Silver Rain by Staci Stallings - Another Wonderfully Satisfying Novel by a Favorite Christian Writer! Featuring Olivia Newton-John

 

No matter which book you choose that is written by Staci Stallings, you will ultimately learn that Jesus is your friend and is with you in all things. Stallings has an amazing skill in writing so that each book, each set of characters seems to be so real, so true...and so exactly what you or another might need at any time. Even when writing for young adults, as was done in this book, we all can find something that speaks to us and gently reminds us that He is there, sometimes in people we have come to know...sometimes by the set of circumstances that we have faced at one time or another... If you have someone who loves reading, I highly recommend you give a great gift of love by sharing this or any other book written by this writer, for Christmas...

She didn’t need anyone. She could be happy all on her own. “I’m better off. Other people just complicate things,” she told the statue of the horse in Memorial Circle. On Sunday, however, she went to church for the first time since the funeral. At first, she didn’t know why she went. Maybe it was just to be around other people, but whatever the reason, she was there. Until she found herself in the pew, the thought of being in a church and hearing the words of the funeral had seemed impossible to endure, but now somehow, they gave her comfort. Even if she was alone in the world, someone, God, Jesus, or whoever, was surely there with her. She’d believed that since she was a little girl, and at this point, she needed that belief more than when she’d thought there were monsters in her room. God was here, and He would help her if she just listened to Him and did what He told her. By the end of the service, she had come to the conclusion that it was she—not her friends who had decided to push away. When the minister talked about forgiveness and compassion, the hardness surrounding her heart choked its way into her throat. In her mind, she realized she was so busy protecting the hurt inside her that she’d pushed away the very people who might help her heal that hurt. She decided she should start going to church more often. Maybe it would help get her off this awful merry-go-round and set her feet back on solid ground. She needed that. On Monday, classes came and went. She aced another Dr. Greensboro pop quiz and even answered a few questions in Psychology, but somehow her heart wasn’t in it anymore. The grades were nice, but she missed her friends. She’d eaten alone for three straight days, and it was getting old. So, on Tuesday when she had to decide where to sit for English, she opted for her usual seat. If her friends were going to turn their backs on her after her behavior, she would understand, but at least she was going to try to make amends with them. She tried not to watch for them, to keep her mind on studying her notebook, but she couldn’t help glancing back to see if they had come in yet. They hadn’t. You’re early. Don’t panic. They’ll be here. Finally, when she glanced back for the tenth time, she saw him and the strands of hair that dropped into and across his face with each step he took down. Her heart raced through her chest as she willed him to come and sit by her. When he finally turned down her row, she thought she might burst. At least he was going to give her a chance. He sat down and arranged his books on the desk, but he didn’t look at her, and he didn’t say hello. Obviously, this was as far as he would go to meet her, but it was enough. “I know you’re mad,” she started without looking at him. “I’m not mad,” he said, sounding like he was trying not to be. “Hurt and confused, yes. Mad, no.” “I’m sorry,” she said, letting her heart be truly honest. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you like I did. I shouldn’t have taken the notebook like that. There’s no excuse for what I did, so I won’t try to give you one. All I’ll say is that I’m sorry for everything. You didn’t deserve to be treated that way, and I’ll try not to let you get hurt by the lousy way my life’s turned out. I’d like to be your friend if that’s still possible. If not, I understand.” He sat for a moment, and she thought he might get up and simply walk away. But he didn’t, he just sat there. “I didn’t mean to hurt you the other night, but I did,” he finally said slowly. “And I didn’t mean to upset you the other day, but I did. It just seems like I can’t do anything right with you.” She knew that feeling well all too well, and it wasn’t much fun. “I understand—maybe better than you think I do,” she said, each word like a feather in the breeze. “I’ve been in your shoes more times than I want to count. All I can tell you is I’ve spent four days totally alone, and I’ve decided that’s not what I want either. I’ll try to be honest with you about how I feel and why I act the way I do, but that’s all I can offer for now.” “I’ll take it,” he said finally looking at her and smiling just a little. Then he shook his head. “I was afraid you’d never speak to me again after Thursday and the notebook fiasco. I didn’t mean to upset you, and... well, if you have the time, sometime... I’d really like to understand why you got so upset... sometime.” “Sometime. Yeah. Sometime, I’ll try to tell you why, but right now I’m kind of dealing with a lot, so could we put it on the back-burner for a while so I can sort some of this out on my own?” “Agreed,” he said and then added, “as long as you promise that someday you’ll tell me.” “Promise,” she said, and she meant it. Jamie glanced up. “Oh. Hey, Kim.” “Hi,” Kim said, looking only at him. One down, one to go, Leigh thought, steeling herself for this encounter. “Hi, Kim,” she said, smiling. “Hi.” Kim sat down but said no more. Well, this is awkward. “So, how was your weekend?” “Fine,” Kim said, arranging her books and not looking at Leigh. “Yours?” “Fine,” Leigh said. This was going to be harder than she thought. Finally, she decided to jump in with both feet. “Okay. Enough small talk. Look. I know I behaved like an idiot, and I’m apologizing to you for avoiding you and pushing you away. I don’t like it when people do that to me, and I shouldn’t do it to the people I care about. You were only trying to help, and I appreciate that. I’m sorry, and if you’ll have me, I’d like to be your friend again.” Once the words were out, she felt better. She’d tried to deny how much she missed Kim all weekend, but she knew at that moment that if Kim didn’t accept her peace offering, Leigh would miss her a great deal more. After a long moment, Kim sighed. “I accept your apology,” Kim said, looking at her with hurt behind her eyes. “I want to be your friend, but you’re going to have to trust that I’m your friend and not keep pushing me away.” “I’ll try,” Leigh said, nodding. “When I get out of line, just bop me one and say, ‘Leigh, you’re being an idiot again,’ and I promise I’ll try to snap out of it.” “Deal,” Kim and Jamie said together, and they all laughed. After class Leigh and Jamie walked back to the dorms together. Everything seemed back to normal. They laughed and joked the whole way home. Neither of them ventured into any deep questions or apologies. They just were friends, and for Leigh that was more than enough. The semester hit what Jamie referred to as “hyper-speed”—too many tests too fast to study for anything. It was true the tests and the assignments were coming fast and furious, but Leigh was handling them with style. Since her English class apology, she and Kim had gotten close again. The reading study sessions were even going well. Every Wednesday night they met, read, discussed, and usually ended up talking about everything else in their lives until after midnight. In fact, the semester was turning out better than she had dared hope. She looked forward to English class when she could sit with her friends, pass notes, and act like a kid again—no parents, no complicated mess of a life. Just her and her friends. It was heaven. 

