Monday, January 12, 2015

Miracles in the dry season, and how they can change you

Forgiveness is something we all crave. Sometimes it is offered freely, while other times people withhold it from us causing further harm. In this book we see the all healing power of Christ's forgiveness in and awe inspiring tale of a man, a woman, and a small town waiting for a miracle in a dry season.





It's 1954 and Perla Long's arrival in the sleepy town of Wise, West Virginia, was supposed to go unnoticed. She just wants a quiet, safe place for her and her daughter, Sadie, where the mistakes of her past can stay hidden. But then drought comes to Wise, and Perla is pulled into the turmoil of a town desperately in need of a miracle. But with a little girl in tow and no husband at her side rumors spread faster then wildfire and it makes things that much harder for Perla to pick up the pieces of her life.

In so many cases people judge a person only by one big mistake, and that person feels forever tainted by it. Back in the 1900's having a child out of wedlock is a much bigger deal then it is today, and few people ever let it go. This is what makes Christ's forgiveness so important in our lives.

Casewell never imagined getting involved with a woman like Perla, or her daughter capturing his heart. Perla tells him the truth about what happened at a surprisingly early in the book, which took me off guard. Few let out the secrets of their character's past early in the book, but I think Sarah Tomas was trying not to put so much focus on figuring out the past and more on the redemption of the people in the small town of Wise, and how a special gift from God helped them in a horrible drought.

I can't give you much that will put into words how wonderful a book this is, but I will give you all a verse that fits this book.

"though we are overwhelmed by sin, You forgive them all" Psalm 63:3 NLT

I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which I have given

A marriage of the most inconvenient kind

Abigail Stuart thought she was Jeremiah Calhaun's widow, but Jeremiah is still very handsome, very much alive, and very perplexed. A most inconvenient thing indeed!






It wasn't until a reached the end the end of this book that I noticed just who the author was and that I had actually reviewed her book Caught in the Middle. Now after reading two of her books I am a loyal fan, looking forward what will come next from her pen.

A tale woven with this much love and humor, with a good dash of chaos thrown in between, is a story worth high praise.

We can all imagine the civil war a brutal battle of our nation's past, but what about when it was over? what about all the men and women trying to deal with the aftermath? Were all hostilities put aside? No. Abigail had to work past the hard feelings felt towards her, all because she was born in the north. Jeremiah was also guilty of this a time or two.

We all feel protectiveness for the people we love. Our families most time reach the top of this list of people we feel we must protect at all costs, be they related by the blood of Christ or the blood of man. They are the most important people in our lives, but I have learned for myself that even family can have the ability to hurt you, even if they are only trying to protect you from harm. Regina Jennings displayed this kind of hurt and the after effects of it with Abigail and her family, and between Jeremiah and his younger sister Rachel.

I enjoyed all the little sayings Regina put in the book. Being a girl from the south myself I know and use many of them myself, it was such a pleasure to see something from my roots to be put into ink and paper.

I can't think of more to say about this book without giving too much of it away for any future readers, and this book is too good to leave spoilers in this review! So pick up a copy at your library or bookstore and enjoy!

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review which I have given