. She was learning that God didn’t always clear obstacles out of the road. His children faced pain and suffering in this world. Yet Darcy put her faith in Christ’s constant presence, in his guidance, in his love”(p. 160).
I discovered Catherine Palmer's writing this year; and for modern Christian fiction, I really like her. Her storylines are well developed and her characters are realistic people with all the strengths, faults and doubts of everyday Christians struggling with daily life. She intertwines Biblical faith throughout the story without being preachy. I look forward to reading more of her books.
Darcy is living a lie. But all she wants is to escape her past and start over where no one knows her. She ends up in Ambleside, Missouri, a quaint little town where she figures she can find a job and some needed anonymity. But there are no secrets in small towns, and her carefully assumed identity is about to be shredded.
Luke Easton is still reeling from the death of his wife, attempting to get back to his contracting business and take care of his little girl. But everybody keeps sending this new lady to his workplace to do the painting and wallpapering - since everybody knows HE can't do it. They establish an uneasy truce because it's obvious to Luke that she's hiding something, but equally obvious that she has skills he can really use.
Ruby McCann is a wealthy widow who has been in charge of the library for many years. Now suddenly, her life is unraveling. She is having trouble with her memory, and keeps getting lost. She offers the new girl Darcy the use of her guest house, since there are no hotels in Ambleside, and is grateful to Darcy as the young woman steps in to fill the gaps that are getting wider in Ruby's life. But Darcy worries that she is bringing danger into this wonderful woman's life.
This book is filled with the important faith journeys of not only these three, but other members of the community of Ambleside. Will Darcy's newfound faith stand her in good stead when her secrets begin to unravel? Will God protect her new acquaintances from the dangers she has brought into their midst? Has Ruby really found someone she can depend on when her mind begins to give way? And what about Luke - is he able to give his heart to another when it is still raw and tender from mourning his wife?
Book number two in this series, so similar to the small town sagas of the Mitford Series by Jan Caron. Darcy's past is still stirring her present and her constant terrorizing threat. She can run but she can't hide. Luke just lost the love of his life, and with a precious daughter to raise, he finds his way out of his grief unknowing the storm of love and business default that suddenly blows through his life. A great follow-on to Finder's Keepers. I hope you get a chance to read how Michaela and Nick and the town's people work out a heap of trouble for Darcy and Luke.
This is one of the sequels I waited so long to read and it basically did not disappoint. For me personally, there is more going on in the story and their side characters that it sometimes takes away the focus to the main characters, Jo/Darcy and Luke. Not to spoil anything but, Ruby huhuhuhu. Like most stories, it all comes together in the end when you are in a community that loves God and loves its residents - old folk and new people alike.
I liked this one, it is a continuation of "Finders Keepers" characters but entirely different. This one is about Luke and a newcomer Jo Callaway who has just arrived in town with only a paper sack. She has many secrets and the desire to hide herself and her past.
Seeking and finding forgiveness can change a life completely as Jo (really Darcy) learns in this book. Even when she is not forgiven by people, the forgiveness from God gives her hope and a future. Delightful story with clear message of hope in Jesus changing many lives for the better.
It’s been a ling time since I started and finished a book in one Day!!!! I liked it much better than the first nook in the series. This kept my attention from the beginning to the end.
I enjoy Catherine Palmer so much. Even though it is the romance that draws me in there is always so much more going on in her books. I love seeing different characters work through -- or not -- spiritual issues in their lives. The only problem I had with this book was when Luke sees Darcy being taken into the woods by an unidentified man, especially under the circumstances, it takes him several hours to think maybe someone should look for her. Other than that, it was so good.
Over time things can change. I love reading books that have several different books in the series. You get to know all of the characters and seem to connect with them with each new book. And watching new characters come in to mesh with the other characters lives is wonderful. That is exactly what happens in this book. Reading Luke's and Darcey's story reintegrates that with God all things are possible.
This book is Amazing!!!!! It is about a young lady trying to run away from her past and along the way she meets a handsome young man but she is not able to love him due to her current situation. Will she find true love in the end or will her past come back to haunt her? To find out you have to read the book.
I thought it was a good continuation of the series. I really like her books because they are Christian novels, but not so preachy that it gets annoying. It goes along with the story lines well. This one left lots of loose ends for the reader to wrap up with their own imagination though.