Leigh was a troubled girl. I couldn't blame her. Her father had been killed in an accident and her mother had sent her to stay with her aunt on the other side of the country! It was supposed to be for a few weeks, but had turned into months. Now it was time for college, and her cousin Kari was already planning to attend the same school as her boyfriend, Jamie. So, without too much thought by anybody, Leigh was also going to the same school and, sadly, as roommate with Kari...

Really not a good thing for several reasons. Leigh and Kari had gotten along alright when she first came. Kari's mother was the sister of Leigh's mother, so it had been arranged by the sisters, without talking to either of the girls... Now, Kari, in particular, had felt the need to be free of constant parental guidance, and found having her cousin staying in the same dorm room stifling...

Soon Kari was spending more hours with Jamie, out of the room, than in it. Leigh didn't mind that, but when Kari's mother started calling to talk with her daughter, Leigh found herself having to lie to her Aunt. Something she not only didn't want to do, but was, by her nature, not a good liar... Kari, naturally, began to feel that she was living with a spy for her mother...

But something began to unfold about that relationship. For instance, Leigh later learned that Jamie played a lot of sports with his friends, while Kari sat and watched. And how did that information become known to Leigh? Well, Jamie and she turned up to be in the same English class!

Along with Kim... Kim and another girl were rooming next to Kari and Leigh and quickly developing an impression for Kari that was not favorable. She seemed to be always yelling loud enough to be heard in their room. It was an easy relationship to develop with Kim as she grew sympathetic, first, for Leigh, and then their relationship developed as friends. Leigh even went home with her a few times on weekends, knowing that Leigh would be alone then.

And when Leigh started trying to reach her mother and could never get through to her, it became apparent to her friends that something was very wrong... By that time, her friends included Jamie as the three of them were in the same English class and even began to study together... getting to know and enjoy each other's company... 

Was it inevitable that Jamie, who began to walk Leigh back to her dorm after class, sometimes stopping for a drink to talk, that each began to care for the other? Both of them knew what was happening. But, for Leigh, it just created trauma--what was she thinking, falling for her cousin's boyfriend...while he was still her boyfriend?! She started fighting her feelings and pushing Jamie away... And he really didn't want to be pushed away and was hurt...

“Leigh,” Jamie said, turning and laying an arm across the seats. 

“No, let me finish.” She turned to him and looked at him. “I always thought I knew how to be a true friend, but everything I’ve ever done for anybody has been a shadow compared to what you did for me. Nobody’s ever cared about me enough to really force me to take a look at what I was doing to everyone around me—much less what I was doing to myself. I’ll never be able to repay you for that.” 

Her gaze turned to liquid and dropped to her lap. Slowly he smiled, then pulled her to him and kissed her curls. “You don’t have to repay me for anything.” “But...” “Just remember that I’m here for you, and I always will be. That’ll be payment enough.” 

I enjoyed, especially, how Kim was helping to bring her two friends even further together. An interesting way, for me, was the way this small study group "read" their assignments before the next class. Each of the parts would be read by an individual student. It worked to bring a fun and interesting time for all... So, I had to learn just how it would happen:

 

“Okay,” Kim said, immediately taking over the study session. “Jamie, you take the part of Torvald, and Leigh, you be Nora, his wife, I’ll fill in where I’m needed, and if we get to a place where we need other parts, we’ll assign them. Any problems with that?” Leigh wanted to say there was a big problem with that, but then she would have to say why, and that thought didn’t appeal to her at all, so she kept quiet. The sound of her father leaving the house for the last time was with her always, and she knew it would never be far from her thoughts. 

“Okay, Leigh, you start,” Kim directed. And for the next three hours they read Henrick Ibsen’s play A Doll House. They laughed at how old-fashioned the play seemed at first with Nora trying to please Torvald and make everything in their lives perfect while her own life fell apart around her. But as they read the final scene, Jamie and Leigh were no longer Jamie and Leigh, they had become Torvald and Nora—locked in a desperate attempt to right their respective worlds. They read the words as though their own future together was in jeopardy. And when the door slammed behind Nora as she walked out, not one of them had any trouble hearing how it must’ve sounded. Leigh especially knew that sound. It would be imprinted in her brain and on her heart forever. 

“Wow,” Jamie said as he put his book down. “Somehow, I don’t think it would’ve sounded the same in my head.” “No kidding,” Kim said in awe. “Man, you two were really into it.” “Yeah. It’s like being there for real. You know?” Jamie said, sitting back in his chair. “But it’s almost funny, you know? I mean those things don’t really happen—especially back then. Mothers don’t just leave their kids because they can’t deal with life.” “No,” Leigh said softly from where she sat still unmoving. “They send them to live with relatives, and then they don’t call or write because, you know what? They really didn’t even care in the first place.” Hot tears stung the edges of her eyes, and in one breath she’d heard enough. It was all just too much. Before anyone could say another word, she was on her feet and running. Out the door. Up the stairs. And all she wanted to do was keep running forever. “Those things don’t really happen... mothers don’t just leave their children...” The thoughts kept racing through her mind, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get them to stop. Back in her room she slammed everything she could find, fighting back the flood of tears that she knew would overtake and drown her if she didn’t find the strength somewhere in herself to somehow keep them down. Always before, she’d found a way, but this time she wasn’t sure they hadn’t finally become too many to hold.

And when tragedy struck, Leigh learned just how much it meant to have close friends...

This book is suitable for mid-teens through adults in my opinion.  The emotions are strong and you'll be crying and laughing all the way through. But, one thing you'll know is that Love is Strongest... And, sometimes, God's plan works out...just fine...

God Bless,

GABBIE

 

Cowboy by Staci Stallings - Choosing Favorite Author to Just...Sit...Back...and...Enjoy! Featuring Music of Morgan Wallen!

 

“Ashton, what in the world are you doing up there?” Barry Braxton yelled to the stonewashed jean-clad figure leaning perilously over the edge of the top row of bleachers. 

“These bleachers have to be up by seven,” Ashton yelled back over the din of workers surrounding him without so much as looking down at his manager. 

“They will be,” Barry called, “but if you fall, we won’t be needing them anyway.” 

Irritation at being treated like a three-year-old crawled through Ashton’s chest as he twisted the wrench on the bolt he was working on with three more quick jerks. “I’m not going to fall, Barry.” 

“Well, why don’t you come on down anyway?” Barry set his hands on the rolls of excess weight just beneath his off-brown, button up shirt. “Really. There’s no reason for you to be up there. I’m sure the crew can get it.”

