When I first started reading the book I thought, “Great a Christian book trying to weave in the supernatural.”   I was pleasantly surprised to find out it wasn’t that at all!  This book was hard to put down.

Marielle Bishop marries a widower with 2 children.   She begins her marriage with the unusual arrangement of moving into his deceased wife’s, Sara, family home.   Sara’s 90 year old grandmother Adelaide, who raised her from a baby, still lives there.  This is done not to upset the children as it is the only home they have ever known.

Marielle is faced with many adjustments; being a newlywed, becoming the stepmother of two children, moving into a home that is not their own, and living with Adelaide.  If all that isn’t enough some believe that beautiful Holly Oak mansion is haunted by Adelaide’s great-grandmother.

The sprawling mansion is rich in Civil War history.  The story has it that Susannah Page haunts the house grieving her part in being a Civil War spy, or so they say.  Many believe her sin has brought heartaches and problems to each generation of women after her and will continue to.

Marielle doesn’t believe in such but she finds herself being drawn in by mysterious happenings in the mansion.  Adelaide’s elderly friends only add to her discomfort.  She seeks to find the answers for herself and the truth about Susannah’s past.  Special historical letters show up and they are just what Marielle needs to solve the mystery.  I so enjoyed this part of the book because I felt like I was sitting there peeking into the past with Marielle.

I love the way the author blended the present with the past.  This book has a powerful message about how we can create our own problems by focusing on the wrong thing.  It is easy to waste a life time by not facing the truth.  A VERY GOOD read! 

 I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Not being a football fan I had never heard of Kurt or Brenda Warner.  The title of this book is what drew me to it.  Most of us can relate to old saying, “When it rains it pours”, when one bad thing after another happens.  I have definitely experienced it and wanted to see how Ms. Warner faced her challenges.

Ms. Warner grew up in a very poor family where money was tight and extras few.  The story she shared of her father working long hard hours yet coming home and being lovingly involved with his family touched my heart.  Her childhood testimony shows that kids don’t have to have a lot of material things to be happy as some parents think today.  It warmed my heart as I read of her family’s closeness and her parent’s deep love in spite of disagreements and stress.

I appreciate how she was open and honest about the affects of her wrong choices on her life.  How the times she got ahead of God had a resounding affect on the rest of her life and her children’s life.  She not only faced those with courage and faith but also the many heartaches she met that had nothing to do with her decisions.

She demonstrated a great lesson in accepting when God does not choose to answer our prayers in the way we would want, yet continuing to trust Him and submitting to the situation with faith

Until reading her book I never realized the scrutiny, criticism and problems the families of football players faced.  It was a real eye opener.  I see how it could exact a great toll on these families and marriages.

Ms. Warner was an inspiration to me to hang in there and be strong when life deals one blow after another.  She was a testimony that we can all have the courage to go on and through our problems no matter difficult they are.

My one disappointment in the book was in the area of pre-marital sex and going to bars she never advocates that as a Christian these activities are not in keeping with biblical teaching

Overall I enjoyed this book and was greatly encouraged at her spirit of perseverance and faith.  It made me feel not so alone when I am faced with one problem after another.  I also realized that much of what I face is small compared to her troubles.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com www.BookSneeze.com, book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255