She wants to give him her heart. He wants to give her the best chance at a happy life. They’re headed separate ways . . . until faith steps in.Chess Summers never got to have a “real” family growing up. Thankfully, his makeshift family of former foster kids has given him the sense of belonging he’s always been missing. However, insecurities about his dark past may cost him the future he longs … him the future he longs for, especially when it comes to Brooke, the spunky and beautiful woman he has found himself falling for. He’s determined to protect her, and convinced she deserves someone much better than him.
Brooke Pierce may have had a rough childhood, but she also had her trust in Christ, which sustained her through it all. When Chess crushes Brooke’s dreams of a future together, she must rely on faith once again to heal her heart and help her move on. But is walking away from each other the answer? Or does redemption lie in these two broken spirits facing the past together?
An inspirational Christian novel about the power of faith, the strength of hope, and the joy found in redemption.
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Life Unexpected is a complete three-book series.
Safe In His Arms (Book 1): She’s determined to escape her past. He’s looking to build a future . . . with her. Will she open her heart and let him help, or keep on running alone?
Someone to Trust (Book 2): She wants to give him her heart. He wants to give her the best chance at a happy life. They’re headed separate ways . . . until faith steps in.
Starting Anew (Book 3): He’s afraid to trust. She has a secret that could change everything between them. Will they let go of their fear, or allow it to rob them of their chance at happiness?
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Loved it!
At the beginning of this second book of Ms. Snitker’s Life Unexpected series, Joel and Anna, the couple who stars in book one, are gone on their honeymoon, putting Chess and Brooke in situations where they have to rely more on each other and spend more time together alone. Without the others around to act as a buffer, Brooke’s and Chess’ feelings for each other are more difficult for them to ignore and push away. It is bittersweet to watch those feelings come to the forefront as there are some inner struggles that need to be overcome before their relationship can come together.
Brooke is a sweet character who is easy to root for. Sometimes God allows things in our lives in order to serve as a catalyst for Him being able to bring about His best for us after he gets our attention and gets us to let go of less than His best. We can see a little bit of this happen in Brooke’s life as she faces some tough situations in the book and God uses those situations to work in her heart about what He has in store for her.
Chess, even in his struggles, is a lovable character that you want to see find what he’s looking for. He’s one of those heroes who is a little bit stoic at times and who feels like it is on his shoulders to take care of the people in his life, often taking on more than what his shoulders were really intended to bear. He wants to fix things for those he loves and part of his journey in this book is letting go of things in his past he couldn’t fix and learning to move forward.
Spoiler Alert: The following paragraph definitely contains some spoilers, but is something I feel like I need to mention.
As readers, we get to observe as Chess begins to embrace the idea of a God who is interested in him and even the small details of his life; a God who loves him, who has plans for him, and who wants the best for him. By the end of the book, it is pretty obvious that Chess has finally taken steps to surrender his heart and life to the Lord—Which is a great thing! But on the journey to get there, it is never mentioned that Brooke, as a Christian, should be cautious about entering a relationship with someone who is known to not to be a Christian. As difficult as it would be to tell someone, I could not stand by and watch as a friend who is a Christian pursued someone who is clearly not a Christian and not caution them as to the potential heartache ahead for them. With what I believe, for me, there would be an inner struggle if I had fallen for someone who was not a Christian, knowing that to pursue a relationship potentially leading to marriage with someone who does not know the Lord goes against what God’s Word advises. I found myself wanting someone to be there to offer that caution, that advice to Brooke. I do understand, though, that not everyone who is a Christian has been taught that caution and that just because we have heard such a caution, that does not mean we will follow it. In that respect, the fact that there is no mention of a need for Brooke to be careful about a relationship that is more than friends with Chess before he becomes a Christian can be seen as a sometimes true to life situation.
While I love the family that Chess, Brooke, Joel, and Anna have created for themselves or rather that God has put together for them, I would love to see them encounter an older Christian who could come alongside them and mentor them, to offer them some extra wisdom gained from a little more life experience and his/her own personal journey in learning to trust the Lord.
**I received a copy of this book from the author and have chosen to review it. My opinions are my own.