“Look around you, Bare.” Ashton waved the wrench angrily. “We go on in three hours. Does it look like they’re going to be ready?” Barry shook his balding head in disgust. He really couldn’t argue with that as much as he obviously wanted to. With the concert set to start in three hours, Ashton knew his manager would’ve preferred for him to be in his dressing room getting ready rather than tightening bolts on the bleachers for their latest venue. However, here he was twisting bolt after bolt tighter and tighter, wrenching his anger and frustration into them as if that would somehow make everything better. After a full thirty seconds Barry stalked off leaving his golden egg hanging off the edge of a set of bleachers that looked like it might fall any second. Ashton didn’t so much as watch him leave. Barry, of all people, knew Ashton’s stubborn streak ran a mile deep and just as wide. And the fact that he had acquired a death wish in the last year didn’t help matters. Trying not to think lest the memories swarm him again, he bent his head and body into the work. If he could just keep working, keep moving, keep going, somehow he would find a way past the hurt. If he didn’t, Humpty Dumpty would look easy to put back together by comparison.

I have learned after reading many books written by Staci Stallings, that, no matter the genre, I will enjoy her stories... One thing, though, is that whenever there is a reference to music, songs will be "brand new" as written by the author... How I wish I could hear her words with music! So, instead, I've selected a few songs that seemed to be relevant...hope you think so too!

If you stop and think about it, ever single relationship between two people will be--different. Yet, the same... Books are written to share unique stories, yet based upon a certain set of factors that will slowly evolve, entertain and lead to a satisfying conclusion--most times. This story is not different, yet the two personalities created by Stallings, makes readers able to sit back, meet these individuals and, soon, be so involved that we think we actually know them as friends or, at least, acquaintances.

Ashton Raines is a country singer that has been selected as Male Vocalist of the Year three years in a row, he won Entertainer of the Year last year and Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and... Life was good and his group were successfully touring most of the time... That is, until, Ashton's wife died... and he was devastated since they had been so close and she had been there by his side constantly...

Things had been building and then one night he just snapped--and had to get away... He walked out, on his own, and wound up in a small out of the way country diner where a waitress offered to get him coffee and maybe something to eat? 

At some point the city lights had turned to winding roads, mountains, and trees, but Ashton couldn’t clearly remember how or when that had happened. All he could see was freedom. Everywhere he looked was freedom. No guitars, no managers, no people, no buses. Just him and the open road stretched out in front of him. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. He was free. But it was as though his mind wouldn’t allow him to enjoy anything for more than just a moment because just then he heard her voice...

Beth McCasland had been on her own as a single mother, widowed for more years than she wanted to count, but she had found somewhat of a welcome in a little town where she had been working as a waitress, making friends with Lynn, the other waitress on her shift, and the owner, as much as they would allow a relationship. She was barely making it financially, but didn't have many options. So, when Lynn came in talking about an upcoming concern nearby, featuring the country male voice of the year, she was so involved with thinking, that it took awhile to realize that Lynn wanted her to go to the concert with her. Not... was her first thought... But, of course, things worked out as they were supposed to, of course, and she attended the concert. And had to admit she'd very much enjoyed it...

But that didn't prepare her for the night she was called in for emergency noght coverage  and was therefore there when Ashton walked in, drenched from the heavy rain and looking like he'd lost his best friend. And, indeed, she learned that he had...

But even though things felt so strange, Beth felt compelled to start talking about how God was available to help Ashton through anything he was going through... That was not what Ashton expected or wanted to hear... He had felt God had no business taking the one good thing he'd had in his life... He had been living his dream until his reason for living was stolen...

Like I said, Stallings has a way of making her characters seem to come alive in our own lives, like we begin to have a vested interest in them... Now, confess, a widow and a widower might not be unusual...but with one putting God right into the mixed from the beginning discussion, now that's something that grabs our heart strings, doesn't it? Sure, the story, the plot is not so new that we can't see what's going to happen...but what we so enjoy is watching... watching how the "do-si-do" between the two characters--and God--finally makes it all come out just like, it seems, that a plan has been successfully executed. 

If you are somebody who has never met Stallings through her books, then this might just be a great one to start reading! Especially if you like country music! And, BTW, I'd never heard of Morgan Wallen, since I'm normally reading rather than listening to country music...LOL... So, was my finding him a God Incident?

God Bless,

Gabbie

For Love's Sake - Staci Stallings Once Again Sharing His Love! A Personal Favorite for 2018!

To all those who realize that injustice to one Is an injustice to all…

...how easy it is to get caught up in your station in life and to begin to forget 

that the suffering of others should be the suffering of us all...

Love can change the world In big ways and small.

