It's a comparison to the writing style and stories included in the Karen Kingsbury Baxter Family Redemption series. Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley come together and allow us to a part of this family. To see the beauty and the ugly. The trials and the grace. This family is real and one we can all relate to in one way or another.
The writing flows easily as the reader falls in the love with the people in these pages. Why? Because they could be us. These two writers have now penned another gem to this collection. It could be read as a stand alone and you would enjoy it immensely, but to read it as it is written, in a series, will give you the best benefit.
Here we follow up with the youngest in the family, Doug Anderson. Oh, how I could relate to his character. As a parent watching a child spread their wings, leave home, and stumble their way away from Jesus, only to return just as the prodigal son. But this isn't easy to watch. It takes a praying parent, full of faith and patience. This is what we find in Doug's mom. Oh, how I love her character. Doug's dad struggles with the 'what if I'd only' battle where he places the blame of Doug's life choices upon his own shoulders.
We see the struggle of a young man finding his own, moving away from all he has ever known, leaving the friends of his youth, to trying to fit in with the crowd. Sound familiar? Doug's choices lead to more choices in which he can't turn away from the ownership. This is huge! This is where he grows and finds the sweet redemption and grace of God.
He knows what is right, but yet he chooses to do the opposite. Good and evil on each shoulder. This is what each of us face daily. This is why I love this book and series so very much. Valuable life lessons within these pages!
I pretty much knew where the story was going after the first few chapters, but that didn't derail me from enjoying it. In fact, it's the little things that these writers place in that get to the heart of the reader. I have loved the journey with this family and I know you too will love it just as much!
This novel was a gift from Revell for sharing my review with you.
Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of many books, including The Dance, The Promise, and The Desire with Gary Smalley. He has won three Carol Awards, and three of his novels were finalists for RT Book Reviews Inspirational Book of the Year. He lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel.
Gary Smalley is one of the country's best-known authors and speakers on family relationships and has appeared on national television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, and TODAY, as well as numerous national radio programs. He is the bestselling and award-winning author or coauthor of many books, including the Baxter Family Redemption series with Karen Kingsbury. Gary and his wife, Norma, have been married for 50 years and live in Missouri.
