Every Now & Then

9/11 #3

by Karen Kingsbury

In a gripping story of danger and heroism, L.A. sheriff's deputy Alex Brady fights crime during the worst fire season in California's history. Now he faces the ultimate test. Will he have the courage to open his heart to love again?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Romance, Adult, Christian Romance, Contemporary

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Karen Kingsbury, #1 New York Times bestselling novelist, is America’s favorite inspirational storyteller, with more than twenty-five million copies of her award-winning books in print. Her last dozen titles have topped bestseller lists and many of her novels are under development with Hallmark Films and as major motion pictures. Her Baxter Family books are being developed into a TV series slated for major network viewing sometime in the next year. Karen is also an adjunct professor of writing at Liberty University. In 2001 she and her husband, Don, adopted three boys from Haiti, doubling their family in a matter of months. Today the couple has joined the ranks of empty nesters, living in Tennessee near five of their adult children.

See more at: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/K...

Reviews

[Sarah Grace Grzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm . . . I have very mixed feelings on this book.

While I enjoyed it from the perspective that it is a clean, Christian, enjoyable piece of action-filled fiction, I also had some issues with it.

This is only the second book by Kingsbury I have read, but I am getting a distinct impression: Kingsbury is good at writing Christian themes, she's good at writing suspense\action, she is good at writing emotion, she is good at writing clean content, but somehow, as a whole, her books just really . . . lack. The first one I read was very "meh", and this one was the same. Just kind of left you with an "Hm. Well that happened." Rather disappointing.

But, while this was disappointing on some levels, there was a fair bit about it I did like. The characters were all enjoyable. Alex was . . . um, depressed. I struggle to relate to and understand the depressed, "nobody could ever love me" type characters, perhaps because I am such a happy person. All in all though, his struggle was realistic, and his character arc was fairly well done. I think my favorite character was his girlfriend. I wished there was more with her POV! I could really relate to her character. Jamie and Clay were also fantastic! I love the older, mentor-type characters.

It took me a few chapters to really get into the story, but once I did, I just wanted to keep reading. The climax, of course, happened late at night, so I stayed up past 11 pm to finish it. I loved the whole police officer element - I love stories with emergency personnel as the main characters. And the whole K9 aspect was definitely fascinating.

I think what really bothered me most about this book was Kingsbury's writing style: it's very minimalistic in regards to punctuation, and such, which frustrated this Comma Queen. While yes, a lot of it was stylistic, and just more the way I'm used to thing\like things, there were a few instances where comma rules dictate a comma, and there wasn't a comma. Commas are dying an unnatural death, and I don't like it. Who cares about saving the planet? Save the commas, people!

But anyway, overall, this book just didn't really cut it for me. If you are looking for a clean, thriller read, with strong Christian themes, then definitely give this a try.

CONTENT NOTE: The main character is a police officer, so there are various issues portrayed throughout, such as driving under the influence, arson, gun play, death, violence, and a few characters get trapped by a wildfire. For those reasons, and for somewhat deep subject matter, not recommended for anyone under the age of 15.

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps I am getting a bit cynical....I usually love Karen Kingsbury's books. However, I have noticed an annoying trend in the majority of them:
Boy and girl meet in elementary/middle/high school and fall MADLY in love
Boy and girl are separated by some terrible twist of fate
Boy and girl lose each other and their faith
FASTFORWARD 5-10 years
Boy and girl are living separate lives FAR from their hometown...but oddly within blocks of each other
Everyone they know is a Christian, living a perfect life, and praying for them
BAM! Another tragedy strikes. However, this time it has the power to both immediately restore their faith in God AND somehow, inexplicably, drive boy and girl back together
Boy and girl find that despite the huge passage of time, they are still MADLY in love and will never love anyone else
Boy and girl get married and live happily ever after
Substitute different names and/or tragic events and I have just described the plot (or subplot) of virtually EVERY Karen Kingsbury book ever written.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Now & Then is the third book in the 9/11 series written by Karen Kingsbury. I enjoyed this series so much, i'm so sad it's finished. At first this story started off a bit slow, but then it got better, and it was unputdownable! I have never read a book by Karen Kingsbury before, but, i'm so happy I picked up this series. This 9/11 series will never be forgotten, it was just absolutely heart breaking! I was born after 9/11 happened, but Karen Kingsbury made it feel like I was right there just watching the Twin Towers come down. My heart hurts, and it will continue to be in pieces after finishing this amazing, heart breaking series!

In Every Now & Then we meet some amazing people. Alex Brady is a K9 deputy in Los Angeles, California, with his German Shepard, Bo. Alex fights crime during the worst fire season in California's history. When Alex was a sophomore in high school he lost his father in the Twin Towers. Alex has never been the same since then. Alex was in love with Holly Brooks, but after Alex lost his father everything changed between them. Alex just straight up left Staten Island, and Holly behind. Holly has now moved to Los Angeles in hope of finding Alex, but she lands a job as selling houses.