 This book is for All those who believe

 In the power of love enough

 To work for a better world 

Than the one they were born into.

~~~

I can always depend on Staci Stallings to remind me of God's Love through her novels. Since my days in grade school, I have always been troubled by the stories of slavery. They were so contradictory to those stories that I learned in Sunday School...about God's love, his creation of each of us in His image, and giving His son to die for all of us who responded to His Call. God never said that He loved only white people, or those of any other race...He said all of us. You know, when you hear and accept these stories when you are a child accepting Christ as your Savior, you believed and continued to believe that Truth...

“This is ridiculous,” Bryna Elliott said as the carriage bounced roughly beneath her. “I should be home, taking care of Sissy and Nathaniel, not out here showing off for the Bromleys. They already know they’re better than us. What am I trying to prove?” 
“I don’t know why you insist on being so difficult about such things,” her brother, Frank said, sliding his hands over his gloves. “Parties are really not the ostentatious trials you make them out to be.” 
“For you maybe.” Bryna shook her head and looked out at the darkness highlighted with flashes of lightning and spattered with the icy raindrops of early January. It was almost certain they would turn to snow by morning. “Really, Bryn. Sometimes I wonder if you think you are the servant rather than the other way around.” 
“She’s my friend.” 
“She is not your friend. She’s your slave. There’s a difference.” 
Bryna’s soul hardened around the word. Sissy had never been her slave. The word wove terrible things into Bryna’s soul. Sissy was her friend. More to the point Sissy was her own person with her own thoughts and her own dreams. Of course, Frank would never understand that, or accept it. The carriage slowed and then turned, bringing Bryna’s attention back to the present. “Why are we stopping?”
“I told you, Daniel Brody is now occupying the old Hathington place. I told him we would come and get him for the evening.” Frank checked her with a hard look. “Please don’t embarrass me.” 
Embarrass me. The words sank right into her heart and held there. It really didn’t matter how much she ever did or why. To Frank, she would always be the family’s greatest embarrassment. Huddled in his long black coat and black hat Daniel Brody who she had no real memory of or interest in one way or the other rocked the whole carriage as he pulled into the cab. 
Bryna rolled her eyes and shook her head as she angled her gaze back outside. The storm had nothing on the tumultuous seething fury in her spirit. Sissy and Nathaniel needed her. The last place she should be was out here, getting cold and soaked for no reason other than society said it was the proper thing to do. Daniel Brody would much rather have stayed home and sorted the books in the extensive library he had recently inherited. His uncle’s estate was a labyrinth of old rooms filled with dust and who knew what else. The place hadn’t been touched in years, not since his uncle had died and his mother had taken over as the last of the Hathington family. The estate had been his grandparents’ before that though he hardly remembered them at all. The sad truth was the Hathington family line was riddled with more heartache than a Shakespearean tragedy. In fact, that was just one of the reasons his heart had used to justify this particular move. He could take the heartache of back East no more. 
“You know,” the young lady in the silver dress said to Frank, and Daniel heard the spite, “I don’t want to stay all night.” She checked Daniel with a look meant to keep him quiet, and he gladly complied. “I don’t know why we’re out in the first place. It is a cold, wet, miserable night. Not to mention that church is in the morning, and…” 
“Am I to understand that we are to be serenaded with a long litany of the horrors of the night and parties in general the whole way to the Bromley’s, Bryna?” her brother asked. Then he looked over at his seat companion. “Daniel, I beg your forgiveness for thinking it wise to bring my sister along. It will do nothing for your digestion, I assure you.” 
Daniel pulled his gaze up from under his hat and smiled at her. She was, in truth, very lovely, save for the scowl etched on her face. “The truth sometimes is less favorable than we would like,” he said, bowing only slightly to her. For a moment, Frank seemed to puzzle over the statement, and then he dismissed it entirely. “So, Daniel, are you serious about building this library of yours in our fair town? It seems a huge waste of your albeit extensive resources.” 
“It is not a waste,” Daniel said, bristling. “It is a dream.” 
His gaze went to hers, challenging her to join her brother in his assessment of the plan. “And it is one I intend to see through to fruition.” 
Frank shook his head. “I’m just saying with the backing you have, you could do anything. I don’t understand why…” 
“Don’t waste too much time and energy trying to figure it out,” Daniel said with something of a smile. “Half the time I don’t even understand it myself.” 
“Well, if you ever decide to give up this foolishness, we would be glad to have you join us at Schuler’s. I’m quite certain there would be a place for a man of your vast knowledge and learning there.” 
On her side of the carriage Bryna, laughed softly and shook her head. Daniel’s attention went over to her and held. He wanted to ask who she was laughing at. However, before he got the words into his head, the carriage stopped in the expansive driveway of a brightly lit large mansion. The driveway itself was lined side-to-side with carriages and horses and three inches deep in mud. “Now, Bryna, since we’re here,” Frank said, ducking to her though Daniel could plainly hear him, “could you please at least try to act as if you know how to behave in polite society? I know how very difficult that is for you, but it would be nice to be able to enjoy an entire evening without hearing you complain about every little thing.” 
The carriage stopped completely before she could reply, and had it not meant leaving Mr. Brody to also fend for himself, Bryna would’ve waited for Frank to get out and then left without him. However, by the rapid tip-tapping on the roof and the flashes of lightning everywhere else, it was clear the skies had opened up for real. The icy rain was hardly coming in drops anymore. It was more like solid sheets one after the other after the other.
When Frank opened the door, the sleet pelted even the inside of the carriage with chilly bursts of ice-water, blown in by fierce gusts of cold wind. Each gust shook the carriage at its very foundation. 
Bryna shivered and fought not to shriek for the terror of the shaking. Knowing she was going to be a soaking wet, muddy mess by the time she got across the driveway to the door, she gathered up her skirts. So much for her hair that she hadn’t even really bothered to fix. 
Frank never so much as stopped when he got out. Instead, he proceeded post haste through the ice pellets, dodging the other carriages and slogging his way to the illumination of the front door. 
Heaving a breath because she was once again on her own as she always was with Frank around, Bryna started for the carriage door. 
“Wait,” Mr. Brody said, holding up his hand to stop her from where he still sat. She turned, half in rage and half in surrender. Before she could even ask, he angled carefully around her and disembarked. For a second she considered just staying in the carriage. It wasn’t like anyone would miss her. However, Mr. Brody was now on the ground, the ice-rain splattering across his wide-brimmed hat. 
With a sigh, Bryna pulled her wrap closer to her with one hand and her skirt with the other, preparing to brave the cold that was now flooding into the carriage. Head down, she started out; however, on the first step, her gaze caught on Mr. Brody standing there, his hand held out to her. “May I?” Perplexed by both the gesture and the soft expectation in his dark eyes, she hesitated, not knowing what he meant much less how to answer. Then, in that moment, he stepped closer, and without another word, he swept her off the step and right up into his arms. She gasped both at the action and because he felt absolutely rock-solid beneath her. He settled her only once. “Good?” he asked, his eyes mere inches from hers. Her breath locked tight in her chest. “Yes.” He wrapped her closer to him, ducked and headed through the downpour. Bryna saw no real reason to protest or to get any more wet than she already was, so she huddled into the protectiveness of his body, the feeling of which nudged to get into her consciousness, but she beat that back. She hardly knew the man...
~~~

But History shows that many did not accept or understand God's all-encompassing love. One of the most horrendous  things that occurred against God's desire to love all His children, was slavery. While most were abused out in the fields, many children were placed in the care of Black nannies and others who served as indoor slaves. In the natural way that children do, white children, born to the White Master slaveowners, came to love those inside servants just as much as they loved anybody else...

Bryna Elliott was such a child. She had never thought of those who worked in their house as slaves. She loved them and wanted to help take care of them just as they had done for many years for her and her family. But now, only Bryna and her brother was left and times were hard.

Frank Elliott had chosen not to keep the plantation going and as he became involved in the business world, he had routinely started selling the slaves that had come to him through his inheritance. One of them had been the brother and son of the family who were now the only ones left...Bryna considered them her family; Frank argued that they were slaves, paid for and owned...

The personalities of the men who were now in Bryna's life was easily and quickly identified, within the first meeting of Daniel Brody, a friend of her brother, Frank. Readers will discern that Frank apparently learned from his father--that people were possessions to provide service. Even his sister was treated this way. Even though Bryna said little, knowing that Frank could be worse and fearful that he could choose to sell another member of what she considered to be her family.

At that same time, readers will watch and grow fond of Daniel Brody for his chivalrous actions, not only because he was attracted to Bryna, but because he was a good man. Still, it was fun with Bryna not trusting men in general, and not knowing Brody at all, as she refused to favorably respond to his kindness and, yet, when she needed help, she was willing to get him involved in order to save the people she loved. Because of the storyline relationships, I'm not going to share any more, other than to say that the drama is high, the clarity of how slaves were treated is horrendous, and the lack of love that many choose not to show is extraordinarily believable, yet both heartwarming and terrible to consider, depending upon what is happening. I loved all of it and, because of my own interest in how many are unloved and treated badly ...commend Stallings for this book as one of her best, in my opinion...


