Redeeming Love...POWERFUL!

Source:  Goodreads

From the back cover...

     "California's gold country, 1850.  A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.
     Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal.  Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive.  And what she hates most are the the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.
     The she meets Michael Hosea, a man who seeks his Father's heart in everything.  Michael obeys God's call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally.  Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel's every bitter expectation, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw.
     But with her unexpected softening comes overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear.  And so Angel runs.  Back to the darkness, away from her husband's pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny:  Her final healing must come down from the One who loves her even more than Michael does...the One who will never let her go.
     A powerful retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea, Redeeming Love is a life-changing story of God's unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love."

Francine Rivers
Source:  Novel Pastimes

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"Love the Lord your God, and love one another.  Love one another as he loves.  Love with strength and purpose and passion and no matter what comes against you.  Don't weaken.  Stand against the darkness, and love.  That's the way back into Eden.  That's the way back to life."

(Source:  Redeeming Love pg. 462)

If I could use just one word to describe this book, it would be...POWERFUL!

I loved this book.  From the epilogue to the prologue I was hooked.  I couldn't put it down.  It's full of passion and betrayal and unconditional love.  There are parts of the book that are very hard to read, making me sick with the horror of what was happening, and there were chapters where I just wanted to slap Angel and scream at her..."Open your eyes!".  But then I'd remember that 8 year old girl and what she'd suffered and my heart broke for her.  There were times when I was on the edge of my seat anticipating the break through Michael was so lovingly urging her toward, and there were times of beauty and laughter.

But I think the main thing I took away from this book is...To love anyone the way you should, the way they deserve to be loved--your husband, your child, your mother, father, sister, brother, friends--you have to love God above all else.

I think anyone who enjoys a good story will enjoy this book, but if you love romance novels, Redeeming Love is must read!