Summary:
California’s gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.
Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.
Then she meets Michael Hosea. A man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything, Michael obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel’s every bitter expectation, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw.
But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband’s pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael does … the One who will never let her go.
– from Goodreads
Review (with minor spoilers):
Redeeming Love is one of those books I know I’ll never forget. There are some books you finish and they are so rich with characters and plot, yet they are not memorable, and then there are the books that you feel have really changed your life even though you can’t quite put your finger on exactly why that is.
I actually found this book on Tashapolis’ YouTube channel. She had made a list of the top ten most influential books in her life. We share a lot in common when it comes to book preferences, so I decided to give this book a try. I went into it knowing that the story is based off the Book of Hosea in the Bible. First and foremost, I do not ever want someone to be deterred from my site because of religion. I also don’t want to have this post be about religion, however it is necessary due to genre of this book.
With that being said, I don’t think you even have to be religious or follow any sort of organized religious beliefs to enjoy this book. But you do have to have an open mind.
This is an angsty, drama-filled historical romance novel but it is also so much more than that. It touched me personally and made me re-think some things within my own life. This was yet another book that I read on my one-week vacation to our family cottage way back in July. This one, however, was not lent to me by my friend; I borrowed it from my local library!
Looking at the actual plot of the book, it follows the life of a young woman named Angel, starting when she is six years old in the year 1835. She was not always called Angel; her birth name was Sarah and she once lived a seemingly happy life with her mother in a cute, little home. But unfortunate circumstances lead to Sarah being sold to a brothel and she is trained in the art of prostitution. She learns to resent men and teaches herself to guard her true self from anyone who tries to get to know her. She is a bitter and, at times, very unlikable character. But then you remember Sarah, that innocent child that the book first introduces us to, and you realize just how much this character has been through – how this book likely reflects the realities of some people’s lives – and you can’t really blame her.
Sarah no longer exists to Angel and she accepts her place in the world. Then she meets Michael Hosea, a handsome yet simple man who visits her at the brothel and pays her. While she expects he is looking for sex, he actually just wants to get to know her. This proves to be the more difficult of the two options for Angel and she becomes quite nasty to him, which once again is understandable; it makes sense that she would try to shutter her real self from the profession she is in.
Yet Michael is not deterred and keeps coming back, offering marriage and safety to her; he is a farmer and wants to bring her back to his home. He claims God has told him that Angel is meant to be his wife and, as difficult as she makes it at times, he is determined to follow through with God’s plan.
She eventually agrees, although it is not exactly out of ideal circumstances, and they are married. The rest of the story follows Michael’s quest to thaw Angel’s frozen heart (analogy taken from the above summary) and Angel’s own growth as a person who re-learns how to love and how to heal herself mentally and spiritually.
This is a longer book, although it is not a slow-read. The story kept me turning every page as fast as I could, needing to know if Michael could help Angel help herself, who are both being helped by God.
It is an emotional book, but an inspiring one. While I do not support the idea of sitting around waiting for “Prince Charming”, I do like the message that no matter how dark your circumstances or how dark your story, there is always a way out – although you may have to actively search for it. I also like the message/idea that it is often in our darkest times that we seek guidance or support from some sort of divinity (in this case, God)…and even though it may seem hypocritical to seemingly forget all about Him when times are good and we are happy, He is always there to welcome us back into a relationship with Him.
I believe there are many ways to interpret this book and many messages/meanings that you can take from it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels they need a little inspiration or to someone who likes historical romance novels. If you choose to focus on the religious/spiritual aspect of it, I believe it can help you grow, but if not, there are other messages you can use.
Overall, I would rate Redeeming Love 5/5 stars!
Right Off The Pages! 