Highly recommended!


GABixlerReviews

USA Today Best Selling Author, Staci Stallings is a stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side. She has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci's stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That's what keeps Staci writing and you reading. So, sit back, grab your Kindle and something to drink, and settle in for some of the BEST stories in all of Christian Romance...

Staci Stallings Waits 20 Years to Share One of Her Best!

Finally on the plane, Jenna slipped the headphones over her ears and closed her eyes. She had never been a big fan of flying. That was why she and Jeff had gone to Colorado on their honeymoon. He had tried so hard to talk her into going to the Bahamas, but she wouldn’t budge—no flying, no way. The grudging compromise had been Colorado. However, she recalled with a smile, it wouldn’t have mattered where they were as they hadn’t seen much of anything for the week other than the inside of the cottage where they had stayed and each other. The opening strains of St. Elmo’s Fire poured over her like rain, and she settled in for the three-hour flight...
“Flight 259 to Newark, now boarding at Gate G-12.” Jenna gathered her things up once again, fighting the exhaustion with everything in her. One more flight and she would be in New Jersey—far, far away from Texas. If she could just get there, surely everything would be better. She glanced out the window once again, and apprehension rose in her. The cold January rain outside zigged and zagged down the windows in crazy patterns. This was something she hadn’t counted on. Flying was bad enough, but flying in the rain was worse. Thank goodness it wasn’t snow. Her courage was harder to gather up than her luggage. It was all she could do to keep her eyes from wandering back to that window—back to the dismal gray scene outside. “God, just get me to Newark…”
“Here.” With no further thought, Jenna jumped to her feet and yanked her purse up from the floor. “You can have my seat.” “Oh, no, we couldn’t.” The young man shook his head even as his eyes pleaded with her not to rescind the offer. “No, no, I insist.” She smiled kindly. “You two should sit together.” “Are you sure you don’t mind?” the young woman asked, her eyes spilling gratefulness everywhere. “No, of course not.” Jenna moved out into the aisle so they could slip in front of her. “We really appreciate this,” the young man said. “It’s her first time to fly...”
“Is this seat taken?” The man who sat by the window with his arm around the child looked up, and pools of clear blue gazed out from under the tumble of disheveled blond hair. “What? Oh. Uh. No. No.” Jenna wasted no time getting into the seat. She pushed her purse under the seat ahead of them. The flight attendant requested that seatbelts and tray tables be readied for take-off. But as Jenna reached for hers, there was an un-Godly scream from right next to her. Instinctively she put her hand out to sooth the child. “Shhh, it’s okay, sweetheart,” she said without thinking. Suddenly she stopped and looked up in embarrassment. He was staring at her over the child’s head. Nothing moved. All she could see were the incredible blue eyes gazing right through her soul.

~~~

You might say Jenna was running away from home when she left for New Jersey, without even letting her friend know she was coming... She and her mother had still another fight and Jenna was angry enough to go ahead with her plans...

Even then she began to have "issues" getting a plane and moving on...It 's hard not to think of this story as a "God incident" while there were hundreds of other people who died in the crash of Flight 259. Still, it seemed like fate had a hand in ensuring that Jenna and Scott met on that flight... She had missed her first flight, had to change planes on an alternative flight and then willingly gave up her seat on 259 so that a honeymooning couple could sit together... She found the only seat available and sat down to meet Scott and his son... Scott later admits that it was love at first sight, but Jenna had gone through much just a short time ago and, initially, knew only that she was attracted to him, but that his little son gained the majority of her attention...

And then something hit the plane after they'd been flying for some time... But it had been time enough that, when, the plane was going down, all Jenna could think about was saving the little boy, Lane, and after she had passed him on to another rescuer, she once again went back to try to save Scott...

There was nothing that could have stopped her...Never again would she only watch in horror as loved ones were taken from her...This time, she was able to at least try to save both of her new friends...

And she did...

This is such a wonderful story of two strangers, who soon both loved a little boy who wanted nothing more than to be with those he loved...

This was Stallings first try at Christian contemporary romance and I believe, as do many other readers who could not forget the story, that it was meant to be told, to be shared... This is a book that once I started reading, I didn't want to stop, although finally, turning out the lights at 3 a.m. only to get up the next day to finish it. It's a page-turner, but a lovely story forces the need to move forward to see what happens...

Jenna had lost three beloved family members in a car accident. Since then she had been living with her mother who had grown dependent on her, wanting her to share her life, while at the same time, Jenna was 29, had never been that close to her mother who was, difficult, to say the least. And she knew it was time to try to move on. It would not happen while her mother was determined to dominate both of their lives...

Of the hundreds on Flight 259, less than 10 were saved. Scott and Lane would not have lived if it had not been for Jenna. Scott had been knocked out and also trapped but he was awake enough to seek Jenna's help to save his son... 

There is a delightful story of another survivor. But he had been on the bridge into which the plane had dropped... he had seen the plane coming and rammed his foot on the gas to clear the bridge before his car, too, would fall into the water... But once out of his car, the first thing he felt he had to do was jump into the river and swim out to find survivors. He had taken Lane out of Jenna's arms, thinking to give her more strength... When he saw her turn around to go back... Well, his life was changed from that moment...

The response to this story is emotion-packed. There is no way that readers do not begin to live through the lives of these three survivors as they come to heal after the accident, and get to know each other even more... The only sign of God is through Jenna's anger as she tries to understand the loss of her family...and then to come close to possibly losing the "potential" of a future as she struggled, dealing with her feelings of betrayal to the ones she had first committed her life to... 

When something goes wrong in our lives, many times we cry out in not being able to understand. Sometimes we become angry, even with God... But I have learned, as this story confirms, when one plan dissolves, perhaps one we chose for ourselves, if we open ourselves, there might just be another plan that He has faithfully arranged for those who seek him...

This is a wonderful story to read right now, as we watch and see the many lives being saved as nature has attacked those living in Texas this time... Sometimes disasters happen and there is no way to understand...But if we allow Him to be part of our lives, there is sure to be another path to travel... For some of you, this will be a must-read... I loved it and was energized and renewed watching God in action, even during a disaster...

Highly recommended...

GABixlerReviews

Fantastic YA-Adult Story by Staci Stallings - Whisper If You Have To: A Contemporary Christian Romance

“You ready for this?” Kyle asked when Chad slid into the front seat of the little four-door car. It wasn’t great, but it ran. And it was better than walking. 
“I was born ready.”  Chad shifted his attention to the back. 
“Hey, Brooke.” 
“Hey,” she said, but never really lifted her head. Kyle’s younger sister, Brooke, was never without a book in hand. So close in age, they were more like twins, the two of them were never far out of sight of one another even though they ran in completely different circles. Kyle, the school’s jock premier, was only eleven months and three weeks older than his little sister, and although Brooke’s taste ran more toward choir and books than basketball and baseball games, she never missed a one. 
Chad angled his gaze over his shoulder again as they pulled away from his house. “Are you studying already? School hasn’t even started yet.” 
“Finishing up her summer college credit thing,” Kyle supplied. “She may beat us to graduation.” Lifting his chin, Chad nodded in understanding. 
Kyle glanced across the seat to his friend. “So, senior year…” “Yeah.” Chad took a breath to steady the thought. “Who would’ve thought?”
...It was about five minutes after her mother dropped her off that Alison first had the thought, but it would be a million times after that one that the thought would attack her. Jefferson High was nothing like St. Ann’s. Nothing. 
Jostled in the hallways until she thought her brains would rattle free, Alison diligently worked through her schedule.  Trig, History, Computer something, French. She was in the courtyard at lunchtime, sitting up next to a pillar eating her chicken salad sandwich before she really realized there was no religion on her schedule. Perusing it again, she confirmed the fact with a munch into her sandwich. That would be strange. She’d had religion every single day for four years, and now suddenly it wasn’t anywhere on the list. Her gaze took in her final three classes—Physics, English, and Choir. Besides the Physics part, she was kind of looking forward to the rest of the day. Okay, so she would spend it alone as part of the wall like she had the first part, but at least she liked those classes. 
She let her head fall back onto the hard, scratchy pillar behind her and let the warm sun soak into her. Happy noises that she would never be a part of drifted around her, and she let those soak into her as well. Nobody had to tell her the loneliness this year would hold. She knew it when her dad announced the move back in July, and for all intents and purposes, she had already lived with the loneliness for the better part of five years. 
At that thought she yanked her head up. Dwelling on things that would never change no matter how much she wanted them to did no good. That much she had learned. Move on. Move on, and don’t look back. Pushing to her feet, she crumpled the bag and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. One swipe on her light blue straight skirt, and she yanked her backpack up from its resting place. Onward and upward. At least that’s what she hoped. 
“You headed to English?” Kyle asked, clapping Chad on the back as he leaned over to get a drink in the fountain. He stood to straight, wiping the water that had jumped onto his face. “Yeah. You?” 
“You know it.” Together they started down the hall.  “So, you going to the gym after school?” Chad asked. 
“Na, I figured we’d go to my place. The gym’s going to be a mob scene with all the wanna be’s.” 
“Cool.” Chad followed Kyle into the English classroom and right to the back where he slid into the desk right in front of his friend. “You got much homework?” 
“As little as possible.” The bell rang just as Mrs. Whitman entered. Chad sat up a little straighter. He’d waited three long years to get this teacher. She was the coolest of the cool, not because she goofed off but because she didn’t. However, that didn’t mean Mrs. Whitman’s class was boring. No, instead she was quite famous for her unorthodox teaching style...
“Let’s start over here in the corner. Oh.” She stopped with a jerk when she looked at Alison. Tilting her head, the confusion was evident. 
“And you are?” Alison cleared her throat but it didn’t do much good. “Al… Alison Prescott.” 
The teacher turned her roll around, located the name, and smiled. “Well, Miss Prescott, it’s great to have you aboard. Come on up, and get us started.” 
...Alison ducked her head to keep from staring at the two guys presently standing at the teacher’s desk. The white guy had longish blond-streaked hair that brushed the tops of his dark eyebrows in the front and the top half of his collar in the back. His smile was nice, but what she noticed most was the faded jeans ripped just so and the light blue knit jersey that set off his eyes. Something about them screamed, look how cool I am.
Just in front of him, talking to the teacher, was the black guy, leaning in to sign the roll—obviously a regular in the gym. His arm muscles rippled in perfect proportion down to his long fingers. He seemed as if nothing in the world ever had been or would ever be a problem. In a dark gray “Rock On” T-shirt, he looked the embodiment of cool confidence. The conversation came to an end, and the two made their way back to the back corner...

