Allison Stevens became a Christian at a young age. Then she makes a wrong decision that takes her on a collision course of disappointment and heartache. God loves her and wants her back, but Satan wants to keep her in a life of despair and lies.Heavenly Spirits are sent by God to instruct and remind Allison of God’s promises. Can she walk the path God intended for her and find the joy that’s … that’s missing in her life?
A family she didn’t know she had, a man grieving his personal loss, and a felon who wants her dead makes her life more complicated than ever. Can she find happiness outside of the chaos?
On the way back to God, she discovers that there are still struggles, but now she knows she isn’t alone. God is with her. Can she stay strong and ward off the lies of the devil?
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I remember a time when I was angry at my dad and couldn’t wait to leave home. Like Allison, I thought I had it all figured out. I would marry the guy I thought I loved and we would live happily ever after. Allison believed that Tom was her knight in shining armor. She had no reason to doubt anything he said. I liked her innocence and trust she had in Tom. Soon she would find out that her hopes of a perfect life don’t always happen. I related to Allison so much and could feel her loneliness as her life unravels. It is so hard to have to start over when you think you are living the American dream.
The experience she has with the Heavenly Spirit was so powerful I wanted to soak up the wisdom for myself. We all get to a point in our life when we forget to be thankful for what we have. When we make mistakes we allow it to make us feel unworthy and start to lose control of our thoughts. Allison is a different person when she wakes up the next day. Lurking just in the background is satan ready to tell her lies to discourage her from serving God.
Allison will go through many trials, and her faith in God will be tested. I loved how the author allows Allison to experience so many emotions like joy, disappointment, grief and comfort. There is a powerful lesson about forgiveness illustrated that made me cry. There are so many wonderful things about this book that draw me back to it days after I have read it. As Allison faces challenges she begins to fully trust God. She was brought back to her mom’s house for a reason. When she decides to stay, I felt a peace surrond her. I have been through some difficult situations, but I would not change one thing about my past. I believe that everything I went through made me stronger just as Allison is starting to understand about her own life.
I really loved the story and connected with the story on a personal level. It is inspiring to see Allison begin to have confidence in herself and discover the purpose God has for her. The author does a great of showing how a person’s life can be changed by His grace and mercy. Thank you for writing a story that captures the essence of forgiveness and how much we are loved by God.
“God doesn’t promise we won’t have problems, just that He will be there to see us through them.”
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
I enjoyed reading Allison’s story. She left Rustin, Colorado to run away with Tom the man she loved. Young love can be sweet but not always wise. I enjoyed following the ups and downs in Allison’s life journey. A sweet story that kept me interested right to the very end.
A story of God’s grace lived out in a young woman who learns to trust again and strengthens her walk with the Lord. Angelic beings deliver messages from the Lord along the way to help her learn and grow. Love awaits, family awaits, and a beautiful wedding with tears of joy–what more would you want?
Biblically, angels are only messengers and exclusively do what the Lord wills in a person’s life. The Holy Spirit is the one to prick our consciences, guide, and keep us on the right path.
This is the first book by JE Grace that I have read. The premise of the main character, Allison, learning to love God and accept His will for her life is very exciting. The way Allison’s life changes and the way she touches other peoples’ lives by following God’s leading are both encouraging and inspiring. Despite these good points, the book was not for me.
The writing seemed a bit matter-of-fact and I had trouble figuring out the timeline of specific past events that affected Allison. I also had trouble trying to put this story into the proper decade – early 1990s? Late 1990s? Early 2000s?
The “heavenly spirits” that carry and explain a large portion of the plot, particularly the flashbacks into her past and some visions of the future, felt somewhat like the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. The spirits were named Desire, Joy, etc. and I wasn’t sure if they were supposed to represent angels or something else. I couldn’t quite wrap my brain around the heavenly spirits concept.
Although the book was not for me, you may thoroughly enjoy this book which chronicles the faith and life journey of a woman full of regrets and sense of failure who blossoms into someone confidant in whom she is in Christ.
I was given a copy of this book via Celebrate Lit Tours. I was not required to write a favorable review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
The concept of this story and the overall plot is good. A woman who had turned her back on God is restored and though she suffers great loss, she gains a family she had not known. I liked the fact that the author clearly has a love for the Lord and that she wanted to convey that through this book. I also liked the explanation of the importance of putting on the spiritual armor of God described in Ephesians. I value a Christian message in the stories I read and appreciate the fact that this was the goal of the author. The overall message was one of forgiveness and hope.
I had expected this to be a little bit like a Frank Perretti novel, with the “heavenly spirits” having an invisible yet significant part. I did not expect them to appear like Scrooge’s ghosts to deliver a message from God and then disappear. That seemed a little strange to me. Additionally, I did not agree with the comment made near the beginning that the spirits help many people to not stray from the path. That is not a Biblical principle. The Holy Spirit has that role in our lives, not angels. Their role is as messengers, not to keep us from sin.
The story was very difficult to read. There were many errors. It went from being written in one tense to another, even in the same paragraph at times. It also went from third person narrative to first person and back. Sentences containing statements ended in question marks. A number of elements were not explained well, and some things just simply did not make sense.
The story did not grab my attention or my emotions. Irrelevant details were added that didn’t contribute to the story and ended up detracting from it instead. (An example of this was the number of places where it talks about Allison taking a shower.)
Others have read this book who do not hold my opinion. As of right now, there are 4 reviews on Amazon that average 4.7 stars, so I leave it to you to decide whether to read it or not.
This review was originally posted on AmongTheReads.net
I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me this item. My opinion and review were not influenced by this gift.
Loved loved this beautiful unique story. It stands alone.