About the Book
Book: Convergence
Author: Ginny L Yttrup
Genre: Christian thriller/suspense
Release Date: March, 2019
A psychologist paralyzed by fear.
A mother propelled by love.
A stalker bent on destruction.
Psychology professor Dr. Denilyn Rossi contends that the past is either a shadow that haunts us or a force that propels us. The choice is ours, she tells her students. What she doesn’t tell them is that her own past is a shadow she can’t seem to shake. Fear has immobilized her and is taking a costly toll.
Adelia Sanchez, however, has embraced Dr. Rossi’s teaching. She is ready to confront fear and render it powerless—using the trauma of her past to propel her to entrap the man who stalked and brutally attacked her.
As Denilyn’s past and Adelia’s present converge at the Kaweah River, a dangerous man bent on destruction threatens them both. Will he uncover the secret Deni and Adelia have fought so hard to protect?
Click here to purchase your copy.
My Review
As a regular book reviewer for the Celebrate Lit Blog Team, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review Ginny Yttrup’s latest book. I had high expectations, as I’ve read most every book she’s written—starting with her first novel, Words. I was also surprised to see that she’d switched from her typical women’s fiction to suspense.
I have to admit, I struggled a little with Convergence. The suspense part of it was great—I was on the edge through much of the story—and she did a wonderful job pulling me into the main character’s head (Denilyn). So much of the book felt like a narrative, which I’m not used to. It’s not bad, just different. I’m used to more dialogue, which there seemed to be little of in this book. However, once I got into the story, I didn’t even notice it anymore because I was so engaged with the action.
The one real issue I had, however, was that Denilyn, as the main character, holds back an intricate part of her life from the reader—one that I believe is necessary to her motivation for every decision she makes. She gives detailed information about everything else down to what she eats. So, when this part of her life is revealed near the end of the book, I felt somewhat betrayed. If I didn’t have to be concerned about spoiler alerts, I could be more specific, but that wouldn’t be fair to those who’ve yet to read the book. Even though Ginny did a great job with the bait and switch routine, I had the villain pegged pretty quickly. Regardless, Convergence was a good read, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspense.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing purposes. The opinions are my own.
About the Author
Ginny Yttrup is the award-winning author of Words, Lost and Found, Invisible, and Flames. She writes contemporary women’s fiction and enjoys exploring the issues everyday women face. Publishers Weekly dubbed Ginny’s work “as inspiring as it is entertaining.” When not writing, Ginny coaches writers, critiques manuscripts, and makes vintage-style jewelry for her Esty shop, Storied Jewelry (etsy.com/shop/StoriedJewelry). She loves dining with friends, hanging out with her adult sons, or spending a day in her pajamas reading a great novel. Ginny lives in northern California with Bear, her entitled Pomeranian. To learn more about Ginny and her work, visit ginnyyttrup.com.
More About Convergence
A psychologist paralyzed by fear.
A mother propelled by love.
A stalker bent on destruction.
Dr. Denilyn Rossi’s past is a shadow that haunts her. Adelia Sanchez’s past is a force that propels her. When Denilyn’s past and Adelia’s present converge at the Kaweah River, a dangerous man bent on destruction threatens them both. Will he uncover the secret Deni and Adelia have fought so hard to protect? Find out in Convergence by Ginny L. Yttrup.
Read an Exclusive Excerpt from Convergence:
She straightens, squares her shoulders, and takes a deep breath as she climbs aboard the plane. There are no seats, the other divers are piled close to one another on the floor. Mike points to an open space near him. She lowers herself, sits, pulls her knees to her chest, and then looks out the oval window next to her.
That’s when she sees him.
Her breath catches. She leans in, cups her hands on the glass to cut the glare, and peers out.
It can’t be. . . . Mouth dry, she tries to swallow. She looks away.
Her heart batters her chest and her pulse roars in her ears, nearly drowning out the clamor of the plane’s propeller. It isn’t him. You’re imagining things, she tells herself. She inhales then exhales. She takes another look then stares at the man near the hangar. He pulls something from his shirt pocket, sticks it in his mouth. A cigarette? She watches as he lights it. It isn’t him. He doesn’t smoke. Anyway, it’s impossible. She knows where he is, and it isn’t here.
