Family Blessings

by LaVyrle Spencer

When her eldest son, Greg, is killed in a motorcycle accident, widowed florist Lee Reston turns to Chris Lallak, Greg's best friend and a young man many years her junior, for comfort

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Family, Drama

534 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

LaVyrle Spencer is an American best-selling author of contemporary and historical romance novels. She has successfully published a number of books, with several of them made into movies. Twelve of her books have been New York Times bestsellers, and Spencer was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame in 1988.

Spencer is known for creating realistic characters and stories that focus on families rather than only the relationship between a man and woman. These "ordinary" men and women are warm and vulnerable and are always portrayed sympathetically.[1] Her heroines tend to be a mix of fire and warmth, strength, savvy and soft–heartedness who must overcome some sort of adversity, such as pregnancy, divorce, a lengthy separation, the loss of a loved one, and then undergo a catharsis. The stories center on themes of abiding love, family ties and strength in difficult times.

In the 1980s and 1990s Spencer wrote 12 New York Times Bestsellers. Her books have been sold to book clubs worldwide, and have been published around the world. Condensed versions of many of her novels have appeared in Reader's Digest and Good Housekeeping.

She retired from writing in 1997.

Reviews

[Birjis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lavyryle Spencer stories gives me warm nostalgic feelings. Always I think the plot is of hardship which is different from the digital world, the hype of her books make me feel of longing and wistfulness of something I don't know.
Once again the characters here are memorable and complex. 45-year-old Lex is in a relationship with her dead son's 30-year-old best friend, Christopher. Both of them turn to each other in grief, there is friendliness and eventually love. There isn't much difficulties or situations for this forbidden couple. Lee brings out her relationship with Chris with her two other children by considering the issues of society.
It's a clean read for a taboo theme. 

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sort of know what to expect when I pick up a LaVyrle Spencer book - not too much drama, hometown tale ... this one was no different. Liked the characters, apart from the judgemental mother and sister... jealousy will take over every time, with some folks.


When a man starts dating a younger woman, all is fine... but if it is the other way around, there is some criticism. She is seen as robbing the cradle, so to speak.



Everyone deserves happiness and you sometimes have to buck the trend ... married a younger man myself! LOL. Only 6 months difference but they way he tells it sometimes, you would think he was tied to an ancient old bag!!!


A nice story with a happy ending. Of course I would have loved an Epilogue ...

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall rating: 5 stars!

Triggers:
Cheating: No
Love triangle: No
Sex with om/ow: No, but there is a kissing scene that I was explain later
Intimate pasts: Chris hasn't had sex in over two years. He is a relationship type of guy. He has never loved before in his life. He is not a "ladies' man" per his own words and refers to himself as a loner.

Lee hasn't had sex in 9 years since her husband died of a brain aneurysm. She did go on a few dates after a few years, but even those kisses left her "wanting to brush her teeth."
Push/pull: Yes. First of all, let me just say that Chris' past is tragic. Absolutely heartbreaking. That's why he has never loved anyone, he didn't know how. He is a loner and has always been that way so he valued his friendship with Greg, Lee's son very much and even the time he spent with Greg's family before his death. After Greg's death, he and Lee grow very close and develop a very sweet friendship that Chris quickly realizes is turning into more. He tip toes around it at first because he fears rejection and at the same time, he doesn't want to ruin his relationship with Lee. He mentions to her one day that he has a blind double date with some friends and one of their friend or sisters or something. He isn't happy about going and he is hoping that Lee will say something. She says nothing, but is jealous on the inside. This book is dual POV so you get both sides. So he goes on this double date and the whole time he is thinking and comparing this woman to Lee. He doesn't like this woman at all - he finds her pathetic. She is a divorcee that has children and CONSTANTLY mentions her husband. He didn't like her even before she opened her mouth because he doesn't WANT anyone but Lee, but he just wants to get the night over with. He ends up bringing the girl home because she didn't have a vehicle with her. After he walks her to her door, he turns away and then she calls out to him, pleading with him to just kiss her. She tells him a lot of things that she knows the date was horrible and she isn't over her ex husband and she knows she will never see him again after tonight, but she is so lonely. So he does - he french kisses her pretending that she is Lee to actually get through it. He has a soft spot for lonely because that's exactly his life. Once the woman starts moving her arms towards groping, he immediately steps back (even saying in his mind, that he isn't THAT nice) and never sees her again. He DOES tell Lee about this, including the fact that he kissed her while imagining it was her. I didn't bother me at all because of how it was presented and how much of a backstory we had at that point from both Lee and Chris. I totally understood where Chris was coming from. So after this point starts Lee pushing him away. They do eventually start dating in secret and when the truth comes out, people turn away from her so she pushes him away again. He chases her up until that point because he doesn't want to ruin her life. So she IS the one to go after him, but it made sense and of course, he waited for her. He wasn't even remotely a manwhore at all
OM/OW drama: None as far as significant others go - but Lee's family does cause issues. Especially her daughter, Janice, who has had a major crush on Chris for years. Janice is currently 23 years old and her brother Greg was 25. Chris is 30 - so he is a little older with an even older heart and that's why he and Lee connected so well even though she was 45 years old. Janice is slightly flirty and drops hints to Chris just about every time she sees him at her mother's house when she is home from school. Chris never looks twice at her, but does notice her crush on him. He never entertains it and at the very least ignores any comments she makes. Like he is obvious, even though he isn't. So naturally, when she finds out about her mother's relationship with him, she is absolutely devastated. Lee's mother, father and sister cause some trouble for her too. Her son, though and her ex father-in-law were wonderful to her about everything.

