Blue by You

by Larry B. Gildersleeve

Blue by You tells the uniquely romantic story of a man who falls in love with the same woman twice, decades and a thousand miles apart, but is a total stranger to her both times.Daniel, a former D.C. trial attorney, has fled to Colorado following the cancer death of his young wife, a woman he'd known since their childhood. It's in a rural mountain setting two years later that a chance encounter results in a one-week love affair with Paula, a lifestyle writer from Nashville.Paula is a person of faith; Daniel was while his wife was alive, but no longer. There is a soft-touch Christian theme throughout the book, especially about the power of prayer and the reality of redemption.Paula leaves after the seven days, promising to return, but doesn’t. And Daniel never hears from her again. They are reunited over twenty years later in Nashville, but a rare illness has deprived Paula of any memory of Daniel.The two former lovers have been living very different lives over the years before they're brought together again by an up and coming country music singer who might be their daughter.Daniel struggles with reliving his Colorado memories while falling in love with the same woman again who now can't share those memories with him. Together, they make new memories they can share -- until time runs out.The book's title is wordplay on the song Blue Bayou, with Blue being an Australian Shepherd Paula comments is often by Daniel's side.

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 4, 2022

About the author

Born in TN, raised and educated in VA and KY. A three-decade corporate career took me across the country and around the world. I returned to KY and realized my dream of becoming a published author, releasing my three Parchment Series novels between 2016-19. In 2023, my fourth novel, Blue by You, placed third in the prestigious Illumination Award for Fiction international competition, and was a finalist in the Writer’s Digest writing competition. I am a member of a number of professional literary associations. Married; father of two and grandfather of four.

Reviews

[Angela D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I truly appreciated the author's writing skills. The conversations were good, descriptions put me in the scenes, and I literally cried at the end. (Yes, I'm an emotional reader who gets into the story.)

None of us is perfect in this world, not even those of us who are Christians. That being said, I prefer to read stories that inspire me to be a better Christian, that set the bar higher for me. For two people who profess Christianity, especially one who is a pastor's wife, to jump into bed together--practically as soon as they lay eyes on each other, just doesn't cut it for me.

If the two lovers hadn't professed their faith, even during their affair, or if they had regretted the affair in a more meaningful way, I would have given it five stars. Other than the faith element, I truly enjoyed the banter between the characters and the love story itself.

[Dana Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is sweet, and easy to read. However, I was disappointed in the theme that wants to be faith based, but what woman who puts her faith first, then sleeps with a virtual stranger she has just met even though she is having some problems at home? The author tries to use faith as a theme, and I found it unbelievable that she is trying to get the main character to embrace his faith and God's leading, but she then sleeps with him. It is also a little unbelievable that a woman would stay the night, even in the 1990s at a stranger's house in a remote location. So put that all aside, and it is a sweet story. It reads easily and has good characters, but I couldn't get past the faith theme not being consistent with the characters' choices.

[Nana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blue by You, is Daniel's journey of learning to live again, after he lost his wife, Mallory. The isolation of Colorado, seemed to wrap him in a protection, that helped him start to heal. After he started to heal, he made decisions that led him to a different career, meeting new friends, and still seeing some old friends. His journey to me, felt peaceful, sometimes calming, There is so much he does, that is just what is right for him.
This is a book, that just settled into my heart and soul, It is about loss and his journey, but it just seemed to be so peaceful. This writing was different to me, because I kept feeling a sense of peace, as his journey unfolded.
I received an ARC from Indigo River Publishing through NetGalley.

[☆Laura☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Después de la muerte de su amada esposa, Daniel decide retirarse del mundo y mudarse a las montañas de Colorado, donde lleva una vida solitaria. Sin embargo, su rutina cambia cuando conoce a Paula, con quien siente una conexión inmediata. Juntos viven una noche intensa, pero después de ese encuentro, sus caminos se separan, y 20 años después, se reencuentran por casualidad. Sin embargo, Paula no recuerda nada de lo que sucedió entre ellos.

A lo largo de los años, Paula ha cargado con la culpa de lo que ocurrió esa noche, ya que estaba casada cuando se encontró con Daniel. La relación con su esposo se vino abajo cuando él descubrió lo sucedido, y la culpa la atormentó durante todo ese tiempo. Además, guarda un secreto que podría cambiar por completo el destino de ambos.





Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading

A well written book full of sadness & joy. I throughly enjoyed the first part of this book. Though I will admit I was a little bored from the point Danielle & Colin met. The ending is pretty predictable. However, it would have been hard to complete the story with any other ending. Overall, am I glad I took the time to read this one? Yes.

[Saraswathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blue by you begins as an interesting fling between two nearly different people who are brought together by fate accidentally. But the story spans decades of keeping this fire of love burning . Will the dear lovers ever meet again or fulfill their wishes together ? That's the story that you need to read and decipher

[Deana Dick · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has sexual content that I was not comfortable with and crossed the line of being Christian fiction. I am unable to leave a review.

[Marsha Wyzykowski]

Great read - maybe his best yet, although I really liked Girl on the Bench - but this certainly puts a whole new perspective on my watering can - which I use almost daily.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blue by You by Larry B. Gildersleeve is a bit of a different novel I have read previously. It is faith based but has some situations that some may be put off. However, I liked that the author was able to use flawed characters and to show that Christians are not perfect. I love the lesson of forgiveness, grace and redemption. I enjoyed getting to know Daniel and Paula and wanted to keep following along to see what would become of them in the end.

I am giving Blue by You four and a half stars. I believe fans of clean fiction would want to give a try, as well. I would be interested in reading more books by Larry B. Gildersleeve to see what other stories he has in store for his readers.

I received a paperback copy of Blue by You from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.