The Promise ~ Review

The Promise
The Restoration Series #2
By Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley

The Dance picks up two months after The Dance ends.  Jim and Marilyn Anderson have reconciled and are in Italy on their second honeymoon.  But as their marriage improves their son Tom and his wife Jean are quickly heading into the same rocky territory Jim and Marilyn have so recently left behind.

Tom is keeping a secret, a secret that could cost him everything.  For 5 months he has been going to a job that he doesn't have.  Living off his unemployment, months late on his mortgage, racking up the credit card bills and Jean doesn't know...

As Jean watches Marilyn and Jim's marriage improve she can only hope that her own can improve, but Tom refuses to talk to her about what has been troubling him.

Meanwhile in Italy Marilyn and Jim are enjoying their time together, but Marilyn is troubled.  She feels as if something is off with Tom and Jean and that the problem goes back to Tom's idolizing of Jim.

The Anderson family has become trapped in a cycle, a cycle that has been going on for years.  But with the help of a beloved uncle they may be able to break free of it, but only if they are willing to open their hearts and their ears to truly listen to God, their spouse and their children.

Where The Dance focused on marriage, The Promise adds another dimension to the relational mix by focusing on parenting and marriage.  The Promise is an engaging book, that should be read by married couples with children.  The message woven throughout the pages of The Promise is as powerful and heart-touching as the movie Courageous is.  A worthy addition to any home or church library shelf.

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

About The Promise

One home, two hearts, and the power of a promise kept . . .

For the last five months, Tom Anderson has been without a job, a fact he's been hiding from his wife Jean--and everyone else. He leaves each morning, pretending nothing has changed, and spends his disheartening day rotating through coffee shops and the library, using their wifi to search job listings online. The stress of keeping this secret is beginning to put serious strain on his marriage.

But Tom's not the only one hiding something. Jean Anderson has a secret of her own--one that will seriously complicate their situation. Will the promises they made on their wedding day hold firm?