I adored ADORED Chris so at times I felt myself being bias and wanting to knock Lee in the head, but i Loved her too. She was a great mother and a wonderful lady entirely. And the truth is, I UNDERSTOOD where she was coming from and why she pushed him away like she did.

HEA: Yes, very sweet :D

My review:

Gosh, I have to say - it has been SO freaking REFRESHING to read two books back to back where the hero's were not MANWHORES. OMG, I can't even tell you how refreshing.

This is a very emotional book. Chris is a 30 year old police officer of a small town, who at the beginning of the book is happy about to celebrate picking up his first brand new vehicle and going out to the lake for the weekend with his best friend, who is also a cop. This day is shattered when he comes to find out that his friend Greg has died, not even on duty, while driving to his mom's house to fix a hose for her. He is absolutely devastated, especially because he knows Greg's wonderful family and with all the bad things that have happened throughout Chris' life and all the bad things he sees on the streets, he doesn't understand why Greg. Why? From there, he feels like Greg's mom, Lee, whom Greg absolutely adored, would want to hear the news better from him then anyone else. So there begins the start of a beautiful friendship between Chris and Lee that soon turns into more.

I loved reading Chris and Lee's progression from friends to lovers. I freaking ADORED Chris so very much. He was just such an amazing guy and hero. I loved Lee as well - she was a wonderful mother and leading lady as well.

This is another slow burn type of book, but I seriously enjoyed every minute of it.

I am so spoiled now, I don't know why to read next!!!

[Sera · Rating 5 out of 5]

How refreshing this book was, but what else would I expect from LaVyrle Spencer. She just has a way of weaving a truly memorable story with such relatable characters. It was an honest story about grief and finding love in the unexpected. I loved both Lee and Christopher so much. They were very genuine and the build up was gradual and believeable. It was sweet without being cheesy. Just the right amount of everything.

[Pikolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preciosa historia, con su toque agridulce.
Muy romantica, con protagonistas inmejorables.
Recomendable sin ninguna duda.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful relationship - much more than lust. A full story, a good story.

This is romance with a womens fiction feel. There is a lot of grief in the first third of the book. A mother Lee loses her 25 year old son Greg in a motorcycle accident. Chris is Greg’s roommate and coworker. Chris mourns the loss with Lee and her family. I don’t want to read books about grief and depressing topics. But this was less troubling than I expected. The author wasn’t focused on making me cry or feel bad. Instead the funeral and death was more of a vehicle for Chris’ and Lee’s paths to cross, repeatedly. Their actions, interactions, and help for each other and compassion for each other was so sensitive and loving to watch. It was wonderful watching them fall in love, even though Lee resisted - for good reasons. She was 45 Chris was 30. Yet it was a wonderful love. It made me want to fall in love like that.

