Rise and Shine by Sabdra D. Bricker

What girl, young or old, doesn't like a good fairy tale?  I mean, seriously?!  Why is Disney so popular?! I think Sandra D. Bricker had a great idea when she considered writing a modern-day series based on classic, popular fairy tales.

It doesn't take too long to figure out which story is paralleled in Rise & Shine.  Shannon has been in a coma for the past 10 years after a horrible accident.  Hmmm... which fairytale story involves a woman in a coma... or a deep sleep?

I found this book to be so much fun. I considered it a light-hearted book in a way because it was an easy book to read. However, there were so many things brought out that made me wonder how people really do feel when they wake up from being in a coma.

In Shannon's case, she has to figure out how to move on in her life after not being a part of it for 10 years. So much has happened that it's like she has to start all over again. Edmund amazed me as he stood by to care for his new wife while she was in her coma.  It was sad when he died and even worse when Shannon found out this news. Not only is she finding a new normal, but she's finding it without the one man she longed to be married to.

I've read most of the books by Sandra D. Bricker and have really enjoyed all of them.  She writes with humor and passion.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

For more than a decade, Sandra D. Bricker lived in Los Angeles. While honing her chosen craft of screenwriting in every spare moment, she worked as a personal assistant and publicist to some of daytime television's hottest stars. When her mother became ill in Florida, she walked away from that segment of her life and moved across the country to take on a new role: Caregiver.

The author says that it was her 8th novel that opened the door to finding her way as a writer. "I'm a Christian woman, first and foremost," she says. "So it was a bit of a dream-come-true when Summerside Press chose me as one of two authors to launch the Love Finds You line."

Sandie's real-life role as cancer survivor has parlayed into her steadfast commitment to raising awareness and funds for ovarian cancer research. Spearheading a series of devotionals for Summerside Press (such as the popular His Grace is Sufficient...Decaf is Not), the author has stipulated that a portion of each contributor's proceeds will go to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

"Being allowed to combine my faith and my humor with raising funds for my pet projects ... and still pursue my writing dream," says Bricker, "well, that's the best of all worlds, as far as I'm concerned!"

And one of the author's pet projects is animal rescue, evidenced by the special bond she has created with one particular formerly-abandoned puppy -- a red-haired collie with "killer brown eyes and the heart of the class clown."

ABOUT THE BOOK

Shannon Malone thought she'd found her happy ending when she married Edmund Ridgeway, but a diving accident on their honeymoon left her in a coma. Waking up to the news that she's thirty years old would have been daunting enough . . . but she also learns that Edmund has lost his interim battle with cancer and the world has marched on without her. Her gorgeous doctor, Daniel Petros, seems to know everything about her and becomes Shannon's tour guide into a whole new world of madness where reality television has taken over the planet and everyone's life appears to revolve around a tiny screen on their cell phones! As Shannon struggles to navigate through the changes-both in the world and in her-she also must discern real memories from imagined ones. Did she really ever wear capris pants and entertain in her living room, or was that Laura Petrie from her favorite classic TV show? And where is her beloved dog, Freeway? Oh, wait! That was Jonathan and Jennifer Hart's dog, not hers. Shannon's three elderly aunts flit through her life in true Sleeping Beauty style with her well-being always a priority. And Edmund's sister Millicent descends like the Evil Queen she is, trying to extract Shannon from any claim on the Ridgeway family fortune. When a tornado moves through town and Shannon is knocked unconscious, will Daniel's kiss awaken her once and for all?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Rise and Shine, go HERE.
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I received this book free from River North Publishers and CFBA in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.