I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
About the book:
Two couples in love. Two sets of impossible circumstances. One powerful God of grace.
After a devastating tailspin in her late teens, Lauren Anderson’s life is finally back on track. Then a chance meeting with Carter Douglas, her first love and the man who broke her heart, threatens to throw her well-balanced world out of control.
Now a TV meteorologist, Carter is determined to make amends with Lauren. After all, she still owns his heart. But his old demons are forcing him toward the same decision he faced in the past. Is he courageous enough to make a different choice this time around?
When Lauren’s elderly grandmother, Rosie, begins having nightmares about a man named Ephraim–a name her family has never heard before—a fascinating and forbidden past love comes to light. As Lauren and Carter work to uncover the untold stories of Rosie’s past in 1950s Wichita, they embark on a journey of forgiveness and second chances that will change their lives—and Rosie’s—forever. Along the way they’ll learn that God wastes nothing, his timing is perfect, and nothing is beyond his grace and redemption.
Click here to read an excerpt.
What Others Are Saying
“A reading experience both heartfelt and heart-tugging, a timeless exploration of young and enduring love and the grace found in second chances. Amanda Wen is a rare and remarkable storyteller, and this is a novel I will not soon forget.” –Amanda Barratt, Christy Award-winning author of The White Rose Resists
“A stunning journey of loss, love, and yearning. . . . Past and present are deftly woven together in this dual-timeline narrative that will leave readers flying through the pages.” – Amanda Cox, author of the 2021 Christy Award Book of the Year, The Edge of Belonging
About the author:
Amanda Wen is an award-winning writer of inspirational romance and split-time women’s fiction. She has placed first in multiple writing contests, including the 2017 Indiana Golden Opportunity, the 2017 Phoenix Rattler, and the 2016 ACFW First Impressions contests. She was also a 2018 ACFW Genesis Contest finalist. Her debut novel was a 2021 Christy Award First Novel finalist.
Wen is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and regularly contributes author interviews for their Fiction Finder feature. She also frequently interviews authors for her blog and is a contributor to the God Is Love blog. She is the author of Roots of Wood and Stone and The Songs That Could Have Been.
In addition to her writing, Wen is an accomplished professional cellist and pianist who frequently performs with orchestras, chamber groups, and her church’s worship team. She serves as a choral accompanist as well. A lifelong denizen of the flatlands, Wen lives in Kansas with her patient, loving, and hilarious husband, their three adorable Wenlets, and a snuggly Siamese cat.
To find Amanda Wen’s blog and short stories, visit www.amandawen.com. Readers can also follower her on Facebook (@AuthorAmandaWen), Twitter (@AuthorAmandaWen), and Instagram (@authoramandawen).
My Review
This is Amanda Wen’s second Inspirational Romance and it’s a lovely novel in the Sedgwick County Chronicles series. I absolutely loved the first book Roots of Wood and Stone. This book is a dual time book with characters living in 1954-55 and the later generations living in the present day. These types of books can be harder to understand in the first chapters, but make for a very interesting and enjoyable method of understanding the complex characters.
Carter and Lauren knew each other as young adults and then run into each other again in the supermarket. After an awful break-up in the past, Lauren is very wary of Carter and his charismatic personality. This couple’s on-again/off-again relationship is causing them both so much grief. They both have things in their past that haunt them. These past mistakes are ruining their chance at a healthy and stable future.
Lauren’s grandmother Rosie is the teenage girl in 1954 who is falling in love with a black classmate named Ephraim. They meet after school after Rosie hears the beautiful piano music he’s playing the choir room. This becomes an almost everyday occurrence, but they must keep it a secret.
Their budding relationship causes trouble with their families, friends, and makes their futures very uncertain. They must decide if they will be bold enough to share a public relationship.
Lauren and Carter cause each other tremendous pain, but eventually learn that God can heal any hurts and remove any past sin. When they are able to heal in their own hearts, then they have room in their heart for each other.
I love the book and the well researched plot shares what it was really like for interracial couples in the past. The grace that only God gives is the key to all the character’s happiness.
GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveaway@2022, copyright Lisa Ehrman
The book sounds like an amazing and interesting read.
Thanks for the giveaway.
This sounds like an interesting and charming book.
Lovely cover
This looks like an interesting read!
This book is exactly the genre I love reading. It looks like a wonderful story.