Rescued?

When my parents came to visit a few ago, Mom brought me Nicholas Sparks' The Rescue.  Of course, I have a love/hate relationship with good ole Nick.  I love that his books are quick, easy, and interesting reads.  They are definitely good and worth reading.  The stories are stories about people who seem just as real as I do.  My favorite part about his books are the fact that almost all of them are set in the state of North Carolina; Sparks mentions places in NC I'm familiar with--places where I have actually been myself!  It certainly makes the reading of his books more fun when I read about a place where I've not just been, but where I've lived!!!!  (Could I maybe know someone he's writing about?!)

But I hate Sparks' books, too.  Why?  Because they're predictable:  an important character ALWAYS dies.  I think I've read ONE Sparks book where no one died in the end.  I don't remember the name of it right off right now, but I do remember that it's the one with the Cape Hatteras Light House on the cover.  I really prefer a little more suprise than that.  Oh, wait!  No one dies in The Wedding....or does the dad die at the end of that one.....?  It's been awhile; I can't remember.  The Wedding is my absolute favorite Nicholas Sparks book.  I think it should be REQUIRED reading for every couple--whether married already or getting married!!!!!

I mean that.

Anyway, I put off reading The Rescue until I finished re-reading the Twilight series.  I hate stopping in the middle of something.  But I wanted to read it before I start my "heavy" summer reading (The Lord of the Rings series). 

Of course, I flew through it.  I didn't read it quite as quickly as I would have liked, but it didn't take me that long.  I enjoyed the read, too.  I was worried the beginning would be the saddest part of the book, but the rescue at the beginning ends just fine.  Personally, not that I want to see something bad happen to anyone--especially NOT to a child, I think it would have been a better story if the first rescue hadn't gone so well.  I'm not a sicko.  I really am not.  It's just that everything is so "perfect" and ends so happily.....and predictably.

I didn't feel on the edge of my seat anxious about what was happening to Kyle (the little boy) because I just didn't believe that Sparks would write about something bad happening to a little boy.  And I was right.  But I want Sparks to write something NOT EXPECTED.....and it would have been completely unexpected for things to have turned out differently with Kyle......

Did I like the book?  Of course I did.  It's a sweet romantic story aobut a couple trying to overcome their pasts and just find a way to love one another TODAY.  I liked it.  It had everything a romantic story like this should have.

I even cried when one of the important characters finally dies towards the end of the story.  But I cried the hardests when the main male love lead tells the story of what happened in the fire he's been tormented about since he was 9 years old---and his dad had died.  That story was heart-wrenching.  You'd have to an unfeeling boob to read that story and NOT cry......The build-up to the telling of that particular horror story is worth the wait.  Again, I don't WANT bad things to happen to people, but the reality of life is that they DO.  When Taylor tells Denise the story of how his dad died in the fire all those years ago, my heart went out to Taylor and I fell in love with him!!!!!

It is a true Nicholas Sparks book and definitely worth the read.  If you've enjoyed any other Sparks' books previously, you'll enjoy this one, too!