Book Reviews: Conflicted Hearts and Twenty Years After “I Do” by D.G. Kaye

D.G. Kaye’s Author Page – http://www.amazon.com/author/dgkaye7 

I am excited to introduce you to D.G. Kaye today, or better known as Debby. I have followed Debby’s blog for several years now and it has been a joy to not only read her amazing, witty, and honest writing, but to also get to know her as a new friend who has a big heart. She has written many books, so I pulled two out of the hat: Conflicted Hearts first, then Twenty Years After “I Do.”

My First 5-Star Review:

Conflicted Hearts is a compilation of personal essays from D.G. Kaye’s emotional experiences of growing up with her unloving and narcissistic mother. The author struggles with her obligation as a daughter, but also her responsibility to care for herself regarding her own healthy well-being. In each chapter as she opens yet another window giving us a glimpse into her extremely trying times, the emotions become palpable. Because I am a mother of two adult children whom I love to the moon and back, I often felt tears forming and my heart being tugged at in different directions. How a mother can abandon her own children is something I find difficult to understand. D.G. Kaye writes with emotion, vulnerability, and humor. She is not afraid to admit mistakes, but she will also gladly glow in triumph – moments when I felt like clapping, thrilled with the outcome and thrilled for her!

Unfortunately, she lost her childhood because of her mother’s constant absence in the household. Her mother would rather be out partying, seeking the attention of men by using her luminescent beauty, and by doting on her passion for gambling. With the author being the oldest of her siblings, she naturally slid into the role of “mother” which in turn, shaped her decision of possibly not wanting to have children in the future. Her parent’s relationship ran extremely hot and cold, but mostly hot when her mother kicked her father out repeatedly. She adored her father, so each time he left, fear crept into her very soul that she would never see him again.

The author writes with honesty and when she finds herself acknowledging enlightening realizations, she revels in her own personal growth. I read Conflicted Hearts not only as a memoir, but also as a compelling self-help book. And a difficult decision lies in waiting with each turn of the page exemplifying the author’s courage and strength. I am sure her struggles are felt by others so that her personal growth benefits those who live each day in similar circumstances.

This is the first book of D.G. Kaye’s that I have read and because her writing is natural, conversational, and engaging, I am excited to read more from her. This book definitely falls into the can’t put down category. If you enjoy reading memoirs and self-help books, I highly recommend Conflicted Hearts. You will find yourself on an emotional and inspirational wild ride that will both touch and tug at your heart. An excellent read!

My Second 5-Star Review:

D.G. Kaye’s memoir, Twenty Years After “I Dopiqued my interest for a couple of reasons. First, I’ve been married for thirty-one years to a man who is not only my loving husband but who is my very best friend. I wanted to read what the author had to say on the subject, and she certainly inserted many pearls of wisdom of which I agreed with. Before I met my husband, I had dated a man twenty years older than me, so reading her perspective on the age difference grabbed my attention, as well. This was the second book that I have read from Debby, so I was already familiar with her beautiful, conversational writing.

Debby offers snippets of insight from her own experiences on how to keep a marriage happy and unbreakable. She adds how humor can lighten any heavy situation and intimately writes of how sex ultimately changes from dating to married life. Most importantly though, she conveys that love has no timeline. Couples should enjoy each moment together and unconditional love will carry them through the difficult times. I was moved by this lovely collection of stories from Debby’s marriage to Gordon, and how she met true love when she least expected. An enjoyable read and one I highly recommend!

Short bio:

Debby Gies is a Canadian memoir/nonfiction writer who writes under the pen name D.G. Kaye. She writes about real life experiences and matters of the heart sharing life lessons in hopes to empower others.

Social Links:

www.dgkayewriter.com

www.goodreads.com/dgkaye

www.amazon.com/author/dgkaye7

www.twitter.com/@pokercubster (Of course there’s a story to this name!)

www.facebook.com/dgkaye

www.linkedin.com/in/DGKaye7


I look forward to reading more books from Debby and I hope you will pay her blog a visit to learn more about this wonderful author and to sink into her inviting and conversational writing, as well.