There were interesting side stories about their families. Lee’s 23 year old daughter wanted to date Chris. She had no idea that Chris only had eyes for her mother. Lee’s 14 year old son had unexpected and fun reactions. There is a touching side story about Chris helping a troubled teen.

NARRATOR:
Sadly the narrator was a bad fit. Barbara Rush has a quivering deep elderly lady voice. It did not fit a sensual sexy woman falling in love. It did not fit the sex scenes - think 70 year old lady having sex. Also she overly sweetened her voice for Lee’s dialogue - like a Snow-White-Disney-princess type. It didn’t feel right for Lee or her children.

The recording sounded odd. It had a muffled sound like talking through a blanket. I got used to it after a while, or it got better.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 15 hrs and 17 mins. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but rarely used. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 4 to 5. Setting: 1992 mostly Anoka, Minnesota. Book copyright: 1993. Genre: grief with contemporary romance, older woman younger man.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

How refreshing to have a squared-away, good guy hero who knows exactly what he wants. Christopher is the heart and soul of this book. Obviously, the beginning is heartbreaking, but it turns into a beautiful love story. I commend Spencer for writing a touching, realistic storyline for a heroine over 40; we don't have enough of them in romance.

Spencer continues to astound me with her writing. I can't thank my sweet friend, Beth enough for introducing this author to me.

[BG · Rating 5 out of 5]

"And studied each other with mayonnaise in the corners of their mouths. With their hair imperfect and wet around the edges. And their complexions ruddy and unsmooth from exertion. Wearing some of the oldest clothes they owned. Experiencing a comfort level they found with few others."

[BJ Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This story was so emotionally draining through the first part that I had to put it down and do something physical to recharge. As this story opens, the heroine is a widow who loses her oldest child in a motorcycle accident, and we soon learn that two decades earlier she lost a baby to SIDS. This sounds like a bad soap opera, but in this author's hands, it becomes an uplifting story of dealing with loss.

Unfortunately, IMO, this is marketed as a romance, and the focus in readers' minds is on the older woman/younger man relationship - but this is so much more; it's about how people deal with loss, and how that loss can come forward "out of the blue" and seem as fresh as the day it happened.

I don't know that I'll ever be able to read this again - I used so many tissues my husband was sure I must have a cold - but I'll never be sorry I read it. It is definitely a count-your-blessings story, and a tribute to the strength and resilience of family.

[BWT · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nostalgic favorite.

LaVryle Spencer is one of my go-to romance writers for when I'm in a nostalgic MF romance mood. In 'Family Blessings' the plot still mostly holds up, and I'm reminded how ridiculously few romances there are that have a 40+ year old female MC who actually gets her HEA without a surprise pregnancy involved.

[Ivonne. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una bonita historia, sencilla, y muy realista, narrada de manera magistral que logra aflorar muchos emociones y sentimientos, empieza con mucho dolor, una madre pierde a su hijo joven y un policía a su mejor amigo se apoyan y consuelan mutuamente, sin imaginar que dichos sentimientos dan paso a otros más profundos, teniendo en contra no solo la diferencia de edad, si no también la oposición de los padres e hija, lo cual nos enseña que el respeto así sea a los padres merecen ganárselos, me han encantado Christopher y Lee, ambos son maravillosos seres humanos y ame a los secundarios LLoyd el suegro y Joey el hijo menor, muestra más madurez que los adultos. Una historia más del #RetoRita3.

[Dagmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

So incredibly moving. What a beautiful story...another LaVyrle Spencer gem

[La comunidad del libro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leer la crítica en:
http://www.lacomunidaddellibro.com/pe...

[Laura L · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well this was like torture.

