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From Kenya, With Love #2
After the Silence
Does following her passion mean losing her way?
Marine Ben Corallis is an expert at facing death, but nothing comes close to the terror that grounds him when his wife is killed in a car accident the day he returns from duty. He's left to raise an infant, a toddler and a ten-year-old girl who hasn't uttered a word since her mother's death.
It's hard not to care for the widowed marine with three young children. Yet he's still grieving, too burdened with guilt to fall in love again. And Hope Alwanga's future as a doctor awaits her on the other side of the world, in Nairobi. If two such opposites can't agree on a common country, how can they ever create a safe place to call home?
Marine Ben Corallis is an expert at facing death, but nothing comes close to the terror that grounds him when his wife is killed in a car accident the day he returns from duty. He's left to raise an infant, a toddler and a ten-year-old girl who hasn't uttered a word since her mother's death.
It's hard not to care for the widowed marine with three young children. Yet he's still grieving, too burdened with guilt to fall in love again. And Hope Alwanga's future as a doctor awaits her on the other side of the world, in Nairobi. If two such opposites can't agree on a common country, how can they ever create a safe place to call home?
368 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2015
About the author
Rula Sinara
26 books434 followersAfter a childhood enriched with exotic travels and adventures (both in books and real life), USA Today and Nationally Bestselling author Rula Sinara is now settled in rural Virginia with her husband, three kids and crazy but endearing pets. When she's not writing, she's busy attracting wildlife to her yard, watching romantic movies (despite male protests) or researching trees on her garden wish list.
She's a 2014 National Readers Choice Award winner and double finalist, a 2015 HOLT Medallion Award of Merit winner, a 2015 Golden Quill runner up and a 2015 Book Buyer's Best finalist.
Find out more or sign up for her newsletter at www.rulasinara.com or www.awritersrush.blogspot.com.
She's a 2014 National Readers Choice Award winner and double finalist, a 2015 HOLT Medallion Award of Merit winner, a 2015 Golden Quill runner up and a 2015 Book Buyer's Best finalist.
Find out more or sign up for her newsletter at www.rulasinara.com or www.awritersrush.blogspot.com.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 1, 2015
"After the Silence" by Rula Sinara is my first read by this author and it will not be my last. She had me from the very first couple of pages through the Prologue and I didn't want to put the story down.
We meet Marine Ben Coallis as he comes home from leave and walks into the door of his home surrounded by his children. His wife Zoe says she'd be back within 15 minutes with the celebratory hamburgers they always had when he returned from a tour of duty. She never made it back home. Instead he gets a knock on the door and is met by policemen informing him that his wife was killed by a drunk driver.
Hope Alwanga is interning at a clinic in Africa near her home. She is burned out by the long hours and her family can see that she needs a little time away to regroup and relax. Her brother suggests that she visit a friends family and she can stay with them in the United States. What was supposed to be a 3 month visit turns into much more.
This is a book that can be read by younger teens since there is no graphic sexual scenes. What the reader will get is a love story that grows from acceptance and learning to heal after the loss of a loved one. There is quite a bit to this story with Ben's daughter refusing to talk after her mother died, his middle child needing structure and an outlet for his energy, a baby who will never know his birth mother, and the parents of Zoe who are in the middle of the whole story. It is well written, and a pretty fast read. 5 out of 5 stars.
We meet Marine Ben Coallis as he comes home from leave and walks into the door of his home surrounded by his children. His wife Zoe says she'd be back within 15 minutes with the celebratory hamburgers they always had when he returned from a tour of duty. She never made it back home. Instead he gets a knock on the door and is met by policemen informing him that his wife was killed by a drunk driver.
Hope Alwanga is interning at a clinic in Africa near her home. She is burned out by the long hours and her family can see that she needs a little time away to regroup and relax. Her brother suggests that she visit a friends family and she can stay with them in the United States. What was supposed to be a 3 month visit turns into much more.
This is a book that can be read by younger teens since there is no graphic sexual scenes. What the reader will get is a love story that grows from acceptance and learning to heal after the loss of a loved one. There is quite a bit to this story with Ben's daughter refusing to talk after her mother died, his middle child needing structure and an outlet for his energy, a baby who will never know his birth mother, and the parents of Zoe who are in the middle of the whole story. It is well written, and a pretty fast read. 5 out of 5 stars.
March 5, 2015
I received this book for free as part of a first reads promotion
February 22, 2020
I laughed , I cried... oh, did I cry, and I smiled a lot while reading this book. It was a very emotional ride that I thoroughly enjoyed. I love this author. This was definitely one of the most moving romance novels I've ever read, maybe because it wasn't just a tale of a man and woman falling in love, but a whole family coming together. It was wonderful and nothing I write in this review will do it justice. Read it. You won't be sorry.
March 19, 2020
The Christmas tree shopping scene is movie worthy.
