In her first book, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, Trish Ryan chronicled the ways in which finding faith led her to the happily-ever-after ending that had eluded her for so long. Only it wasn't an ending. It was a beginning.
In A Maze of Grace, Ryan picks up where she left off, sharing the early years of her marriage and the challenges that came with it. With humor and wit, she recounts the moments that left her looking for answers, from temptations regarding fidelity and the anxiety of shifting body image to the awkward nature of following Jesus in a decidedly secular city, and a series of struggles (depression, trying to conceive) that made her wonder if God had lost her file.
With appealing candor, Ryan sweeps the reader into her life and ponders questions and issues that we all face, dropping nuggets of wisdom along the way that are sure to inspire, encourage, and help women in all walks of life. (excerpt from inside flap).
My Review:
I'd love the true honesty that comes across in A Maze of Grace, A Memoir of Second Chances by Trish Ryan. I hadn't been fortunate to read the first book but picking up just after her marriage, she faces the same struggles that all of us at one time or another have thought about. Girls at our husbands work flirting with them while struggling with our own self image issues, having thoughts about other men, even though we never acted on them, dealing with wanting children and waiting on God to provide and during that time, questioning her faith because even though she knew Sarah was blessed in her old age, she didn't think God was still working miracles like that today.
She faces every single obstacle that new believers and new married couples face in the first few years of marriage and she walks us through them all with a great blend of humor, "one being when after several years of trying to have a baby and being left barren, while holding the baby of a friend, a man comes by and tells her that she and her husband ought to stop holding up the process and pop a few out, while in her mind she is visualizing kicking him in the family jewels." This is just the real down to earth writing that Trish shares in taking us through the difficult years that she and her husband faced.
I think it keeps it real for all of us and shows us that we are all human and struggle at times in our faith, but that God is faithful and will always come through.
I received this book, compliments of Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Groups, for my honest review. I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars easily for the honest way that Trish shares the story of faith.
This book is available in hardcover and eBook formats. It retails for between $15-$19
For more information on this book, the amazing author and to read an excerpt from the book, please click on the link below:
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780446545815.htm
For three lucky followers of my blog, Hachette is blessing you with a copy of the book. Here are the guidelines for the giveaway:
1. Must be a follower of my blog.
2. Be a resident of the US or Canada.
3. I must have an email address to reach you in the event you win, please add it to the comment window.
4. No P.O. Boxes, please!
5. Leave me a comment and tell me your biggest struggle in your walk of faith.
The giveaway will end on July 29th. Winners will be notified by email.
P.S. I am now being featured on Giveaway Scout. You can find out more by clicking on the widget on my side bar.