Clay and Jamie Michaels now have a son, CJ. Sierra is now in sixth grade. Jake's legacy still lives on, Jamie prays for everyone who is still having a hard time coming to terms with September 11th, 2001. Jamie and Clay have a barbecue at least once a month, and all their friends attend including Alex. Jamie notices that Alex has a dark pain within him, and wants to figure out a way to get him to pray to God. Jamie still has Jake's Bible and one day notices that Jake wrote about Alex's father. Jamie wants to share the letter with Alex, but doesn't really know how to approach him about it.

My heart actually hurt for every one of these characters. I just wanted to reach into this story and hug Alex. Bo seemed like such a sweet dog. Clay and Jamie seemed like such sweet angels. This story will stay with me for a long time to come! Sierra seemed like such a sweet little girl. I often found myself cheering on all of these kind hearted people. All I can say is have a box of tissues close by because you WILL need them!

Never forgot this series and how much it made me sob😭!! Although I was born after 9/11 it still destroys me.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the 9/11 series by Karen Kingsbury. The first two books One Tuesday Morning and Beyond Tuesday Morning -- were fabulous. Of all the Kingsbury books I have read, these were the best in terms of story line, quality and well-developed characters. While Every Now and Then was quite good, it was not as strong as the first two in this series. A somewhat typical level of Kingsbury predictability made it less interesting to read, and I found myself more frustrated with the main character, Alex, then attached to him.

Do not let this comparison deter you from reading this book, though. There was still a strong message, and I walked away from the book with a revitalized, even profound, sense that I can only control myself and cannot control the evil in the world beyond me. I am that Mom who worries daily about her children's safety, even in small town USA. This book reminded me to find peace in God's control of all circumstances, even those that are tragic. To this end, and person who needs to be reminded of this message should read and absorb the message in this book.

[Joleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex Brady changed drastically when his fire-fighter father, his hero, died in one of the twin towers. He could not continue in the hope and faith that once was his life. Bitter, angry and closed off he moved away from the love of his life and any physical reminders of that tragedy to become an LA policeman, resigned to spend the rest of his life seeking out terrorism of any kind, in this case — domestic terrorism.

Friends in the department knew of his grief and determined to reach him, however God was leading.

My thoughts:

Each book in this series was better than the one before. What an inspiration the characters were.

The audio version:

Different voices were used for different people highlighted, all very good.

I unreservedly recommend this book.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last book in this series did not disappoint. I couldn’t tell if this book was more of a stand alone or a part of the series, and it was very much an extension from the first two books in the series. It adds another character, Alex, who lost his father on 9/11. He has an extremely difficult time handling that loss, and turns inward with his grief, shutting everyone in his life out. He ends up working for Clay Michaels, and with Joe. Clay, Joe, Jamie and Wanda are all happily married at this point, and try to graft Alex in. However, he’s so deeply wounded, the only one he has a relationship with is his K9, Bo. After 9/11, he cut ties with his long time love Holly, as well as started having limited contact with his mother. The characters from the first two books are worried about Alex and want to help him. And in the way only God can orchestrate, that chance is given, but Alex has to decide if he’s willing to open his heart again.

Alex character will stick with me for a while. His grief and how wounded it left him, is something so many of us can relate to. Although the first two novels were sad and heavy, I related to this one the most. And in a way I can say this one was my favorite because of message that there can be life after such deep pain and hurts. I’ve enjoyed this entire series. It’s a heavier and more emotional series, that really deals with grief, but it’s a great series. Highly recommend it!

[Teya Teya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit this one took me a little longer to finish. It was not necessarily harder to get through but it combined two horrible incidences that I watched happen. One of obviously 9/11 but also a fire in California that took a group of fire fighter's lives both of which are dear to my heart. I was a bit overwhelmed with God so prevalent in these books. Now, please do not take that as criticism it is NOT, I love that another fellow author writes about what they believe, I am also an author that writes with God in her heart. I just meant that it's not often and at one point in my life I was almost as heart blocked but not to that extreme so it was not easy to read. I also have a connection to a couple of k9 officers one of which had a similar experience. I did tear up, it did hit hard but as we do remember God in our lives and how much Heavenly Father and His Son love us, we can do anything through them. I have loved this series, I'm sad and at the same time relieved they are done. Reading an emotional roller coaster takes a toll. So, I"m going to go read a fun light-hearted book next. Thank you For this heart fill, emotionally attached, God infused series. We need Him in our lives and this series was a phenomenal reminder. Again Thank you, Karen.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Karen Kingsbury novel, I didn't find Alex's story as powerful as the first two 9/11 novels. The other hit home and where very powerful. Alex was a character I just couldn't find myself liking. I'm not exactly sure why I couldn't like him, but I just felt no sympathy for him. Oh well, I am looking forward to reading Karen Kingsbury's other series, especially the famed Baxter family novels.