~~~

With all the turmoil happening in America right now, I found I needed to withdraw and pull away from the chaos coming out about our government at this time...

I scrolled through my options and pulled up a book by Staci Stallings, a Christian writer who I've accepted as a favorite for sharing God's love through her wonderful stories. This time, though, I got much more than solace, a time to watch as God could work in each of our lives...

Whisper If You Have To is

Powerfully Spirit Filled!

Timely For Today's World!

This book, for me, felt as if God had outlined the major issues we need to be reminded of today: racism, depression, pressure to succeed above everything, suicide, money, prayer-communication with God, and teen peer pressure...All that in one unforgettable story that is suitable for young adults and above. The two main characters are teenagers, but the adults and their roles play important parts as well. It is a book I immediately wanted to share with my niece...it's a beautiful love story of two teenagers from different cultures but who, readers begin to realize, are soulmates in the truest sense of the word... I loved this book and add it as a personal favorite for all time...

Alison and Chad met the first day in their English class, where they were immediately swept into a partnership on their first assignment. 

Alison had come from a religious girls-only school; her clothes were so different that, though she tried to be invisible, it didn't work? Who still wore straight skirts and blouses, with the same white sweater over her blouse every day. From the very first moment, Alison had noticed the two friends, one white, one black. After all, just looking at them and seeing the reactions of the others around them, Alison knew they were elite guys, probably even athletes, sure to never look her way... Still, they were soooo cool!

It was clear to Chad that Alice was new to school and was painfully shy in meeting others. Even after being matched for their assignment, Alison kept her head down, with her hair covering her face, until she was forced to deal with him...On the other hand, Alison wasn't about to allow him to know she was practically swooning and couldn't dare look into his eyes without totally embarrassing herself...

And so it began... While this is placed in the romantic genre, I would say that it fits more in family drama because it certainly is not just a "love story." First, neither Alison nor Chad shared anything about their personal lives, afraid to reveal just how different they probably were. It was Chad's friends, Kyle and Brooke, brother and sister, who little by little pulled them into their family life. 

Due to the complexity and interrelationship of the various plots, I've decided not to share much of the actual storyline. I do, want to highlight, however, the very awesome and amazing spiritual warfare scenes this book provides! I was gratified to see them included in a teen book especially to help our young people learn to pray and act on behalf of both their own needs as well as their peers. Kudos to the author for a truly inspiring novel that speaks, well, to the contemporary world in which we live... 

This is a personal favorite selection for me and, in my opinion, I have to call it a Must-Read novel! Buy it for your teenager children and read it yourself...then talk about it! There is soooo much in this book that responds to questions we all have. It's great to have such an excellent model against which a needed discussion could very well begin...


