Becoming The Talbot Sisters by Rachel Linden
ISBN: 9780718095765 (paperback)
ISBN: 9780718095772 (ebook)
ISBN: 9780718095789 (Audiobook)
ASIN: B072TPB44G (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: May 1, 2018
Twin sisters Waverly and Charlie Talbot have drifted far apart as they pursue opposite dreams of stardom and service to the poor. On an astonishing journey across Central Europe, they must come together to face their fears, find their courage and fight for what they love.
Celebrity chef Waverly Ross has built a successful career with her home-entertaining show Simply Perfect. Yet she and her husband, Andrew, have never been able to realize the true desire of Waverly’s heart: to become a mother. Meanwhile Waverly’s twin sister, Charlie Talbot, buries her bitter disappointment and shattered idealism beneath a life spent serving others as an international aid worked in Budapest, Hungary.
When the beloved aunt who raised them passes away, Waverly and Charlie come together in their grief after living years on separate continents. Struck by a fierce desire to bridge the distance between them, Charlie offers Waverly and her husband the selfless gift of surrogacy.
But soon the sisters find they are each in danger of losing their jobs, seemingly putting their dreams on hold once again. When Waverly shows up unannounced in Budapest with a plan to rescue Simply Perfect, the sisters embark on an adventure across Central Europe that could save them both from occupational hazards. Though the twins haven’t had to rely on each other since childhood, an unforeseen dangerous turn in their journey across Europe forces them to stand together to save their careers, the baby, and each other.
Waverly and Charlotte “Charlie” Talbot had their lives turned upside down just before their thirteenth birthdays when their parents died in a plane crash on their way to South Africa. These twin sisters went from living a life of affluence on the East coast to a modest life with an aunt in Ohio. Now their beloved aunt has died and it seems their lives are coming apart once again. The sisters have grown apart over the years and made lives for themselves on separate continents. Waverly seems to have it all, a popular cooking show on the Food Network, a loving husband, and a wonderful home. She’s been likened to the next Martha Stewart. The only thing Waverly doesn’t have is something she can never have, a child. Waverly has just had her sixth miscarriage and has been told she can’t try to get pregnant again. Charlie travels to central Europe for an NGO teaching sex education. She had left the US with the thought of returning after only a few weeks but found her calling in South Africa. She was even determined to set up a clinic for women there only to have that dream stolen when all of her monies were embezzled by her business manager and then she was attacked and brutally raped. She’s not sure what she wants from life, but she is sure that she can help her sister achieve her dream and offers to be a surrogate. Little do either Waverly or Charlie realize that this offer will send their lives spiraling down paths neither one saw coming. Will they be able to survive the future alone or finally come together as sisters once again?
I found Becoming the Talbot Sisters to be a fast-paced read and one that offered a little bit of everything, family drama, hints of romance, international intrigue, and more. Both Waverly and Charlie do a lot of soul searching and find out what they want from themselves and each other. It was interesting reading about them redeveloping their relationship as adults and revealing the secrets they had tried so hard to keep hidden for so many years. This became not just a story of sisterhood but about women empowering one another in so many ways (trust me, once you read the story you’ll understand), as well as a story about hope, courage, love, and family. Throughout their journeys, Waverly and Charlie find that life is neither “simple” nor “perfect” but together it can be just right. For those of you that enjoy reading inspirational fiction then I heartily recommend you grab a copy of Becoming the Talbot Sisters to read. For those of you that aren’t quite sure about inspirational fiction, then I say this book will surprise you and go ahead and grab a copy to read, you can thank me later. The only problem I had with this book is that it made me incredibly hungry to try out all of the foods being described and I wish there were a few recipes included to try out (and I don’t even cook). I look forward to reading more from Ms. Linden in the future.
Meet the author
Rachel Linden is a novelist and international aid worker whose adventures living and traveling in fifty countries around the world provide excellent grist for her stories. She holds an MA in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College, a BA in Literature from Huntington University, and studied creative writing at Oxford University. Rachel lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and two children. She enjoys creating stories about hope and courage with a hint of romance and a touch of whimsy.
Connect with her via her website at RachelLinden.com and Facebook: AuthorRachelLinden
This review and tour brought to you by TLC Book Tours
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