Mitch, a contractor and house-flipper, is restoring a beautiful old house in an idyllic Midwestern neighborhood.
Angela, a woman filled with regrets and recently transplanted to his area, is anything but idyllic. She’s almost his worst nightmare, and she’s also working on restoring something—herself.
As he struggles to keep his business afloat and she works to overcome mistakes of her past, these two unlikely friends soon discover they have something unexpected in common—a young mom who is fighting to give her children a better life after her husband’s incarceration.
While both Mitch and Angela are drawn to help this young mother survive, they also find themselves drawn to each other. Will a lifetime of regrets hold them back or unite them and bring redemption along with true love?
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Fiction
PUBLISHER: New Hope
RELEASE DATE: January 2, 2017
PAGES: 324
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“Oh sweetie… I’ve asked God to show you just how much He loves you.”
From the publisher’s blurb, it’s tempting to assume that Restoring Love is Mitch and Angela’s story. That’s not really true, however – not at the core of the novel. It’s not even a romance, though that does play a sweet role in Mitch and Angela’s aspect of the story.
At its heart, Restoring Love is Bianca’s story. It’s a novel about a young mom, suddenly single for all intents and purposes, struggling to make ends meet and fighting to make sure in the midst of all the crazy that her kids don’t lose sight of her love for them. Jesus isn’t even on her radar. At least, He isn’t until He places three separate people in her path. Besides her compassionate landlord who does what he can to overlook the fact that she’s hopelessly behind in the rent and her crazy neighbor lady who doesn’t seem fazed by the figurative walls Bianca has firmly in place, there’s also the sweet resident at the assisted living home where Bianca works. Each of these individuals loves Jesus and wants Bianca to know that He loves her, too.
So… you see… while there IS a delightfully sweet romance thread and while Mitch and Angela ARE major parts of the plot, Restoring Love is really the story of how Jesus draws a hurting young woman to Himself. It is at once convicting and inspiring, opening my own heart to how often I avert my eyes to the needs of people I pass by everyday. It’s a challenge to get a little uncomfortable, to feel a little awkward, for the sake of extending a hand of rescue to someone who needs to know that Jesus loves her. It’s about pressing on, even when initial attempts are rejected. And it’s about leaning on the only One who can bring about true restoration.
Bottom Line: While Restoring Love builds off the characters introduced in Beyond I Do, it’s fine as a standalone, and Jennifer Slattery’s compassionate heart for people shines brightly from the pages. Moments of humor walk hand-in-hand with the sweet and the sorrowful, providing the right amount of each so none overwhelms the mood. I’ve read (and loved) several of this author’s books now, but Restoring Love is my favorite… so far!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)
My Rating: 4 stars / Love it!
Novelist and speaker Jennifer Slattery has a passion for helping women discover, embrace, and live out who they are in Christ. As the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries (http://whollyloved.com), she and her team put on events at partnering churches designed to help women rest in their true worth and live with maximum impact. She writes devotions for Internet Café Devotions, Christian living articles for Crosswalk.com, and edits for Firefly, a Southern fiction imprint with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. When not writing, reading, or editing, Jennifer loves going on mall dates with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband.
Visit with Jennifer online at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com and connect with her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JenSlatte
Other Books by Jennifer Slattery
Jennifer Slattery is giving away a copy of Restoring Love to one of my readers (US only). Comment on this review and head over to our chat post to claim 5 extra entries in the Rafflecopter form!
What about you? Has God placed someone in your path to show you He loves you? Do you watch for chances to do the same?
My older sister and my twin sister. They are always there for me.Thanks for the giveaway.
Marilyn
Marilyn, that’s so beautiful! What a blessing!
Siblings are a blessing!
The Lord has placed a few “mother” figures in my life! I treasure them!
i love that! yes!
My husband who is a General Contractor is my blessing. He is the perfect man. He can do anything I can do and a whole lot more and all of it better. He doesn’t NEED me but he WANTS me. Why isn’t that perfect? His work mainly deals with renovations & additions. The description of Mitch’s work made me think of him.
love this!!
When I was going through an unwanted divorce about ten years ago, one of the first women I met at my new church in my new town was a woman who had also gone through a divorce (and had since remarried). It was helpful to have someone supportive who had also gone through a heartache like mine. I’ve tried to be supportive of those I know experiencing the same thing.
you have a perspective on the other side of it that they don’t at that moment!
I try not to read the blurb because it often gives away too much! It’s interesting that this blurb doesn’t exactly meet the story.
well it’s certainly part of it but it’s not the whole story about the story 😉
God gave me my children to show me love. I didn’t understand my mother’s love for me, until I had my own kids.
i’ve heard other people say that too!
I am so grateful for the my family and friends that God has given me through his blood. They have been by my side through thick and thin. They have reminded me of what it truly means to love like God.
yes amen 🙂
My wonderful grands.
my parents would say the same thing! 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway of this book it looks great. Maybe a friend or 2 put in my path I try to help others anyway that I can.
that’s a great thing! 🙂
My friend lives 1000 miles away. However, when I’m down, it seems the Lord touches her heart as she calls me out of the blue. I find God has been faithful to reach out to me and show His love in many different ways.
i love how God does that!