November 2, 2015
Hope Alwanga needs a break. Interning in the emergency room of a public Nairobi, Kenya hospital with limited staff, working feverishly on the sick and injured for little money and with hardly any sleep is challenging even for a person in optimum health. So when Hope's brother Simba sees her faltering in his lab during a visit after work, he insists that she take some time off from her hectic job. Simba's friend and colleague Jack Harper has recently lost his sister Zoe. Zoe's husband, instant single dad and Marine Ben Corallis, is caring for their three children back in Pennsylvania, USA with the assistance of Zoe's parents. But when Simba and Jack suggest that Hope take a vacation to the U.S. to help out Ben with his kids as a nanny of sorts for a few months, Hope is skeptical. How can caring for three young children, one of which hasn't spoken since her mother died, be considered a relaxing vacation? After some gentle prodding from both men she agrees and heads to America. Will Hope be satisfied with a few months of respite from her demanding job and return to Kenya rejuvenated and ready to dive back in, or will she find that the needs of a broken family are too important to leave behind? Will she discover that dreams come in many forms, and that it's always best to follow your own rather than those that others have mapped out for you?
After the Silence is Book 2 of the From Kenya, With Love series—The Promise of Rain is the first in the series. After having read The Promise of Rain I eagerly anticipated the sequel, and as expected it fulfilled my expectations in the form of a deeply emotional and thoroughly gratifying read. (Although this is Book 2 in the series it can be enjoyed as a standalone as some backstory details are interwoven in the narrative to acquaint the reader with the characters and circumstances.) I loved the way the characters from The Promise of Rain were incorporated into After the Silence. Rula Sinara did a beautiful job of alloting many of the characters an inner conflict of their own that kept me fully engaged and wondering how each one would overcome their challenges and embrace the life that was meant for them to live. I also felt that the characters' stories could be further expounded on, in what I hope will be Book 3 in the series. A tender and deeply moving story of loss, love, absolution and healing. After the Silence will grip your heart and won't let it go until it concludes and you feel warm and comforted from the inside out.
After the Silence is Book 2 of the From Kenya, With Love series—The Promise of Rain is the first in the series. After having read The Promise of Rain I eagerly anticipated the sequel, and as expected it fulfilled my expectations in the form of a deeply emotional and thoroughly gratifying read. (Although this is Book 2 in the series it can be enjoyed as a standalone as some backstory details are interwoven in the narrative to acquaint the reader with the characters and circumstances.) I loved the way the characters from The Promise of Rain were incorporated into After the Silence. Rula Sinara did a beautiful job of alloting many of the characters an inner conflict of their own that kept me fully engaged and wondering how each one would overcome their challenges and embrace the life that was meant for them to live. I also felt that the characters' stories could be further expounded on, in what I hope will be Book 3 in the series. A tender and deeply moving story of loss, love, absolution and healing. After the Silence will grip your heart and won't let it go until it concludes and you feel warm and comforted from the inside out.
February 21, 2015
This review first appeared on my blog Christy's Cozy Corners.
After the Silence is the heartwarming story about Hope, a young Kenyan medical intern. Dedication is Hope's middle name, so when there is a shortage of help at the hospital, Hope stays. And stays and stays until she is exhausted and can't go on. Her brother and friend arrange for her to go to America to help a widower who has 3 young children to care for after losing his wife 6 months ago. Hope isn't sure how it will go, but she needs a break from what she has been doing. This seems like the perfect opportunity.
Maddie, one of the children Hope will be caring for, has not spoken since her mother's death. It causes a lot of trouble at school and a lot of concern for her father, Ben. This, along with having a rambunctious 4 year old boy and a baby to care for, has caused Ben a lot of stress. Hope's coming seems like just what the family needs. But is it? Will it just make things worse when Hope has to return to Kenya? You'll have to read to find out!
The characters in After the Silence are very well-written, and you'll feel like they could be your neighbor or best friend. This story drew me in very quickly, and I finished it within 2 days. It is very realistic and moving. Having lost my husband, I know what it is like to lose a spouse. I have 2 children, but they are older than what Ben's kids were. Being teens, it is still very hard to lose a parent, but I can't imagine if they had been little...the burden it would have been for me to care for little ones on my own. It was easier since mine were more self-sufficient, though the pain wasn't easier. Cherish every moment you have with your spouse and children. Loss can come quickly as Ben and his wife's parents found out in this story.
I love Harlequin's Heartwarming books. I like that they are clean and sweet, yet they retain the romance and love. I highly recommend this book. I'll have to go back and read the first book in this series. This can be read as a stand alone though.
After the Silence is the heartwarming story about Hope, a young Kenyan medical intern. Dedication is Hope's middle name, so when there is a shortage of help at the hospital, Hope stays. And stays and stays until she is exhausted and can't go on. Her brother and friend arrange for her to go to America to help a widower who has 3 young children to care for after losing his wife 6 months ago. Hope isn't sure how it will go, but she needs a break from what she has been doing. This seems like the perfect opportunity.
Maddie, one of the children Hope will be caring for, has not spoken since her mother's death. It causes a lot of trouble at school and a lot of concern for her father, Ben. This, along with having a rambunctious 4 year old boy and a baby to care for, has caused Ben a lot of stress. Hope's coming seems like just what the family needs. But is it? Will it just make things worse when Hope has to return to Kenya? You'll have to read to find out!
