"My daughter, Ruthie, always called me a glass-is-half-empty kind of person, but she was wrong."
I love it when novels open with a opening statement that truly makes me want to read more and more. Kinda like that first bite of your favorite food. Memories are a lot like that. Just the smell or the taste of something can bring us back to the very essence of that moment. For Lynda Turner and Clyde Felton are each working through their own set of memories and in this case they are not at all pleasant.
Lynda has been abandoned by men her whole life and now she is dealing with the consequences of coping with those losses in the form of depression. She goes through episodes now and again and finds solace driving out to watch the windmills turn and cast shadows that will capture and move her memories to the past where they belong. She just needs to find a way to keep moving forward, while working at the local diner as a cook now.
For Clyde Felton, is seems if there is any crime in the town of Trapp, Texas, everyone seems to think Clyde may have had a hand in it or is responsible. After all, once a criminal always a criminal right? But with Clyde's criminal past, even though he served his time and is trying to find a way back, the residents can't seem to see him as anything but a tarnished penny. Unworthy or unneeded to be polished back to its former glory. Maybe that is why he developed feelings for Lynda. They say opposites attract, but in this case much like the scripture from the Bible in Ecclesiates 4:9-10, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." This is the theme we see played out between Lynda and Clyde.
I received Jilted by Varina Denman compliments of David C Cook Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this novel in exchange for my personal and unbiased opinion. The hardest thing for anyone who has faced a bad past is the ability to find a way to move forward, and be able to leave it behind. For both Lynda and Clyde, they have to come to terms with doing so in different ways. Lynda has to deal with the issues of abandonment from those in her life, willingly or unwillingly. Clyde has to deal with always feeling like an outsider and that nothing he does will ever be good enough, especially within the church he attends. It seems hard for people to apply the Bible to their own lives and instead find ways to sit back and judge the actions of those around them, instead of seeing them like God does with love and unconditional grace and mercy. I give this novel a 4 out of 5 stars and this is the third in the Mended Hearts series. A book club discussion guide is included at the conclusion of this one.
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Can all things really work together for good, and can the joy of living be found once again? Don't miss one woman's story in book three, Jilted, of Varina Denman's Mended Hearts series. Lynda Turner has struggled with depression since her husband abandoned her and their young daughter fifteen years ago. Yet unexpected hope awakens when a local ex-convict shows interest. As long-hidden secrets resurface, Lynda must fight for her emotional stability and for a life where the shadow of shame is replaced by the light of love.
Celebrate the release of Varina's Jilted by entering to win a $50 gift card.
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A copy of Jilted to kick off a summer of reading
- A $50 Kohl's gift card to make your summertime sweet
