Happy Friday!
What are you going to be reading? If you need a suggestion, read the review for A Heart Surrendered by Joy K. Massenburge. It released this week so it’s available today!
About the Book
As the teenaged pastor’s daughter of New Hope Church, Sharonda Peterson knew finding comfort in Carl’s arms was a mistake. But how could the only night she ever felt beautiful be wrong?
When Carl leaves town to pursue an acting and singing career, Sharonda relegates herself to a life of church service–and solitude–rather than face the pain now associated with that one night.
Carl Ray Everhart has been caught up in the fast pace of fame … and female adoration. But a near-death experience has him questioning everything and vowing to set things straight … starting with the love that got away.
When Carl returns home to serve as the worship leader at New Hope, Sharonda finds that it takes every ounce of her resolve to resist his pursuits … not to mention memories that threaten to overturn the delicate balance she’s created. Can she finally surrender the one thing she’s tried all these years to protect: her heart?
My Thoughts
A Heart Surrendered deals with two great subject that isn’t often discussed in CF: body image and sex before marriage. Those two reasons alone had me interested in Ms. Massenburge’s novel.
I don’t know a single woman who doesn’t have issues with her image but Ms. Massenburge points to God’s truth of how we were created and the beauty of that in itself. She also gets to the heart of the matter as Sharonda battles acknowledging her sin.
Add Sharonda’s family dynamics, a swoon-worthy hero, and a glimpse in the African-American community and I was hooked until the final page.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. My review was not required nor influenced.
About the Author
Joy crafts the love stories of pastors and their kids. She was born the sixth child of a pastor. She married a football player turned pastor…they raised pastor’s kids; a son and two daughters.
During the week, she works as an assistant to Jacob George, CPA, PC. She serves as American Christian Fiction Writer’s (ACFW-East Texas) chapter’s Founding President. When she’s not writing or recording audio books, she is speaking at retreats and conferences throughout the East Texas area.
She resides near Tyler, Texas. You can find her curled up on her back-porch swing reading a good book with her grandchildren, caring for two donkeys and a dog, or filling her five-acre country home with fifty-plus people for a Blue Bell ice cream party.
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Post by contributor Toni Shiloh
Diversity Between the Pages 