Alcoholism and addiction followed Joe from childhood into adulthood. Neglect and abandonment still haunt Wendy since her childhood having been raised by her alcoholic Nana. One fateful night they meet and soon feel a connection, but can they recover and heal from their traumatic pasts? There are many battles ahead. As faith unfolds and unleashes its healing power perhaps they, too, will find their happily ever after.
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REVIEWS
"Wow. What a ride into the worlds of addiction, abuse, neglect, suicide, sexuality and mistreatment. Some very dark topics covered but covered well. The author has clearly researched these topics and handled them carefully.
It didn’t take long for me to become invested in Joes recovery and hoping that he would get his happy ending. I wasn’t sure about Wendy at first, not because of anything more than at first she appeared to be an utter do-gooder, however it quickly became clear she was wrestling her own demons."I’ll be honest when I selected Lisa’s book I wasn’t aware that there were any religious leanings and when I first noted there was I was wary that the story would push the authors beliefs on the reader. It does not. It does make you think and religion and faith are key parts to the protagonist’s healing process but again it’s done really well and not in a forceful way. By the end I was truly gripped by what the outcome might be and if the couple would make it.
"And the ending; well. Generally I’d want more detail but I think the story ended just where it needed to.
"Hutch. He’s the wildcard here. The one I expected not to like or be more of a problem. Love that his character turned out to have more depth than the ‘evil step father’ role.
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"This is more than a simple love story, albeit a beautiful one. If you allow yourself the time to consider all that these two individuals did "in reaction", you just might see yourself in some way...and, in turn, receive the joy and grace available..." - Glenda Bixler, Book Reviewer
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"Fictional but with hope for addicts. Powerful story! I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great novel with a real-life story and lively characters. Although the book is fictional, the characters' dilemmas and how they are resolved will seem very authentic to anyone struggling with addictions. For them, Lisa Barker does more than tell a good story; she brings a glimmer of hope." - Tannia E. Ortiz-Lopes, author of THE WINDOW TO MY SOUL: MY WALK WITH JESUS
"Beginning with the Book of Lamentations, Barker announces suffering and the hope that is to follow, and that is the curve of this forward-looking novel. Here, religious faith meets the imperfection implied by humanism. It is the story of a little family, modest in its ambitions, looking mainly for closeness. But there are nasty wounds, some of them self-inflicted. In other hands, sexual addiction and child abuse might set the tone for a grim, Zola-esque recounting, fatalistic in outlook. [Yet] Underneath, the current of hope simmers. [. . .] Much of the novel is about "release," a word that applies both to coitus and the mystics, the ecstasy of a body and that of God, two parallel paths. As this struggle continues, dark, wounding secrets about the past present themselves. . . . One feels in the writing commitment, a yen to get down under the skin and find out what the characters are all about. No one is disparaged, yet no one is spared either." - Johnny Payne, author of THE HARDSIDE OF THE RIVER
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