I am a huge fan of Darrel Nelson. After reading his first novel, "Anniversary Waltz", I was hooked. His second book, "The Return of Cassandra Todd", is a beautifully written story about facing the past and finding freedom in the hope of Jesus.
Main characters, Cassandra Todd and Turner Caldwell cross paths once again. This time high school is far from view. But for them dangerous paths are ahead. Believe in God's perfect timing? He brings Turner into Cassandra's life and their lives are weaved together in this wondrous story.
Cassandra has been in an abusive marriage. Violence has become part of her life. Her perfect life isn't so perfect when the doors are closed and no one can look inside. She is fearful not only for her own life, but for the life of her son. She gains courage through her faith and decides that is time to escape. Her freedom is near, but she must cross many mountains before peace comes and she finds solice.
Turner Caldwell was bullied in high school and that pain has left scars. Deep scars. He comes face to face with his past when his path crosses with Cassandra. The girl who had it all in high school is now on the run to find freedom. Turner has tried to forget the past hurts of his life, but now he is having to face them head on.
What I love about this poignant story is Darrel shows us God's perfect timing and how He places people in our path to encourage and inspire us. In this story, Cassandra is just as important to Turner finding a new freedom as he is in helping her escape a life of abusive.
The characters are real and raw. We witness their struggles. The baggage they carry and we see how the scars play a part in their lives today. They immediately connect and we see God do amazing things in their lives. They face their fears with a David like courage. They find together they can overcome all.
This is an unputdownable. It's a story that will grab your heart and leave you cheering these two precious people onward along their journey to finding a new freedom. This is a story of hope and rescue. When we lay down the pain of yesterday the Lord brings healing. When we trust Him in our darkest times, He shines the light on the path to freedom and peace.
I cannot wait to see what's next for Darrel Nelson. His stories are rich and worthy of praise. They will leave you realizing there is more to life than material stuff. He has the gift of taking us deep beyond ourselves and stretching our comfort zone to bring us to a place of growth.
This book is published by Realms and was a gift from Glass Road Media.
Darrel Nelson is the author of The Anniversary Waltz and a teacher. He writes novels, articles, plays, and music. He has bachelor’s degrees in English and education from the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada.