GABixlerReviews

Coming Undone By Staci Stallings - Heartwarming Christian Romance

“Uh, Mr. Warren, I’m sorry to bother you so late, but this is St. Anthony’s Hospital. Your father has just been admitted. You are listed as his next of kin…” The rest of the words evaporated in a swirl of alarm and concern.
 “What? Is he okay?” He put his finger in his ear to block everything else out. “What happened?” 
“I’m not really authorized to discuss it, but the doctors think it would be a good idea for you to get here as quickly as possible.” Ben ran his hand through and over his thick, dark hair.
“Uh. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I’ll be there as soon as possible.” Somehow he ended the phone call, but it too was lost in the spinning of the world around him. He closed his eyes and fought to breathe, hoping to make it stop. However, when he opened his eyes, it was still tilting and shifting around him. Decisions. He had to make some decisions. First, he needed to get to the hospital to see what was going on. Pushing away from the cabinet, he stumbled through the myriad of possibilities as he headed through the living room.
Three surprised and very concerned faces gazed up at him. “Something wrong?” Kelly asked. “Uh. Yeah. I guess. I don’t know. It’s my dad.” None of the words seemed to even correlate with reality. “I don’t know. Something happened.” At the little closet, he pulled out the first jacket his hand found, and he yanked it on. “You guys just lock up when you’re done.”
 “You want me to go with you?” Kelly asked, standing. His dark face was ash-washed with concern.
“No.” Ben tried to shake the looks on his friends’ faces from his consciousness. “No. Of course not. I’m… I’m sure it’s nothing.” 
Do they call you from the hospital at midnight if it’s nothing? He couldn’t answer that question, and he didn’t even want to try. “I’ll just…” The words were jamming together in his brain in no distinct pattern. “Um… Just let yourselves out when you’re finished. And be sure to lock up.” Remembering he would have to drive, he patted his pockets and then looked around. “Keys? Where are my keys?”
 “By the front door where they always are?” Kelly asked, clearly tipping toward legitimate concern for his friend.
 “Oh, yeah. Right.” Ben nodded, having no idea why.
 “Are you sure you don’t want me to go?” 
“Yeah. Yeah. I’m sure. I’ll let you know.” Taking the keys from the little hook, Ben wrenched the doorknob and for one second, considered reconsidering his friend’s offer. He didn’t want to face whatever this was alone. Then he took his ego by the collar and gave it a good shake. He was Ben Warren, and Ben Warren didn’t back down from any challenge. With that thought, he yanked the door open and headed to the hospital.
~~~

Coming Undone

By Staci Stallings

The title of this novel immediately interesting and was even more intriguing once I began to read... While the cover shows the male main character, Ben Warren, showing his distress at the notice that his father was in the hospital, it was soon apparent that the female character was also in as much stress as Ben...just of a different kind...and just because she had been professionally trained to handle being in stressful situations... But before the book ends, both of them...come undone quite often...

Tell yourself the truth. Do you believe God has a plan already created for you? I would say that I've gone back and forth on accepting this myself, but, I've wondered more and more if what I've been doing for the last ten years was indeed part of God's plan for me... Why am I asking? Because if you have also doubted, then this particular book might give you much to think about...

Kathryn Walker is a social worker where Ben Warren's father has just been admitted. She has a main role in the Hospice Center and is dealing with clients there on a daily basis. Her faith and prayer life is how she accomplishes those duties and all of the families find her guidance and attendance to their care of significant and lasting help.

Only one thing in her life is lacking...a personal relationship with a soul mate... Unfortunately, she has a main friend and mother who are constantly trying to set her up and/or discuss who her latest potential mates are... That alone would add a layer of stress that, in my opinion, should not have occurred, even from good intentions by those that loved her... But we do find her going over and over in prayer asking why she has not found her true love...the man who He was to choose for her...

Thankfully, Kathryn was strong in her faith, because meeting Ben was one of the hardest clients with whom she'd dealt... Ben had completely come undone when he was told that there was nothing the doctors could do for his father...

Ben's mother had divorced her husband with he was 12 and had also taken his young brother for whom he'd greatly cared for. Ben had not seen his brother since that time nor did he even know how to reach him.

Ben finally reached his mother, but she made it quite clear that her father's health was of no concern to her... Ben was totally alone... But there was one other thing about Ben that had helped put him in this position. Ben had been sliding along all his life, having a good time...no desire to wed; no desire for commitments. He had one good friend, but as he started to consider his father's death, he realized that he'd shown no interest when Kelly's wife had major loss and he had totally ignored it, even to the extent that he started bugging Kelly to come back to card night just a few days after the funeral. Now he realized that he could not even seek help from him in good conscience...

It was no wonder that Kathryn seemed like an angel sent to him, to help him through all that was happening.. For Ben was being forced to face surprises that he'd never suspected. His father had not been paying his bills and all accounts were in arrears. He had no idea how to deal with estate issues. And, worse, when he finally found his brother, he found that his father had known where he was all along, and had even attended his wedding...all without ever telling Ben.

Ben found himself lost, trying to understand what all of this could have been happening, without his knowing. Had he been so self-absorbed that he had not seen his father's deterioration? His father, who had always been Ben's hero?

Death in a family is always a traumatic experience, especially when it was not expected. Stallings has shown us, through the impending death of Ben's father, the potential assistance and care available through a Hospice Center. Of course, we only meet Kathryn as the main provider; however, there is enough information provided to allow readers to learn about and consider this alternative.

While Ben was certainly a wonderful character, I found myself more empathic with Kathryn, who, while working harder than ever before to maintain the needed professional separation from her clients, was pulled closer and closer to Ben as he continually sought and requested her help...

Kathryn felt herself becoming too emotionally tied to Ben...

Ben felt he could not handle anything without his angel of mercy... especially when it reached the point when medical machines were the only thing keeping his father alive...

Death is a part of all of our lives. How we deal with it is something that each of us must do ourselves. When my mother was living with me in her retired years, I found that I began to watch her breathing, as she laid sleeping, knowing that death was near, even if it was years from then... I was preparing myself for that time... Ben had been one of those children who grew up thinking his father was a superman and never once faced the fact that he was aging...

I admired Kathryn on behalf of all those who can find the faith and strength to work in hospice facilities... I appreciated reading the story of the setting behind the storyline for the characters...

For many reasons, it might be a must-read for you... If you find this story resonates strong feelings within you, don't pass up reading about how God's plan may happen when you least expect it... Highly recommended!

GABixlerReviews

USA Today Best Selling Author, Staci Stallings is a stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side. She has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. So, sit back, grab your Kindle & something to drink, and settle in for some of the BEST stories in all of Christian Romance...

To Protect and Serve - An Outstanding Story From The Courage Series- Personal Favorite!

“Okay, God, I’m ready. Show me the first small step,” she prayed, and for the first time in a forever of prayers, she felt like Someone had actually heard. 
“You’re awful quiet,” Eve said as she and Jeff sat by the big bay windows of the restaurant. Then she smiled. “Not that you’re ever very loud.” 
The words running through Jeff’s head pulled thoughtfulness to his face. “I was just thinking about what the guy said in the sermon today— you know, about how if Friday had been the end, then the cross would be a symbol of tragedy instead of the symbol of hope.” His fingers went up and drifted across the metal cross at his

chest. “We always want it to be Sunday, don’t we? We don’t want to go through the Fridays of life, but the resurrection of Sunday would mean nothing without the tragedy of Friday.”
“I don’t think I’d ever thought about it like that either,” Eve said softly. “I kind of feel like I’m at Saturday now— waiting, not knowing what’s coming next. Sometimes I think what’s coming will be Sunday, and sometimes I’m afraid it’s going to be another Friday.” 
Jeff nodded. “I’ve been at Saturday so long, I’m not sure I’d even recognize Sunday anymore.” He held up the cross. “Mom gave me this.”
“At the academy,” Eve said, and Jeff nodded. “I take it she wasn’t thrilled about the fire department thing.” “No. She didn’t understand. She thought I had a death wish.” He shrugged. “Maybe I did.”

...Courage was holding out a hand and trusting that she would take it. Faith was believing that Sunday would follow Saturday as Saturday had followed Friday— if only you held onto the hope long enough...