[Andrea Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

K9 Unit books are special. This aspect of the book added depth, warm fuzzies, sorrow, and entertainment to the story.

There was good tension throughout this story, thanks to the action and police work that was woven into the plot. These things ramped up the caliber of story, making this one equal to the first of the series in my view.

I loved that there was a similar tone (heavy, emotional, reverent) across all three books in this trilogy.

Alex was a great and moody hero. He reminded me of the surly Mr. Rochester in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Both heroes dealt with tangible grief, and Alex displayed a keep devotion to his work.

Usually when a book features a fire season, the leading guy is a firefighter. This story is unique in that the leading man was a cop. I loved seeing the fire season through a police officer’s eyes. This unique perspective added a whole new layer of goodness to this rich and complex story.

Content: drugs

[Annette Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interestingly, of the three books in this series, this one has to be my favorite. I absolutely loved Alex's story! I love reading books where the main character, like Alex, is broken, hurting, and without hope, but who, in the end, finds god's relentless love and redemption through friends who also relentlessly love him and who don't give up on him.
I also love and appreciate the theme of this story--how we can't eliminate the evil in the world, but we can do something about the evil in our own hearts.
Without going into a lot of detail or spoiling the story for anyone who may wish to read it, this was a very emotionally gripping novel--very suspenseful in parts, as well. I would most definitely reread it--and may reread the entire series again in a few years. for those of you who enjoy a heart-stopping romance, there's that, too.

[Emma Brunswick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give the book "Every Now and Then" five out of five stars. This book is the third book of the 9/11 series by Karen Kingsbury. I like this book because it has tons of action and involves Christianity too. This book is about a K9 deputy with his dog Bo. He has to learn to love again after he lost his father on 9/11. This book like many of Karen's other books are suspenseful and makes you want to keep reading. The characters I mentioned before are not in the other two. However, the characters from the other two books are still involved in this story as well. The book is easy to understand and is a decent book level. These are the reasons why I gave this book five stars.

[Christine Indorf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I am finished with the whole series. I have to say the last two isn't as good as the first book but it was enjoyable. The male character is so torn apart from losing his Dad in 9/11 he has become a cop machine. The Book really showed you how intense he was and not wanting anything get into his way. You almost feel sorry for him because he want nothing in his life but himself and the sheriff dog he has. The gospel is explained to him and he slowly changes but It was hard to believe he was only told twice about the gospel before he changes. Most of the time it can take months or years to except the gospel. Me it took 21 years for me to accept the gospel. When he does accept the gospel his life changes to his friends, work, and he love interest. There is a sad moment in the book. I usually cry when things like this happen and I didn't. This shows the the scene wasn't written very well. I highly recommend the 1st book in this series and if you have time to finish it, do. Just know the books aren't like the first.

[Vikki Vaught · Rating 4 out of 5]

An emotionally charged story with compelling characters and a strong faith based message. I didn’t care for the male narrator very much. His voice is too deep and I had to keep raising the volume the lowering it for the female narrator. Happy reading and listening!

[Vicki G · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the stupidest creation yet.

They're sitting around and one says "We never would have found the happiness of these relationships if it hadn't been for 9/11." The three couples learned lessons from it and then "chose life" and remarried or mended a broken marriage.
But saying it that way is like they're trying to imply they never would have found OTHER happiness? They think it needed a situation where people lived for an hour, hoping they would get out of Tower 1, only to die being crushed by thousands of tons of brick and steel and glass falling down on them?
Or were set on fire and died being burned alive after living for 20 minutes?
Or received burns that never went away b/c they were too deep to be totally corrected by 5 reconstructive surgeries?

Gimme a break. Trying to find goodness out of evil in that way you, might as well find goodness in the devil himself. That's just more extremist attitudes to say that pain is the ONLY way to find happiness.

Most people will find my attitude dismal if I'm lucky, but I don't believe you find hope by turning the bad THING good. I think you can find good from the situation but not by saying this horrible thing absolutely "had" to occur or you never would have found ANY happiness.
I think they would have found other happinesses. I think there's NO reason for what happened, and I'll probably be forever unpopular for saying so. It's how I feel right now.