He’s seen her staring at him through the window of the plane. He takes a drag, flicks ash to the ground, and smiles. But his eyes behind the sunglasses are cold. Hard.
She steadies herself as the plane shoots down the runway then lifts. As memories flash, perspiration trickles down her back. She inhales again, deeper this time. It wasn’t him. Let it go, she admonishes, then shakes her head.
Fear will not win. Not this time. Not ever again.
Within what feels to her like mere moments, the group of professional skydivers have all jumped, and she stands, back pressed against Mike, hooked to his harness. They brace themselves against the pummeling force of wind as they wait near the gaping opening in the side of the plane. She pulls goggles from the top of her head down over her eyes.
There’s no room in her mind now for thoughts of the man on the ground, or of the man who haunts her memories. There’s no room for thoughts of any kind. Terror, as she well knows, is all-consuming. Her breaths are shallow, her pulse races.
“Step to the edge,” Mike yells. When she doesn’t move, he yells again, this time his breath hot against her ear. She hesitates then steps forward, him stepping in sync with her. There’s nothing to see but the vast expanse.
“Go!” Mike shouts.
Heart hammering her rib cage, she leans forward, eyes squeezed shut, and falls more than jumps into nothingness, arms stretched wide. She anticipates the sensation of falling—stomach lifting to throat—but it isn’t evident as she’d expected. Nor is the velocity at which she knows they’re falling. She dares to open her eyes, only aware of the force of air pushing her cheeks back to her ears, which makes her laugh.
The free fall is like nothing she’s experienced. She laughs again, the sound carried heavenward on the drafts, she imagines. Too soon she’s jerked, hard, the harness cutting into her thighs, and pulled upward with what seems like exceeding force. She hadn’t expected the force.
But then they’re floating. Soaring. “Oh,” she whispers. She wants to take it all in, remember every exhilarating moment. These currents she could ride forever. Tension is replaced by peace, pervasive peace.
Quietude. Silence. Wonder.
“That was a hard pull.” Mike’s shouted words behind her threaten to break the spell, but she’s enchanted and pays little attention. She assumes the pull—the parachute opening and catching air—was harder than usual but fine. They’re fine. She doesn’t understand. Doesn’t know what’s to come. How could she?
As they float, her eyes are trained on the ground below. The earth is a patchwork of tones. She sees the river, a thread, stitched across the quilt of colors. She searches for familiar landmarks as her sense of confidence soars. She’s done it. Faced fear, terror even, and—
Suddenly they’re plummeting.
Tumbling.
Head first. Arms and legs akimbo.
Land and sky spin as they interchange. Her lungs deflate. Pressure. The currents, tumultuous, pull her under and then spit her out. She can’t breathe. Why can’t she breathe? She gasps. She’s drowning. Help! Someone, help! But no. . . There’s no water. Instead, she’s above, where there’s nothing. Just. . .
Nothing.
Nothing to reach for. Nothing to grab. Nothing to save her.
A scream sounds in her mind. Rings in her ears. Scathes her throat.
Her scream?
Awareness hits. She’s going to die. It’s her only thought. There are no thoughts of those she loves. Those who love her. Memories don’t flash. No, just the one thought. The only thought she has time for.
She is going to die.
Then. . .
Everything goes black.
Blog Stops
By The Book, March 28
Simple Harvest Reads, March 28 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Multifarious, March 29
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 29
Where Crisis & Christ Collide, March 30
Remembrancy, March 30
Inspired by fiction, March 31
To Everything A Season, March 31
Blogging With Carol, April 1
Ashley’s Bookshelf, April 1
For Him and My Family, April 2
Book by Book, April 2
All-of-a-kind Mom, April 3
janicesbookreviews, April 3
Spoken from the Heart, April 4
Texas Book-aholic, April 4
Seasons of Opportunities, April 5
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 5
Genesis 5020, April 6
Pause for Tales, April 6
Splashes of Joy, April 7
A Reader’s Brain, April 7
Bigreadersite, April 8
The Lit Addict, April 8
Through the Fire Blogs, April 9
Inklings and notions, April 9
Stephanie’s Life of Determination, April 10
The Becca Files, April 10
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Ginny is away a grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of Convergence!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/dd7b/convergence-celebration-tour-giveaway
Comments 1
Thank you for sharing your honest thoughts. Convergence sounds intriguing.