Homecoming

by Laura Abbot and Cleo Qian

Homecoming by Laura Abbot released on Aug 25, 2000 is available now for purchase.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373709374
• ISBN13: 9780373709373
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Harlequin Books
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 0.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Absolutely superb. . .

. . .Tom Baines is a nephew of Abraham Steele, a cousin to Jacob Steele, and doesn't know it yet, but is also a cousin to someone he could not stand when he visited Riverbend, Indiana, as a teenager. In the opening of the book, Tom's back in Indiana after a beloved colleague is brutally killed in a war zone they were covering for a news service. In the process of becoming a hotshot, Pulitzer-prize-winning international journalist, Tom had lost touch with his family, his early dreams, and his heart. Uncle Abraham, who recently died, left him a farmhouse in Riverbend, and he's there hiding out from the world when Lynn Kendall crosses his path. She's the (relatively) new pastor of one of the churches in town where Tom's aunts Ruth and Rachel attend faithfully, and passionately involved in starting Meacham House, an teen outreach club for kids who are growing up without much guidance or encouragement anywhere else in their lives. Lynn and Tom are very attracted to one another, but he has a lot of emotional baggage, and she, of course, is a minister, with all the heavy demands, church politics, etc. that come with THAT role. This installment in the Riverbend series is as real and readable as the first two were--especially Birthright, where a lead character struggled to deal with the issue of his parentage and its implications. Here, Tom is trying to reach out to his own kids after years of neglecting them for his career, while at the same time coming to terms with his own gifts and passions, AND helping Lynn launch Meacham House successfully, AND, because she's a minister, control his growing attraction to her. Whew, that's a boatload:)This book hails back to the old Harlequins of the 1960s in that the main characters do not sleep together. Much of that is probably due to Lynn's vocation and her commitment to it. I would love to have seen this book end with their getting married and having a glorious wedding night, but oh, well. This was only the third book in the series. . .it could happen in a later installment:) I loved Meacham House and the kids who went there. They were beautifully characterized and it's very obvious that Laura Abbot loves teenagers and understands how they think and why. I finished this book thinking about what a great cause Meacham House would be to support--and then I realized, "it's a fictional place." But if I find a real-life version of it, you'd better believe I'll find a way to support it!

Awe inspiring story

In Ireland, tired Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Tom Baines and his photographer partner Gordy Maxwell are bored by what appears to be a routine assignment. Having worked together for eight years, the internationally regarded team have become close friends. The routine job turns ugly when a terrorist tosses a bomb near a group of school children. Gordy reacts by throwing his body on top a lad, but dies in his heroic rescue.Already weary, a grieving Tom returns to his hometown of Riverbend, Indiana for rest and recuperation. Even more important than personal healing to Tom is the deep need to patch up his estranged relationship with his two teenage children. The last thing Tom expected was to find a woman he desired, but that occurs when he meets town visitor Lynn Kendall over her broken bicycle. As Tom struggles with relationships, he and Lynn fall in love, but he knows he must first find his real self before he can offer anything meaningful to his beloved.The latest "River Rats" tales, HOMECOMING continues with the tradition of romance in small town Middle America. The story line is touching as Tom tries to regain control of his domestic life after spending years as an international superstar. Lynn is a brave "Red Riding Hood" who falls in love with the "Wolf" and is willing to do whatever to help him heal. With the return of some townsfolk from the previous books, the audience will feel a sense of HOMECOMING after reading this warm contemporary romance.Harriet Klausner

A spiritually uplifting story

After losing his partner and best friend in a terrorist bombing, foreign correspondent, Tom Baines arrives in Riverbend, Indiana unsure of what he plans to do with the rest of his life. All he knows is that his loss renders him unable to detach himself from the violence that was once so easily reported about. What he hopes to do is reconcile with his estranged children and to contemplate writing once again. Tom finds himself wavering on the brink of rejoining Riverbend society or committing to the hermitage he has made of the farmhouse his uncle Abraham left him in his will. In stark contrast, Reverend Lynn Kendall knows exactly what she is doing with her life. She long ago accepted the call from God to do his work and to love his children. She is looked upon as a higher being for it but Lynn knows that she is all too human. As a minister, she is looked to for guidance, counseling, assistance, and reassurance. She is thought of as having all the answers. But as a woman, who can she turn to? Every man she has dated has been intimidated by her calling and has been unable to accept the long hours, the impromptu calls for help and assurance. When she meets Tom, Lynn senses that he has a need for her that encompasses both the minister and the woman inside of her. In the face of her serenity and capable manner, Tom feels superfluous. But he slowly comes to realize that as much as Riverbend needs her, Lynn has a need for him as well. This is a spiritually uplifting story that really emphasizes Riverbend as a community working together. Laura Abbot has created an extraordinary character in Lynn Kendall who has a good understanding of her own self. She understands that it would take a great man to accept her both as a minister as well as a woman. She feels she has found that man in Tom and she gives them room for love to develop between the two of them. Tom is a cynical character whose bitter outlook is at odds with his hopes. Lynn helps him to see that his pessimism is what holds him back from achieving the level of trust and affection with his children that he hopes to attain. Abbot also implements the use of Meacham House, which is a sanctuary for teenagers. It succeeds in bringing not only Lynn and Tom together, but the entire community of Riverbend. I really enjoyed experiencing Homecoming. It is a wonderful continuation of a five-part mini-series.