[Emily Brunswick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally give this book five out of five stars. If it was possible to give it infinity number of stars, that's how many stars I would give it. That's how much i loved this book.
I gave this book five stars, because it was very easy to read, and it was very action filled. It is about Alex Brady, a canine deputy and his dog Bo. I liked this book, because it switched perspectives every chapter, so you were able to know all of the main characters thoughts and feelings throughout the whole book. What makes it better is that it is a Christian book, so it has bible verses throughout the book, and the main characters use God and prayer to get through there huge problems and conflicts. Alex and Bo are rated the top canine group, and they fight many hard crimes together, that other deputies and their dogs could not survive through. All of Alex's life revolves around his dog and his job. Through prayer from other people Alex finally tries to go go back to who he was before 9/11. If you love action, I recommend this book to you.

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

***EXTREME SPOILER ALERT***

I have read many of Karen Kingsbury's books and loved them and recommend them. She writes Christian Fiction with a reality that is plausible and applicable to your life.

However, this book was not like the others, including the first two in this 9/11 series. It was overly predictable, rushed ending and extremely sad. The author puts a dog on the cover, spends almost the entire book describing the relationship between the police officer and his K-9 partner, graphically (and I mean graphically!!! for anyone who has lost a furry friend, you'll understand) depicts his death and then spends no time at all except for a brief funeral describing any grief associated with the death of him. The next thing you know is Alex and Holly are married and it's "happily ever after."

[Moonlight 🌸]

Picked this up to wrap up Jamie and Sierra’s story, and like with the earlier books, it was precious :)

I loved the Bible verses, and in the acknowledgment was answer to a subject I discussed with my family yesterday. Those actions we take against bad people thinking we’re right, but in the end we’re working with our own understanding, not God’s. And we can be wrong.

I love all the references to Jake. Dead or alive, he remains my favorite character in this series and I’ll remember him for a long time <3

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the last in a series about families of 9/11 victims. I hadn't read the prior books, but I'd like to. Christian, moved along and good story. I like this author but I wish not every book was part of a series, they are so hard to get from the library in the order you want them.

[Linda Klager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the Karen Kingsbury books that I have read, I have enjoyed the 9/11 Series the most.

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was related to two other books I've read until Jamie's time in NYC was mentioned. I vaguely remember that from one of the Tuesday Morning books. I like Kingsbury in general though her fiction seems to have an "unreal" quality to it. Unreal in the sense that real life doesn't generally work out in the way that it does for her characters.

How do you react when tragedy strikes your life? Do you turn to God or turn away from Him? After his father dies in the collapse of the twin towers, Alex hardens his heart and closes out everyone but his K9 partner, Bo. He can't reconcile how a loving God would allow firefighters to die in the line of duty. Others struggle with this question also, but have already found their way back to a relationship with God.

Evil will always exist in this world. No matter how much anyone tries, no matter how many people try to eradicate it, it will continue to exist. In the end, the only evil we have any control over is what's inside us--and even that we can only do with God's help.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed Karen Kingsbury's book and had previously read this one. Yet, my mom bought me this book and I read it again. Spoiler alert...

I felt it had the mandatory love story with at least one conversion/return to Christ scene too. However, I really enjoyed reading how the main character, Alex, was able to heal from the loss of his firefighter father on 9/11. The process of God drawing him back to Him felt realistic. I thought the ending where the man, Alex, and woman, Holly, got married was predictable but still sweet.

[David Rough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally got around to completing the 9/11 series by Karen Kingsbury. Although connected to the first two, this story pretty much stands alone. The story was fairly predictable but I enjoyed aspects tastefully included throughout. The love story and the struggles of the protagonist with his walk with Christ were well done, but again predictable in the flow and events that shaped the book. I would most likely give this book 3.5 stars, but I have not read a Christ-centered novel for a while and I found it refreshing.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex is stuck in the grief and despair of his father's death in 9/11. He looses himself in the process of seeking to make his father proud of his accomplishments in catching the "bad guys." He is so focused on his task that he leaves behind the love and comfort of his mother and the love of his fiancé. A series of events begin to open his heart and an amazing transformation takes place. An example of how the Lord can work in lives for real. Good read.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so so beautiful. I haven’t cried so hard reading a book in a very long time. The book captures so many important truths, like we can’t get rid of evil around us, and there will always be painful circumstances in life. It also so perfectly captures the relationship between service dogs and their partners. This was about a police dog. I am blind and have a guide dog, but Karen Kingsberry captures the relationship so perfectly it hurts. Amazing!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and inspiring ending of the 9/11 series. Emotional books that bring back memories yet are so encouraging and hopeful.

[Ellen Spes · Rating 4 out of 5]

9/11

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, great series!

[Whitney Eriksen · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ brought me to tears multiple times, could not recommend this series more!

[Amber Shepherd · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is not as good as the first 2. Sort of feels separate. Plus there is one rule...You never kill the dog. Arg.

[Emma Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series and highly recommend it! 🤍