MrsK Books: The Man He Never Was by James L. Rubart

Monday, December 31, 2018

The Man He Never Was by James L. Rubart

The Man He Never Was: A Modern Reimagining of Jekyll and Hyde

James L. Rubart

ISBN: 9780718099398

Publisher's Synopsis:

Toren Daniels vanished eight months back, and his wife and kids have moved on--with more than a little relief. Toren was a good man but carried a raging temper that often exploded without warning. So when he shows up on their doorstep out of the blue, they're shocked to see him alive. But more shocked to see he's changed. Radically.

His anger is gone. He's oddly patient. Kind. Fun. The man he always wanted to be. Toren has no clue where he's been but knows he's been utterly transformed. He focuses on three things: Finding out where he's been. Finding out how it happened. And winning back his family.

But then shards of his old self start to rise from deep inside--like the man kicked out of the NFL for his fury--and Toren must face the supreme battle of his life.

In this fresh take on the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, James L. Rubart explores the war between the good and evil within each of us--and one man's only chance to overcome the greatest divide of the soul.

What if You Woke up One Morning and the Darkest Parts of Yourself Were Gone?

MrsK's Review:

Toren Daniels was in the process of re-conditioning. He was experiencing peace again, which wasn't what others had been seeing before he left playing in the Pros with the Seahawks. It had been eight months since he had gone missing, eight months! Where had he been? What was the letter referring to? The way to freedom, who sent the package? In his search for answers, Toren goes home to his wife, Sloane. What must she be thinking? What note did he write? How could she start a new life? How can he regain everyone's trust? Before getting together with Quinn, Toren would spend the hours in silence, prayer, and pondering the way his soul had been transformed.

Once Sloane gets through the shock of Toren's sudden appearance, she knows to stay in the moment. A moment in which the children and her will need to trust in God's promises. After all of these months, she would have to deal with Toren's efforts to regain his way back into her life and the truth that her children deserved him in their lives.

Quinn was his workout partner, his best friend since sixth grade. "To find true freedom, you must find true forgiveness." Seeing is believing. For now, Toren appears to have lost all of the rage that began eating up his self-control. It was great on the field, but eventually it cost his friend his career and family. All of the signs of Toren's Hulk/Frankenstein alter ego had not yet resurfaced. Maybe Toren has changed. Where has he been all of these months?

Coach had always been a rock for Toren. Would he still be the one to help him regain his career? To help him navigate back to what was his best life on and off the field?

Eden is the private eye that Sloane had used to track down where Toren had gone. Now that he has reappeared, Eden will be the one helping him navigate the leads of where he had been. Could Toren had been one those clients who had decided to try re-consolidation? A process in which certain brain receptors are neutralized.

Dr. Ilsa Weber is the counselor who had helped Toren locate the center. Reconnecting with her should bring answers depending on how badly he will want to change. Yet, Toren must find his truth in order to defeat his deceivers. Could the truth be found on Friday Harbor?

When Toren enters the hallway...
Sorry, you must take the rest of this journey on your own...
MrsK

A novel in which your soul sees a reflection...

A novel in which your spirit quakes...

A novel in which your mind cries out to the Lord...

A novel in which you will ponder the moments spent within these pages.

Truth... a promise of freedom!

Meet the Author:

James L. Rubart is a 28 year old trapped in an older man's body, who loves to water ski and dirt bike with his two grown sons. He's the bestselling, Christy Books of the Year, Carol, INSPY, and RT Book Reviews award winning author of nine novels, including his latest, The Man He Never Was. He lives with his amazing wife on a small lake in eastern Washington.

"I received this book from the Fiction Guild for this review."

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MrsK's Reading Bio

Reading is important! No questions asked, not even a blink of the eye from any student I grew up with. On the first day of the First grade, we were given our first books. Day two we all read aloud, round robin of course. Day three we were place in our first basal, now known as a lit circle group. Books were so important, publishers designed new curriculum so that every student was reading by the end of the first week. These early readers had images that looked like what we could see in the classroom, beyond the classroom, even on the big screen. Reading is important, throughout history every generation has believed that “Reading” opens up the world for endless possibilities.

I adore the 1950’s Dick and Jane books. Actually, most reading specialists and experienced (45+) educators believe that every student learned to read with Dick and Jane. Since these books are being re-issued, I have heard many parents, grandparents, and students claim that Dick and Jane stories of repetition does teach students to read.

Early influences from my mother influenced my desire to read. I would watch her read and we would go on “secret” excursions to the library. The library became my playground. I owned every book I could carry home, of course they needed to be taken back to their home after visiting with me for a week or two. My first book that I could pull off of the library shelf and read was, Father Bear Comes Home. I only saw my dad on Sundays for a few hours. I would pull this beginning reader off of the library shelf every week. Every week I would try to read the first chapter. Every week I got further in the story. My mom would let me check it out, only if I could read it myself (She didn’t like the illustrations therefore she didn’t want to take time to read it to me). One day, I pulled the book from the shelf and when mom came to get me from the children’s corner, I realized that I had read the whole story. I ran to the check out desk and the Librarian KERCHUNKED the checkout card. My mother, brother and neighbors read. My teachers read. We all read aloud all day long in school. The Priest read aloud every day at mass, even in Latin. Everybody in the Doctor’s office read. People on the bus read. Dad’s waiting in their cars as the Mom’s and children grocery shopped, read. In fact, once you could read and write, Sunset Magazine considered you a reader and sent you mail every day.

Reading is important; I’ve spent my life reading. I’ve traveled around the world and into space through books. My favorite genre is whichever book I have open at the time. Children’s Literature is my passion. Book clubbing is one of the best past times, especially if food is involved. In fact my friends of old are in a book club and we are about to embark on a beach trip to “read” and discuss our newest selection.

My “home-run” book story has helped every student find his or her own “home-run” reads. Every year, I have shared my, Father Bear Comes Home, and every year my students have brought in their “home-run” books. That’s the “diving board” into our Lit. Studies.

In “Growing Up Digital,” Tapscott’s insights into the new generations enthusiasm for the Net reminded me of my generation’s enthusiasm for reading, movies, TV, parties and our driving permits. The Net-Generation, as Tapscott describes, “are learning, playing, communicating, working, creating communities, and enforcing a social transformation.”
N-Geners are interactive “techies” who are always looking for a way to “work it” verses the TV Generation of “Baby Boomers” who started out looking for “how it works.” Reading development is tougher today, society moves too fast to invest their “non-working” free time into a book or even “home work.” Since I stepped into my own classroom, I have seen students being told to read, being forced to read, and threatened into reading. Homework is not any longer the vehicle for students to gain their future lifestyles or careers with. Yet, the Internet does create an enthusiasm for learning. Since I have been enrolled in these courses, I have used the computers in every subject. My students are using the newest technology in the classroom because I am giving them investigative sites to use as they learn from each other and books. I agree with Tapscott, in order to bridge the gap with this up and coming generation we must “live and learn with them.”

FTC Required Disclaimer: I receive these books from the publishers. I did not receive monetary compensation for these reviews. These reviews have been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)