Thanks for stopping by! Lauren 💓💓

33 thoughts on “Book Reviews: Conflicted Hearts and Twenty Years After “I Do” by D.G. Kaye

    1. Thanks for your kind words, Jill. Have Bags Will Travel does sound like a fun read. I love to buy books like my mom used to love to buy See’s candy. 🙂 But my bookcase is bursting since I haven’t ventured into e-books yet. By the way, these reviews aren’t in any particular order, so I’ll be posting a review for you, too. There are a few more friends who I have in mind that I’d like to help out. This morning, I was reading the reviews on Amazon for my books and found yours which I truly appreciate for Finding a Balance. That was five years ago. Thanks again and have a good evening. 🥰

  1. Blow me away with a feather Lauren. You sure made my crazy day! I’m truly humbled that you read two of my books and reviewed and featured me. Thank you so much Lauren. And I loved what you took from my books, it’s always a treat when someone connects with our writing.
    Sorry I’m late, life got in the way. I’m sharing around the circuit and will be reblogging this Sunday on my Sunday book reviews. ❤ Hugs xo

    1. I’m happy to have made your day, Debby. No worries about the timing; everyone’s busy and life is like that, isn’t it? 🙂 I’ll watch for your post tomorrow and look forward to reading more of your books. Thanks for sharing your talents with us! Hugs back! 💕🥰🌻

  2. Hi Lauren, thanks for sharing these reivews. I featured Debby on my blog a few years ago. It’s nice to learn more about her books, and inspiring to read how she overcame a difficiult childhood and hard relationship with her mother.

    1. Thanks for stopping by and reading, Barbara. I agree with you about feeling inspired by Debby’s ability to overcome a tough childhood and a grueling mother/daughter relationship. I just read Sally Cronin’s review on Words We Carry so that will be my next book of hers to dive into. 💕

  3. I visited Debbie’s blog where she shared your reviews. Wonderful reviews! Books that resonate with me on many levels. Debby’s wit and honest writing is evident on her blog and I look forward to reading her books. Thank you for sharing, Lauren. 🙂

      1. You write wonderful, enticing reviews, Lauren. I enjoy reading many books, yet I find writing reviews daunting. I have only written a few reviews. Something I should work on more.

      2. That’s kind of you, Erica. I’ve only written a few, too, so I feel the same way…it’s a daunting task. But I think it’s a good learning experience. I’m working on a couple more right now. 🙂

      3. Thank you for sharing this, Lauren. I am always glad I have written the review. I just want to do the author and the book the justice they deserve. I will carry your message with me “learning experience.” 🙂

      4. It’s funny, Erica, I had the same thought as you about doing the author justice and forgot to write that!! And that’s when I get a little nervous and worry if what I wrote is good enough. I think so far, so good. 🙂 Each time, though, brings a new flock of butterflies. Have a great day! 🦋🦋🦋

  4. Pingback: “How to keep a marriage happy and unbreakable”: This 5-star memoir reveals the secrets | What Inspires Your Writing?

  5. Pingback: Smorgasbord Blogger Daily – Thursday 17th June 2021 – #IndieAuthors Timothy Pike, #BloggingTips Hugh Roberts, #Chocolate Eat Dessert First Greece | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

  6. Pingback: Sunday Book Review and an Invitation to share a review for a good book.

    1. Debby sure does. I’ve enjoyed the books I’ve read of hers and look forward to reading more. And thank you for your kind words about my review. It was a nice surprise to see that Tim shared it, and to learn about his project – especially since I’m working on my 3rd book of memoirs in prose and verse. Thanks for stopping by!

  7. Pingback: Breaking free from a lifetime of guilt: author D.G. Kaye’s emotional journey – Tim’s Discovery List

I appreciate your thoughts!

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s