For twenty-six years Liz has perfectly played the part of Mrs. Thomas Lightsey, exemplary pastor’s wife and mother. But maintaining appearances for the congregation and catering to her demanding husband takes a toll, and she’s lost herself in meeting the expectations of others. When Thomas suddenly dies, Liz feels shocked, grief, and, to her surprise, the siren song of freedom. Dare she dream of life to call her own?

Despite the resistance of her daughter, Abigail, to even the smallest changes, Liz lands a role at the community theater. Inspired by new friends and the character she plays, she explores life’s possibilities, including an unexpected—and steamy—relationship with her leading man.

Just when Liz thinks she might be winning, life hits her with an unthinkable shock. She’s pregnant at forty-nine. Torn between conflicting loyalties to her daughter, her lover, her unborn baby, and herself, can Liz find a way to rebuild her dream life one more time?

I enjoyed the book. It was not at all what I expected. There are some parts that seem a bit off, well off as a forty-nine pregnancy. I enjoyed most of the book.

Great book! I loved seeing Liz find herself after being in a marriage for years that wasn’t born out of love.

This was one of those books that becomes so addictive that you can't simply put it down.
It's a non stop heart pounding piece that revolves around Lance and Liz and their new found relationship after the sudden death of her husband Thomas.
Could it be too soon to begin a new romance?
Is she too old to start jumping back into the dating pool at forty nine; after all there's so many things to worry about with STD's and god forbid pregnancy because birth defects escalate with age.
Geez! I hate to be the Debbie Downer here but what would happen if someone came along and swept her up with bad intentions and was toxic to her soul?
Or, what if she met the man of her dreams and was swept off into the sunset on that elusive white horse...Thanks Disney!
No, really it could happen -couldn't it?!
Read this amazing new work by Kerry Anne King as it's well written and beautifully paced with characters that you'll fall in love with while reading.
Thank you to Kerry, the pub, NetGalley, and Kindle for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This isn't what I normally read but it is a wonderful story of coming to find herself after a marriage that was not born of love,Liz is becoming the person she always wanted to be now that Thomas had died and she does not have to do what was always expected of her as being the Parsons wife she goes through different stages in her new live and eventually getting a closer relationship with her daughter and starting a new life together with Lance.
Would recommend this book to all my friends.

This is quite unlike what I'd normally read but I enjoyed it so much. The story is really gripping and has enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested. I thought the writing was fantastic and the book really held my attention. I'd love to see more from Kerry Anne King. Thanks so much for sharing the review copy - fantastic book!

Life has beaten down Elizabeth Lightsey. Married to a pastor, her days and nights are a series of tasks deemed worthy of a pastor's wife by her husband, Thomas. At another knitting club meeting, Elizabeth fears she will die of either boredom or incessant petty gossip. Then the unthinkable happens, a heart attack kills her husband and she is left with the remnants of a very unfulfilling life. The easiest and safest thing to do would be to stay the same, but Elizabeth wants more.
As Elizabeth tries to move forward, her adult daughter Abigail frowns at any change she tries to make. A new haircut, new clothes, and new theater friends only make Abigail more and more uncomfortable. But Elizabeth is slowing shedding the skin she wore for 26 years, and Liz is about to be born.
Liz has a second chance, but can she overcome the person she became and embrace the person she was meant to be? It is a lovely story full of regret about the past and hope for the future. This wasn't a fast-paced page flipper, but rather a slow burn of a story that is filled with humor, love, and hope. 
 This is the first book I have read by Kerry Anne King and it won't be the last.

Enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. At first I found the main characters slightly annoying but grew to like them more as the story progressed. This is the first book of Kerry that I've read and it won't be the last. Its nice to add another author to my growing list and I can definitely recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of A Borrowed Life by Kerry Anne King.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me.  I made it about 20% of the way in and then realized that I just wasn't going to make a connection with this book.  The characters are total exaggerations, and I've just never believed that people are near as polarizing as the author describes them.  The dialogue was also ridiculous and so unbelievable.

It's a shame because the premise was promising.

Elizabeth has been married to Thomas her entire adult life.  When he suddenly passes away, she’s left to deal with life as a widow.  She also discovers how controlling and restrictive her husband really was.  In her quest to “say yes” to anything and everything, Liz {as she’s now called} makes decisions she would’ve never made before Thomas died and then must live with those decisions.

I LOVED this book!  It’s a great, easy read that also makes you think and want to embrace life as much as possible.  The main characters are well developed and the side characters give plenty of humor and fun to the story.  Will definitely be recommending this book to friends!

I loved this book, so many twists and turns , I just needed to keep reading! I would love a book about some of the other interesting characters.

