Thursday, May 14, 2009

READY-MADE FAMILY by Cheryl Wyatt


Book Three in Cheryl Wyatt's Wings of Refuge series continues to carry out her winning ways. While all of her books are very family oriented, this one has all kinds of family situations that need resolution.

Amelia North is a proud young woman whose life was changed forever by one slip-up in high school, a slip-up that meant pregnancy and estrangement from her father. Her "mistake" brought about a precious little girl, though, who became the most important thing in her life. Amelia finds herself down and out with no money, poor health, and now her car is totaled. She's stuck in the little town of Refuge, on her way to St. Louis for a job she desperately needs.

Enter pararescue jumper Ben Dillinger to the rescue. His heart breaks over the sad state of Amelia and her little girl Reece, and he knows he needs to help them. He feels God nudging him. But Amelia has been let down and shunned so much, even by her own parents, that she is determined that she has to refuse any offers of help from anyone, including God. Besides, she doesn't believe that anyone could really be as nice as Ben or the other people she meets in Refuge. There must be a catch, right?

Cheryl Wyatt has created a novel that will bring tears to your eyes at times, but in the end it will leave you feeling good and praising God for His provisions. She says that her characters are based on people in her own church and on her own life, having been far from God herself until she was an adult. She credits the church she belongs to with being God's instrument to change her. There is a lot in the novel to make us realize how important it is for us to let Jesus and His love shine through us, how living out our salvation and showing real love to others can change lives.

The author has done a lot of research to learn about the pararescue jumpers, research which makes a difference in the authenticity of this tale. This is a special group of people who deserve our respect and admiration, in my opinion, and I'm glad that this series has shone a spotlight on them. I didn't think much about these heroes before, but I certainly do now.

I heartily recommend Ready-Made Family to readers in general, as well as the other books in the series. It is a romance but much more than that. A fairly easy and quick read, it's hard to put down until you're finished.

The book is available at most Christian book stores, on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Christianbook.com. For more information on all her books and about Cheryl Wyatt, visit her website at Cherylwyatt.com .

2 comments:

Laura J. Davis said...

This sounds like a great book. Another one to put on my list. Thanks Cathi, great review!

cathikin said...

I think you would enjoy Cheryl's series, Laura. She does a beautiful job of blending family matters, spirituality, and romance within the novels