An Anchor on Her Heart Review, Guest Post and Giveaway!

Posted by abakersp in Contemporary / 4 Comments

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for the Mended Hearts series by Patricia Lee, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I’ll be talking about each book in the series over the next couple of days, so be sure to come back!!

Title: An Anchor on Her Heart

Series: Mended Hearts #1

Author: Patricia Lee

Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink

Release Date: August 1, 2017

Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance

Can they keep their friendship pure when their hearts long for more? McKenna Nichols, a young wife abandoned by her husband in favor of his work, is left alone to raise their autistic child. She promised to love him until death parted them. But when circumstances drive a wedge into their marriage and Dane chooses to escape what life has dealt them, how long can she be strong? Can she remain faithful to her marriage vows when tempted by the friendship of an unlikely stranger? Rudy Taylor, who senses McKenna’s loneliness and understands the difficulty of raising her daughter, struggles to keep his concern for the young woman biblical. Will McKenna’s faith in God and Rudy’s commitment to his Lord be enough to keep their relationship simple until McKenna’s husband one day returns?

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What a heartwarming story with wonderful characters, a different kind of storyline, and a fabulous setting! First of all, I must applaud Lee on including an autistic character, who in my opinion absolutely stole the show. Sydney was such a lovely girl, and once people gave her the right opportunities, she was able to shine – just like we should give those who are different in our own lives a chance to shine. For me that’s what this story was all about. Rudy and his mother knew exactly how to act around Sydney, and how to treat her. Not only was it a surprise for McKenna, but it was for me too. There were so many special moments between Sydney and Rudy, or Sydney and Rudy’s mother. It really was my favorite part of the book.

Now I do want to touch on the romantic part. In my opinion the story for McKenna could have gone it two different directions (of which I cannot totally disclose due to spoilers). I will say that it did go in the direction I assumed it would, however had it gone the other way, I think I would have been just as happy. How amazing that this author could of had two potential storylines, but God directed her on one direction and that’s what she went with. Lee did a beautiful job of making Rudy’s character. Do I think there are a lot of gentlemen out there like him? Not so much, but it was nice to have the example there – if any guys happen to read this story.

Here’s the moral of the story folks – follow God’s leading. When you do, the story will always end well. Also, don’t forget to show grace and love to those who are different, plus their family members! I cannot stress this enough, and wish there were even more Christian fiction books with disabled and/or autistic characters in them. It’s such a wonderful reminder of how we ought to treat others.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Autism is a subject I discovered first hand. My daughter was diagnosed with the disorder when she was five. Rearing her, making all the extra appointments, and spending my days trying to understand what made her function took a lot of prayer, reading, and patience. My husband and I worked together to help our daughter.

The prompting of a friend convinced me to write about the disorder through a fictional character. She thought the topic a necessary one in today’s world.

I didn’t need to look far to discover McKenna’s character. I had attended a local support group for parents of children with autism and many times a single spouse arrived, their partner either disengaged with the child or had abandoned the family altogether. Autism is not part of the ‘til death do us part” language of the marriage vow.

Patricia Lee is a published author, having written since she first learned what words could do at the age of six. She holds a BA in journalism from the University of Oregon. Articles to her credit have appeared in Moody Monthly, Power for Living, Expecting and Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse as well as in two anthologies— Cup of Comfort Bible Promises and In the Company of Angels. She is part of a team of bloggers who submit short devotionals for FaithHappenings.com. Patricia is a member of the Oregon Christian Writers and of American Christian Fiction Writers. She and her husband have two adult children and live in the Pacific Northwest with two sleepy cats.

CONNECT WITH PATRICIA: Website | Facebook | Twitter

(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card!

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