The Unfinished Gift review

Taken from the back cover: Ian Collins is an old man without his son. Patrick Collins is a young boy without his father. On his Christmas list are only three items. He wants the army to find his father. He wants to leave his grandfather's house. And he wants the dusty wooden soldier in Grandfather's attic - the one he is forbidden to touch.

My Review: WOW! Excellent book. I knew I would like it when I read the quotations from other authors on the front and back covers both mentioning the need for kleenex while reading it. I was very impressed with the high quality of this book, especially knowing that this is the first novel for Dan Walsh. The storyline is gripping and the characters are realistic. It is an emotional tale but definitely worth reading! I am looking forward to Dan's second book "The Homecoming", which will be released as the sequel in June 2010.

Click on the book icon to read an excerpt from The Unfinished Gift.

"Available at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group."

The Homecoming

The Homecoming
by:  Dan Walsh


A reluctant war hero returns home and encounters a new chance at love.


No sooner has Shawn Collins returned home from the fighting in Europe than he is called upon to serve his country in another way--as a speaker on the war bond tour. While other men might jump at the chance to travel around the country with attractive Hollywood starlets, Shawn just wants to stay home with his son Patrick and his aging father, and grieve the loss of his wife in private. When Shawn asks Katherine Townsend to be Patrick's nanny while he's on the road, he has no idea how this decision will impact his life. Could it be the key to his future happiness and the mending of his heart? Or will the war once again threaten his chances for a new start?

Dan Walsh does not disappoint in this tender story of family ties and the healing of a broken heart.




My Review:  I was a huge fan of Dan Walsh's first book "The Unfinished Gift", which is the prequel to "The Homecoming".  It was fun to continue with the same characters although I will have to admit that I enjoyed the first book more than this one.  I didn't find it to be as emotionally gripping, and at times it felt like the story was rushed with gaps in the storyline.  That being said, it was still an enjoyable book.  I already had a connection with the characters so it was nice to find some closure for each of them.

***Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.  Available now at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group***