It was a match made in heaven. Or so everyone
thought. Sadie Mae Cummings is all set to marry her childhood sweetheart, Kyle,
when she is assigned to tutor Lincoln, the new college football running back.
This sophomore phenomenon has all the girls on campus knocking on his door. But
Sadie isn't interested in his advances.
Lincoln’s
overblown ego doesn't take well to being shunned, and he resolves to make Sadie
his own. He pursues her relentlessly, until finally Kyle finds himself shut out
of Sadie's life, with their shared future crumbling around him.
After two years,
Sadie’s relationship with Lincoln ends, and she is left having to put the
pieces of her life back together. She desires nothing more than to recapture
her relationship with Kyle. He has stayed true to the dreams they had planned
together, living the vision even without Sadie by his side.
When she moves
back to her hometown, she labors to rekindle their love. But things have
changed, and Kyle has moved on. Sadie quickly discovers how hard it is to
rebuild burned bridges.
Follow Sadie’s
story as she fights for a chance to restore broken dreams. Will love endure?
This
inspirational romance by E. C. Jackson is book two of the Hope series and is a
standalone book.
E. C.
Jackson began her writing career with the full-length play Pajama Party. For three and a half years, she published the
Confidence in Life newsletter for Alpha Production Ministries, in addition to
writing tracts and devotionals. Teaching a women’s Bible study at her church
for eleven years led naturally to her current endeavor, writing inspirational
romance novels. Her mission: spiritual maturity in the body of Christ through
fiction.
Connect with the Author here:
My review: I was excited to get to read the work of a new author, and this volume did not disappoint. Sadie Mae’s character spoke to me—I especially liked scenes with her family members. The complexity of the characters were well conceived and written. Since my own relationships are FAR from perfect, I was deeply touched by a story that emphasized the need to keep working and striving to forgive and do better. Plus! A big shout out for it being a clean read!
Excerpt from chapter 1:
She was an expert at fooling herself and others, but today her mind refused to be pacified. One could only pretend for so long before the bottom dropped out completely. Truth had a bad habit of intruding into fairy tales. Especially when the make-believe stories were about real-life events.
The ringing cell phone grabbed Sadie’s attention. That her mother was on the other end was a forgone conclusion. Except for an occasional chat with her younger sister and older brother, the cell phone never rang. These days only her mother contacted Sadie on a regular basis. She peeked at the caller ID.
A moment before the call transferred to voicemail, Sadie snatched up the cell phone, held it against her chest, then gave a cheery greeting. Minutes later, she sauntered through the studio apartment thinking up reasonable excuses to end the call early. Jeanette Cummings expected a good deal more than her middle child was able to give.
Still stumped about finding an excuse to satisfy her mother, Sadie walked around in circles.
“Mother, I’m not trying to hurry you off the phone. I recognize your concern for the Franklins. Our families have been friends for years. It’s just … look … it’s … mother, I don’t have time to talk now.”
Sadie picked up twine from the counter and wove it between her fingers. Pulling it too tight, she winced, then unwound it from around her fingers and wrapped it around her thumb.
“I made plans for the day.”
Lincoln could arrive any moment. Somehow, she had to quickly end this conversation without hurting the only person who regularly called. Friendships were difficult to maintain these days. And her brother and sister only gave duty calls, then ended the conversation in a snap.
Jeanette sighed loudly. “I would offer to call back at a better time, but there isn’t one, is there, Sadie?”
“Mom …” Sadie slowly shook her head. Guilt surfaced each time she talked to her mother. Raised in an orphanage, her mother wasn’t a clingy parent. She believed loneliness caused people to accept unhealthy conditions that a person who felt treasured might avoid.
“Of course, you’re removed from the lives of the families in Shiatown,” said Jeanette.
Blowing breath through her lips, Sadie laid her head on the cabinet with more force than intended. Wincing in pain, she rubbed the sore spot. The lull in the conversation helped gather her thoughts as her fingers massaged the painful area on her forehead. She parted her lips, then she shut them in hopes that her mother would continue speaking.
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Rebecca thank you for reviewing A Living Hope and spotlighting it to your viewers. I appreciate the encouragement!
ReplyDeleteHappy to do so! I need to blog more often and reviewing is a nudge in the right direction.
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