[Elisabeth Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Family Blessings" was an awesome book and what I would consider a true "older woman, younger man" scenario. Lee is a 45 year old woman whose son, Greg, is killed in an accident. She ends up relying on Greg's 30 year old friend, roommate and coworker Christopher, for help and guidance. They start out as acquaintances who are in mourning, slowing become friends and eventually fall in love. The pace of this story was perfect - nothing felt "insta" and it was completely believable. There were quite a few times I felt teary-eyed because of the circumstances surrounding Greg. It was told mostly from Lee's POV with Christopher's thrown in every now and then. My only complaint is that this book was written in 1994 and that was obvious throughout the whole story. Most of the time Lee sounded like someone's grandmother because of the phrases she used. Clothing was described frequently and some of it was pretty bad - Christopher would mow the lawn in cut-off jean shorts? Lee thought he looked pretty hot but the image I came up with just made me cringe! The archaic attitudes of those around Lee when it came to her and Christopher being together seemed way out of line to me but maybe 20+ years ago their relationship would have been more shocking. Too bad an editor couldn't go back and bring this book into the 21st century!

[Jacqueline J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I cried at the death of the son which happens on the first page and occupies about half of the book. The relationship between the older woman and the younger man was good but sometimes I get tired of the woman always being so upset about falling in love with a younger man. I married a younger man (granted just 7 years not 15 but even books with a 5 to 7 years difference make a big deal out of it) and it just didn't matter to either of us. The romance was good and well written. I generally prefer that any crying I do be over the troubles in the love aspect of a novel and not over a death. Thank goodness the son was grown. I don't think I'd have read it if he had been a little boy.

[Kristen Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book years ago, and decided to search for it for Kindle. It was more expensive than the books I usually buy for my Kindle, and filled with typos, but I don't regret my choice for a second. This book was even better than I remembered it being, and is one of my favorites by this author. The characters are vividly drawn, and the changing of the POV between characters is done very well. Lee and Christopher are thrown together when Lee's son, and Christopher's roommate, dies suddenly. As they lean on each other for support during the initial grieving, their relationship develops into a deeper, romantic relationship, which throws their lives into upheaval as they deal with the censure and judgement of Lee's family.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

"Widowed at an early age, 44-year-old Lee Reston has overcome many obstacles to raise three children and build a successful business. When her eldest son is killed in a motorcycle accident, Lee turns to his 30-year-old best friend for comfort--and falls in love with him." (From Amazon)

I enjoyed this contemporary family fiction.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual, Spencer is able to take a sensitive subject and handle it with grace. I really liked this book till the end when I thought the main character became selfish, immature and overly mushy and it kind of ruined the whole premise of the story for me. Otherwise, it was easy to read, down to earth and relatable.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for me actually. Gosh, it took me longer than usual to read a book... It started off really slow and there were some details that should have been better left unwritten, but overall it was a refreshing, unconventional read.

[Min · Rating 3 out of 5]

The heroine's boring and doesn't seem to respect the hero enough. I wish she grovelled for how she threw their relationship aside to please her family. I get that being people-pleasing is a thing. But for a woman in her mid-forties, I was hoping she had more of a backbone.

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first chapters are overly dramatic.
I have loved Spencer's books from the 1980's, but this one I couldn't stand.
Not my cup of tea anymore.

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Venía con pocas ganas de leer y recurrí al género que siempre me salva: el romance. Y a mi autora favorita de la vida: Lavyrle Spencer. Tenía pendiente hace mucho este libro. Lo empecé a leer y no pude parar. En tres días me lo devoré. Anteriormente leí otro de Spencer que me decepcionó y tenía miedo con qué me iba a encontrar acá pero puedo decir que me enamoró por completo ♥ y es una novela SPENCER con todas las letras (repleta de sentimientos, dura, tierna, romántica en todos los sentidos). Amé a sus personajes, amé el modo en que desarrolla a cada uno y la relación entre los protagonistas. Chris pasa a ser uno de mis protas masculinos favoritos y Lee me pareció una mujer maravillosa. Solo le vi cosas buenas a este libro y me alegro mucho de haberlo leído.

[Consuelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

No ha estado mal, pero muy lejos de otras obras de la autora que tanto me gustaron, un duelo inicial excesivo, un cortejo tan correcto como lento y un empalago final de más.
Ella es una heroína, pero el es tan correcto que no he llegado a sentir ese amor que proclama una y otra vez, falta pasión, que no sexo, sino ese tic que te hace sentir la historia...quizás ni llegue al 3, pero escribe muy muy bien

[Cathy Munson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy LaVerle Spencer’s books. This one was no different. I cried from page 2 to page 30.
She draws you in with no unnecessary drama just true feelings. I could have done without all of the time spent describing their many intimacies.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story. It started off with tears and ended in tears. There was a similar story in my family so I truly loved this.