Liz Lightsey has been the perfect pastors wife and mother for the last 26 years so is knocked for six when Thomas drops dead one day. She is obviously devastated but also surprised to feel relief. She has been a yes woman all of her married life, and now starts to become her own person despite opposition from the ladies of her husbands church and her daughter Abigail. Liz is helped in her self discovery by her friend Val who tricks her into auditioning for the local dramatic society where, to her surprise, gets the lead role. 
This is a lovely story of a woman re discovering and realising her own worth. At times I wanted to shake both her and her daughter,  but I was invested enough in the tale to persevere and ended up thoroughly enjoying it.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A Borrowed Life by Kerry Anne King is an excellent novel about second chances and that there is no timeline on finding yourself.

We first see Liz as a subdued, suppressed, and shell-of a woman after being married for over 20 years to her pastor husband/accompanying church. We then see the identity crisis that then takes place after he passes. 

What I love about this book is the awakening, self-discovery, newfound self-empowerment, and second lease on life that Liz then gets to experience after she is almost forced into this “new life”. 

It definitely goes to show that it is never too late to find one’s self and take it all by the reins. 

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

Luckily, my husband is nothing like Thomas, however I do understand the need to start over and make quite big life decisions so I had complete empathy and understanding for Liz’s plight. I was rooting for her from page 1. The colourful characters she meets through the theatre enable her to revisit a part of herself that was almost lost for good and she starts to blossom. When I left Liz on the final page, I was left with a lot of hope for her and her future. This lovely book isn’t out until September but be sure to keep this on your radar, you won’t want to miss it! Thank you to @netgalley as well for the early read.

I don't always read these kinds of books, but I found this one irresistible. Liz has been a preacher's wife for over twenty years, repressed and dominated by her husband (and his church, complete with knitting circle). She can't communicate with her daughter and has no allies but her friend Val. When her husband dies, Liz embarks on an enlightening journey of self-discovery, showing that it's never too late - for her or her daughter. An ideal read for troubled times, A Borrowed Life will make you want to reach out to your family (and eat lots of chocolate cake and drink margaritas)! I look forward to seeing more family stories and romances from this author.

Engaging read. The narrative is compelling, heartbreaking & hilarious - exactly like real life. Young Liz looks for security and realizes all she's achieved is modern enslavement, from those who claim to care for her (or her image) the most, a common family dynamic. Embracing her 2nd life's journey -she kicks down doors and happily frees others too. You'll cry and cheer for her all the same and maybe find some courage of your own.

Liz is a pastor's wife and upon her husband's sudden death, she realizes how sheltered her life has become and how her husband's words and actions shaped her life.  Now that she is experiencing life on her own, her perspective has changed, and her horizons have expanded.

I've been excited about this book since I first heard about it, and it did not disappoint. The characters sucked you into the story and the story kept you turning pages as fast as you could. I devoured it in a day. I loved it.

“A Borrowed Life” by Kerry Anne King

An intriguing and dynamic novel, “A Borrowed Life,” is the story of how Elizabeth Lightsey, the dignified and beaten down wife of a preacher, became Liz Lightsey, the dynamic woman who made her own decisions and led her own life including making decisions when she wanted and how she wanted. 

For 26 years, Elizabeth lived as a pastors wife and under his structure. That all changed when he died suddenly of a heart attack. For the first time in decades she finally felt free to make her own decisions, to live the life she wanted, to have the home she wanted, to have the ability to make friends, to participate in the community play, but most of all to remember and further explore who Liz Lightsey is. 

Through multiple characters, scenes, experiences and storylines, Liz begins to take charge of her life, to do what makes her happy, to work through the unexpected, and to continually remember she has the individual power to be in charge of her life, to continually explore who she is, and that she always has the power to say yes or no. 

Another wonderful novel by Kerry Anne King...

Rating: 4.7
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

** I  voluntarily chose to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Really cute book to take your mind off things. Lovely story. 

Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

"I'm tired of silencing my emotions, tired of letting everybody tell me what to do. I'll do my own thinking."
I love Kerry Anne King's books and this one had me captured from the very beginning.
 I did not want it to end! 
There is no doubt that everyone knows a person like the main character, Liz.
Liz at age forty-nine loses her husband to a massive heart attack. Her husband was a preacher who had control over his wife, daughter and his parishioners, but not his own death.
Liz feels guilt, relief and freedom. She is now on her own. Can she actually begin to enjoy the world?
Her daughter Abigail is a nurse in her twenties and thinks her Mom needs some serious help. Perhaps it is just grief causing her mom to act so bizarre. 
Liz gets involved with a theatre play, makes some new friends and then finds herself pregnant! 
WHAT??

This is a novel of learning to love and respect yourself, no matter what age you are. 
I found myself praying that Liz would be able to stand up for herself and that Abigail would see all the potential in her own life.
This is a wonderful, emotional book!