In Every Heartbeat

By: Kim Vogel Sawyer

Narrated by: Julia Gibson

Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

As three friends who grew up in the same orphanage head off to college together, they each harbor a special plan for the future. Libby Conley hopes to become a famous journalist. Pete Leidig believes God has called him to study to become a minister. And Bennett Martin plans to pledge a fraternity, find a place to belong, and have as much fun as possible.

But as tensions rise around the world on the brink of World War I, the friends' differing aspirations and opinions begin to divide them, as well. When Libby makes a shocking discovery about Pete's family, will it drive a final wedge between the friends - or bond them in ways they never anticipated?

©2010 Kim Vogel Sawyer (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Sequel to My Heart Remembers

For the most part I enjoyed this book up until the near end. Close to end, I thought the book was way to mushy. Also left a couple of unanswered questions. The narrator at times was annoying in my opinion.

Second book of series about orphans

I enjoyed the story of the lives of the orphans as they continued their journey to fulfill their lives. As always, they grew in relationships with God learning His plan for their lives

ONLY REASON FOR NOT GIVING 5 STARS

I do so appreciate this author and her clean and meaningful stories. I usually give 5 stars, but in this case I had one concern with the narrator and one with the author. It may sound trite, but the author chooses to allow the main female character to continue calling the main male character by his childhood name of Petey even when he has become a man and has asked not to be called Petey but to be called Pete. The female character simply says that "you'll always be Petey to me", insinuating that what I want to call you is far more important than what you want to be called. As I relate to my own family, we have had many family members who wanted to be called a more grown-up name as they got older. For instance, Danny wanted to be Dan. Abie wanted to be Abe. Donnie wanted to be Don. But yet when one female member of the family wanted to drop the ey off of her name, several family members balked and refused to do so continuing to call her a name that she had asked not to be called clear into their late adulthood. I know the pain and hurt that that caused, and I'm surprised that the author let that go clear to the end of the book. The concern I had with the narrator is that one of the main characters from book had been a tomboy type; bullheaded, stubborn personality who did settle down and calm somewhat but of course would never be a prim and prissy almost uppity type person. However, the narrator uses for the same character in this book a prim and prissy almost snooty type of voice which just does not fit with a character that has already been established for her. I'm wondering if the narrator did not read the previous book narrated by someone else, or did not get any coaching on what the personality of this particular character already established, was. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Terrible, irritating narration

Julia Gibson, as narrator, has a terrible habit of pushing out the last word of almost every sentence with an airy gush and elongating each of those last words. The intonation in dialogue is quite unnaturally affected. The story would have been good if it weren't so irritating to listen to it.

Warning

Well written and entertaining. Something to listen to while at the gym.

But there is no mention in the audible listing that this book is of a religious genre, specifically Christian, with a lot of references to church and "morality", with a lot of ideology and censorship thrown in.

I would have appreciated some advance warning.