The characters in After the Silence are very well-written, and you'll feel like they could be your neighbor or best friend. This story drew me in very quickly, and I finished it within 2 days. It is very realistic and moving. Having lost my husband, I know what it is like to lose a spouse. I have 2 children, but they are older than what Ben's kids were. Being teens, it is still very hard to lose a parent, but I can't imagine if they had been little...the burden it would have been for me to care for little ones on my own. It was easier since mine were more self-sufficient, though the pain wasn't easier. Cherish every moment you have with your spouse and children. Loss can come quickly as Ben and his wife's parents found out in this story.
I love Harlequin's Heartwarming books. I like that they are clean and sweet, yet they retain the romance and love. I highly recommend this book. I'll have to go back and read the first book in this series. This can be read as a stand alone though.
March 11, 2015
AFTER THE SILENCE by author Rula Sinara is March 2015 release by Harlequin Heartwarming series. This is Book Two of ‘From Kenya with Love’ mini-series. Rula Sinara’s Book One was The Promise Of Rain.
Hope Alwanga was an intern at the hospital in Nairobi. But she was washed out by all the death and lack of facilities and medicine and was forced by her brother to take a break in America with a friend’s family. This friend, a marine, Ben Corallis has lost his wife and is left with three small kids to raise on his own.
Hope took her responsibility very seriously. She looked after the kids and became very close to them. They were a broken family and Hope melded right in. But Ben was a distraction she could do without. She couldn’t keep the children or Ben from becoming too attached to herself; after all she just came for a break. She was needed back in Nairobi.
AFTER THE SILENCE would keep a reader hooked from the first page till the book ends. The emotional intensity moved me to tears and made me choke up many times. Author Rula Sinara has a way with words that would take a reader right into her story-world and keep her entranced.
Highly recommended for all readers.
Hope Alwanga was an intern at the hospital in Nairobi. But she was washed out by all the death and lack of facilities and medicine and was forced by her brother to take a break in America with a friend’s family. This friend, a marine, Ben Corallis has lost his wife and is left with three small kids to raise on his own.
Hope took her responsibility very seriously. She looked after the kids and became very close to them. They were a broken family and Hope melded right in. But Ben was a distraction she could do without. She couldn’t keep the children or Ben from becoming too attached to herself; after all she just came for a break. She was needed back in Nairobi.
AFTER THE SILENCE would keep a reader hooked from the first page till the book ends. The emotional intensity moved me to tears and made me choke up many times. Author Rula Sinara has a way with words that would take a reader right into her story-world and keep her entranced.
Highly recommended for all readers.
March 1, 2015
the joy of returning home on leave from the military is what Ben Corallis and his wife Zoe are looking forward to. They have an infant and toddler and a ten year old Maddie, who is so anxious to see her daddy. The joy of reunion becomes a nightmare as Zoe goes out to pick up Ben's favorite dinner and instead of him opening the door for her with the food, he opens it to police officers notifying him that this wife was killed in car accident. This is such a heart wrenching story but also a heartwarming story it truly hold true to the series name. Maddie the oldest daughter wont' talk since her mom passed and poor Ben is at lost ends with all that goes on. Hope is in Nairobi and is burned out, so by request of family she goes to help Ben with his plight. A lovely warm woman helps the family heal and in the midst falls in love. This is a lovely story of a new beginning to two people that have lost their way. Will Hope go back to become a Doctor will Ben stay in the military . Read the book it is so worth it, a wonderful story.
April 12, 2015
This is a real tear jerker and emotional story that is beautifully written when Ben arrives home from deployment to his wife and 3 children little did he know that everything would change that he would lose his wife that night and this starts a journey for Ben and his children to the road to happiness when Hope Alwanga arrives from Kenya to help while she gets over being so worn out from her career as a Doctor. This story has a lot of ups and downs as Ben learns to cope without his wife and cope with his children one of whom is not talking and Hope learns to look after children and discovers what life is like in another country and also learns what she really wants in her life. I really did enjoy this one and highly recommend it.
March 11, 2015
AFTER THE SILENCE was just what five stars was invented for---AMAZING.
If I could pick one word to describe Rula's writing it is HEART. This book had so much heart, warmth, depth of character, that I could actual absorb the love Hope had for Ben's children emanating from the pages. Another, hard to put down---only because I have to go to work---story. Ben was the kind of dad all kids on this earth deserve and don't have. Hope was the second Mom, a family like this should be gifted by God to have.
If I could pick one word to describe Rula's writing it is HEART. This book had so much heart, warmth, depth of character, that I could actual absorb the love Hope had for Ben's children emanating from the pages. Another, hard to put down---only because I have to go to work---story. Ben was the kind of dad all kids on this earth deserve and don't have. Hope was the second Mom, a family like this should be gifted by God to have.
October 5, 2016
I really liked the premise of this book - looking to find yourself and not even recognizing yourself once you have. It is a touching romance without the physical component permeating the story. I especially fell in love with the children and Hope's growth throughout the book.
Read
January 12, 2016Miniseries: From Kenya, with Love
April 28, 2016
surprisingly good character development and story pacing.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews