A Legacy of Faith novel
By Robin Lee Hatcher
Jessica Mason is living with a secret one that she has kept closely guarded since the day her husband and daughter died. The truth is just too awful to share. She's shut herself off from all she knew and her relationship with God, well let's just say she's put it on hold. And her out-of-the-way home suits her just fine until she gets a neighbor.
Ridley Chesterfield is hoping to avoid the media circus that has descended upon him by spending a few months at his parents newly purchased vacation home. He figures no internet, no tv, and a small nothing town will keep him sane until everything settles down. But when he finds a stray in need of a temporary home he meets his new neighbor a young woman who is expecting a baby.
As they get acquainted and form a friendship they are offered the chance to heal from their recent wounds because sometimes avoidance of life isn't the way to restoration. As they confront the truths they both face they are able to find forgiveness in their hearts.
As the present-day story plays out Jessica reads her great-grandfather's Bible. Andrew Henning received his Bible in the 1920s from his parents, a Bible that would help him through one of the most trying periods of his life. Marrying Helen Greyson, the love of his life, just weeks before the economic collapse of 1929 his life soon becomes a downward spiral. A spiral that continues with a personal tragedy that will even further rock his world. Turning repeatedly to his Bible and making notes Andrew overcomes a betrayal with love and forgiveness and his words are just what Jessica needs all these years later as she faces a similar situation.
I enjoyed this book as the main characters are all for the most part relatable. I really liked the portions that dealt with Andrew as he worked through what so many at that same time were going through. He had his pride and a desire to provide for his family. He had wanted to leave behind the life he had always known but when he needed it farming was what he could rely on in the end. I think this book more than anything is a book of forgiveness and it is a forgiveness that can only be found by making a choice and embracing the love that God has for us. If you are searching for a book club suggestion this is one to consider.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher Thomas Nelson through the BookLook blogger program with no expectations but that I offer my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.
About the Book:
For these two broken hearts, the first step
toward love will be a huge leap of faith.
Jessica Mason isn’t looking for love when she meets Ridley Chesterfield. Instead, she is still reeling from the tragic, unexpected loss of her husband and daughter—and awaiting the arrival of her unborn child. Harboring the secret of her husband’s betrayal, her pain is deeper than anyone knows.
Ridley Chesterfield is hiding out in Hope Springs, Idaho, avoiding a political scandal and the barrage of false media headlines that have tarnished his good name. The last thing Ridley wants is a relationship—but when fate leads Ridley to form a friendship with his reclusive and pregnant neighbor, he wonders if this small-town hideout might be more of a long-term destination.
When Jessica begins to read her great-grandfather’s Bible, she finds a connection with a man she never knew. Somehow the verses he marked and the words he wrote in the margins open her heart to healing. And as Ridley and Jessica help each other forgive the people who have wronged them, they must decide if the past will define them or if they will choose to love again.
Who I Am With You weaves together a modern-day romance with Jessica’s great-grandfather’s story from the 1930s, reminding us that some truths can cross generations and that faith has the power to transform families forever.
