One-Way Ticket Home by K.C. Hardy

Days before boarding the plane to Italy for her daughter’s wedding, Julie Whitaker receives an unexpected phone call from her past. The memory of Mark Jennings, a handsome and charming Top Gun pilot, had haunted her for decades. Their fairy tale wedding was everything she’d ever dreamed of, but it quickly turned into her worst nightmare.

Starting a new a life without Mark proved to be much harder than Julie had imagined. But in her darkest hour, God revealed Himself in a miraculous way, giving her the strength she needed not only to battle depression, but to face a diagnosis of breast cancer that threatened to cut her life short.

Now, amidst the splendor of the Italian Alps, on the eve of her daughter’s wedding, Julie’s thoughts are catapulted back to Mark and the reason for his call.  After thirty years, will Julie have a chance to see him once again? And would she even want to?

Based on true events, One-Way Ticket Home will take you on an unforgettable journey of love, loss, hope and forgiveness. With grace, candor and an indomitable wit, K.C. Hardy reminds us that it is often in our darkest hours, that the strength of the human spirit shines the brightest.

• One-Way Ticket Home is available at Amazon.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

My Thoughts:

"How has she arrived at this place: this place of contentment, this place where she truly loved and accepted herself- in spite of all her perceived mistakes, or maybe because of them? The answer at times was baffling. But now sitting here, reflecting on her life, she realized that Jesus had been there all along..."

I really enjoyed this book, based on the true life inspiration of one of the authors, although it is a rollercoaster ride of the emotions. It is very authentic and realistic tee-telling of a fairy-tale romance gone wrong.

Julie meets Mark while in college and he is everything a girl could dream of, tall, handsome, debonair; you know the type. Love at first sight, well maybe not, but definitely attraction enough to cause her to break up with her high school boyfriend the very next day. After that, cloud nine! 

Mark is in the Navy, working towards becoming a top gun fighter, an amazing guy, fun, lovable, charismatic, but there is more to Mark than meets the eye. Times change, challenges rise, tragedy strikes, and Mark becomes a man Julie never imagined he could become. Enhanced by a drinking problem, those once captivating eyes, now have a deadly gleam.

After choosing to protect herself from an abusive situation, struggling through many other challenging circumstances, Julie learns to depend on God and find strength in Him to help her during her darkest hour. That gives her the courage to face the days ahead, recuperate and find hope and healing. This book can be an encouragement to those who may be struggling, especially knowing it is based on a true story. I found it to be a very emotional read. It was easy to feel like post of the story, like you knew the characters, and were sharing what they err going through. It was very realistic, which is  the type of books I enjoy reading.

I received a free copy of this book from the author and Pump up Your Book to review. I was not required to review positively. All opinions are my own. 

About the Authors:

Kristie Hardy, whose life is the inspiration behind this book, holds a B.S. in Education, a minor in English, and is a former teacher.  But her most recent profession as a private investigator spawned a desire to unearth the long-suppressed details of her own personal story.  She is a mother of two, and a thirty year metastatic breast cancer survivor. Kristie currently resides in San Antonio, Texas with her husband.

Cate Hardy, Kristie’s daughter and co-author, is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.  Cate lives in San Antonio, Texas with the loves of her life: her husband and two children. 

Kristie and Cate are the mother/daughter writing team of K.C. Hardy. Their latest book is the Christian inspirational fiction, One-WayTicket Home.

For More Information

• Visit K.C. Hardy’s website.
• Connect with K.C. on Facebook and Twitter.