~~~ 

To Protect and Serve
The Courage Series

By Staci Stallings 

I had a "God Incident" this weekend...You know, the type of happening that seems to be coincidental, yet proves to be so very much more? When I opened To Protect and Serve, I had no idea that it was going to include a time setting which included Easter Weekend. When I started reading parts such as the above excerpt, I actually had chills.. How wonderful to have a Christian Novel that included the Easter miracle set into our contemporary lives!

Finding myself stopping to consider the concept of having "Fridays" to go through--as we all do--yet recognizing that we have been promised a "Sunday" that has already proven to come for us for thousands of years, certainly takes us directly to the heart of the weekend that Jesus had not only died for us...but Arose!

This is the first novel in the Courage Series and I had never read the author before. Needless to say it was a very pleasant surprise, as well as a spiritual and inspiring story for me...

It's a love story. The novel has that element, but moves on into presenting an exciting, yet heartbreaking picture of those who serve our country through fire protection--To save others' lives, they will risk their own... all without any explicit sexual content! What a lovely break for this reader.

Strong, with a strength he had gained and a strength he would have to find in himself to do this job, his voice came. A solemn vow to all those his life would touch. “… I promise to protect and serve to the best of my ability. I promise the wisdom to lead, the compassion to comfort, and the love to serve unselfishly whenever I am called.” A moment of silence for them all to breathe, one more moment affording a final opportunity to turn back. But like the image of those steps, he knew he never would. If someone needed him, Jeff Taylor, now standing at the door to his destiny, was ready and willing to help.

~~~

Jeff Taylor had been shy and unable to deal with interacting with women until he met and fell in love with Lisa on a night when both had been the lonely single at a bar's table. While Jeff had a background that we later learn about that helped to lead to his personal and professional choices, Lisa Matheson had long ago chosen to become a professional business woman and head her own company. But not only did she have issues with delegation, she found that she still have to deal with...men...especially when they were clients who found her not only beautiful, but assumed that she would do anything to please that client...

The looks Tucker was giving her sent chills— and not the good kind— up Lisa’s spine Tuesday afternoon as she sat across the table for lunch with him and his grandfather...
“We’re almost there,” Tucker said as his voice darkened. He pulled off the freeway and stopped at an intersection. “Just chill. Okay?” But she knew all too well where chilling was going to get her. With no more than a half-second of thought, she reached for the door handle, clicked it, and swung it open as the light turned green ahead of them. “What are you doing?” he practically screamed. “What I should’ve done when you showed up.” One hand clicked her seat belt as her first heel hit the pavement. Horns behind them blared to life. Her body out, she slammed the door and stumbled from the middle of the road across three lanes to the other side as the cars played pinball with her path. “Cripes! How do I let myself get into these messes?” Beep. Honk. Beep. And she made it safely to the other side of the street. 
“Great. Now what?” She looked around to get her bearings, and then she realized that Tucker might actually have the audacity to come try to find her.  That thought jerked her steps down the street. “I truly hate guys,” she said into the night air. “I really and truly do. They are nothing but egomaniacal, selfish, inconsiderate jerks, and if I never see another one again, it will be too soon.”

~~~

Readers enjoy seeing the camaraderie and friendship developed among firemen and watch as they handle daily emergencies, such as when Jeff talks a young boy from jumping off a bridge...and much more.

While Lisa has a difficult time trying to deal with all of the work she has and the problems necessary to build up a small business.

While the two begin to slowly meet and share quiet times talking and learning about each other,  Lisa soon learns that there is danger for Jeff...life-taking danger when one of his best friends dies from being caught in a fire...

The major attribute that comes through Stallings book is...reality...Readers are fully aware of both internal and external thoughts of confusion, anger, joy, and love...and, when asked to participate, with God as a primary character there in those emotions... The dialogue between each of the couple and the God to whom each shares, is very personal and provocative... Is God helping to bring the two together? Or should they move on, reverting back into their lonely, separate lives. 

Is it worth so much pain and fear to have a love so great that losing it would affect your whole life?

“Lisa?” He stepped over the hose as she flew the last three steps into his arms. Holding her, the strength in his arms flowed into her spirit as the world around them dropped away. All she wanted to do was hold him...she pulled him closer to her as a stream of tears slid down her face. You have this moment and only this moment. What you do with it is your choice. 
A moment or a hundred thousand. Whatever God gave them, she would stand right at Jeff Taylor’s side. Then in the moment when God called one of them home, she would look back with no regrets for she would have spent all the time from that moment to this loving with complete trust. And that was the only measure of love that ever truly mattered.


Stallings has given readers much more than a sermon...she has opened the lives of two people, who could be you or somebody you know. She has given each God's spirit so that even when there were Fridays in their lives, there was that promise, that realization that Sunday comes...and His Spirit lives with us each day, Fridays, especially...

This is a personal favorite for 2016...a glorious expression of God's Love... A must-read for many! If only every teenager today could read that it's not necessary to rush into marriage and all it entails... So check it out for yourself or as a gift...


GABixlerReviews

A stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side, Staci Stallings has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci's stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That's what keeps Staci writing and you reading.