A PROMISE KEPT BY ROBIN LEE HATCHER

A PROMISE KEPT by ROBIN LEE HATCHER is a beautifully told story of forgiveness and the faithfulness of God.
Allison Kavanach, who is divorced from her husband Tony, moves to her great aunt Emma's log house in order to make a new start in life. Allison feels disillusioned as she really believed Tony would be delivered from his addiction to alcohol and that God would heal their marriage. Instead he went from bad to worse and walked out when she gave him an ultimatum. 
It is here in this beautiful place, encouraged by the secrets she finds in her great aunt Emma's journals, that the Lord restores her relationship with Him as she reads his Word and draws close to Him again. She makes some good friends and really settles in to her new community and is beginning to heal when her daughter, Meredith, asks if her father can come and spend Christmas with them. Allison is not keen on the arrangement, but agrees for her daughter's sake. The holiday goes surprisingly well and leads to them spending more time together as a family. I like the way Allison's and Emma's stories run almost parallel, although they are different. Both stories show the goodness of God and the importance of trusting Him, not only with one's own life but with that of one's loved ones.
The Lord does answer prayer, there is no doubt about that, but the answers don't always come immediately or in the way we want them to. It is in the waiting and trusting that we grow as Christians. The story is sensitively told and it is close to the author's heart as it is really her own story.

THE NOBLE FUGITIVE by T DAVIS BUNN & ISABELLA BUNN

THE NOBLE FUGITIVE by T. DAVIS BUNN and ISABELLA BUNN is the third book in the HEIRS of ACADIA series, but it can be read as a stand alone novel. The story is set in 19th century America and England, during the abolitionist movement. It is an interesting and exciting read and full of biblical truth.
John Falconer, a former slave trader, is now a fugitive because he knows too much. Although a law has been passed to stop any new slave trading, he has proof that it is still not only flourishing, but is backed by some very influential people. Since coming to salvation, nauseated by the wickedness he helped to perpetrate, he is now on a quest to see slavery abolished once and for all.
Serafina is a beautiful young Venetian girl, of noble heritage, who has escaped her parents and who ends up at Harrow Hall, near Bath in England, where Falconer is hiding out with American friends who are pamphleteers working with William Wilberforce.
There are many twists and turns in the novel and there is much intrigue. We see the magnitude of God's love and forgiveness towards even the vilest of sinners. We see repentance at work in Serafina, who has behaved so badly towards her parents, due to imagining herself in love with her art teacher. We see her grief, not only at Luca's betrayal, but also at the way she has hurt those she loves. The authors also paint a lovely picture of the grandeur of Venice during that period at the beginning of the book.
Falconer, a big man, with a scarred face, shows great tenderness, especially towards little Hannah and Serafina. He is their protector. He is amazed at the portrait that Serafina draws of him which is so different from the hideous picture on his "wanted" poster. It shows an inner beauty due to the change the Lord has brought about in him.
Falconer falls hopelessly in love with the lovely Serafina, and feels he will never be good enough for such an aristocratic young lady, whilst she has been so hurt by Luca that she feels she will never be able to love again.
I love the historical setting of the novel and the interesting characters. There is a strong message of the importance of making one's life right with God, of the battle between light and darkness, and of corruption in high places. I can highly recommend this book.



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