[Donna K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, keeps you reading to see what happens next!!!!

[Umi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee Reston adalah seorang janda berusia 45 tahun dengan 3 orang anak. Selain kehilangan suami di usia 36 tahun, dia juga pernah kehilangan putranya yang baru berusia 3 bulan. Dia adalah seorang single mother yang mendedikasikan dirinya untuk anak-anaknya. Lalu putra sulungnya, Greg yang berprofesi sebagai polisi tiba-tiba tewas dalam kecelakaan. Dunia Lee pun runtuh. Dia tidak bisa menanggung lagi kehilangan keluarga. Untungnya datang Christopher. Teman sekamar Greg yang juga berprofesi sebagai polisi yang mendampinginya menghadapi cobaan buruk. Awalnya Lee melihat Chris sebagai pengganti Greg yang selalu pengertian. Begitu juga Chris melihat Lee sebagai ibu perhatian yang tak pernah dia miliki. Mereka menjalin persahabatan yang hangat dan saling menghibur dalam menghadapi kematian Greg. Dari persahabatan timbul perasaan cinta di antara keduanya. Sayangnya Chris berusia 15 tahun lebih muda dari Lee dan putri sulung Lee, Janice juga menyukai Chris. Lee sebagai ibu dan wanita harus memilih antara perasaannya atau perasaan keluarganya.
Novel ini adalah novel lama. Terbitan tahun 1993. Perceritaannya mengingatkan saya pada novel-novel awal Maria A Sardjono. Yang hangat, penuh dengan penggambaran kekeluargaan, dan masih menjunjung adat kesopanan. Berbeda dengan novel cinta sekarang yang lebih mengedepankan nafsu birahi. Para karakter di dalamnya relatable. Kedua karakter utamanya juga gampang disukai dan bikin simpati. Lee, wanita sederhana yang memiliki keluarga sempurna meski berkali-kali mengalami cobaan. Pilihan dan pemikirannya ketika dia jatuh cinta setelah sekian lama dengan pemuda 15 tahun di bawahnya bisa dimengerti dan masuk akal. Lalu Christopher yang dewasa dan pengertian tapi juga mendambakan keluarga yang sempurna sangat mudah untuk disukai.
Novel cinta yang diceritakan secara santun dengan penggambaran tentang kesedihan akan kehilangan orang yang dikasihi, bagaimana menerima cobaan atas kehilangan itu, Kegalauan seorang wanita yang harus memilih kebahagiaannya atau penerimaan keluarganya. Novel cinta yang indah yang membuat saya ingin membaca karya lain dari penulisnya.

[kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great descriptive writing,

This is the 2nd book I've read by this author and have enjoyed them both. Though she is billed as a 'romance' author, she is really a 'relationship' author, because her character definitely develop relationships. This author does a great job with character development, and with descriptions of people and places.

I did feel the book dragged at one point, shortly after the relationship became physical. I guess the point was to let us know how passionate they were for each other, but truly, I got the message early on, and all the extra did nothing to further the story. The book probably could have been shortened by about 50 pages.

I know some had a problem with the 'mother of best friend' thing, but really, I think they had a problem with the 'age' thing. Once you are a mature adult, friends come in all ages, so those people need to ask themselves...if Chris had been 45 and Greg's best friend, woud the 'mother of best friend' thing still come into play.

Anyway, I really DID enjoy this book and will read more by this author. I recommend her to anyone who wants to take there time 'savoring' the descriptive writing.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Best Book Read In Years

This was the first LaVyrle Spencer book that I have ever read and now I am a fan for life. I've been really getting bored with writers like Nora Roberts who change the names of their characters and release the same stories over and over and there's never anything that causes the reader to remember the book when it's finished. The same can never be said about Family Blessings. From the first paragraph to the last sentence, it's very hard to put down. It's a sweet and funny story at times, but at times the characters rip your heart out. It's, without a doubt the best book I've read in many years. I hope that as I read more of Ms. Spencer's books, I will find many other treasures just waiting for me to love as much as I loved this one. Highly recommended to anyone who loves to read.