Rating: 
Summary: Great Reading - Take You On an Emotional Ride!
Review: And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)What a powerful story of love, hope and faith Angela Benson has woven in Abiding Hope. If you read Awakening Mercy, you will be reintroduced to Marvin and Shay. We found out in the previous "Genesis House" novel, that this couple suffered a tremendous tragedy, the loss of their only son. After a separation, the two start their life again. At the beginning of this novel, the couple is relocating from Atlanta to Mississippi to start another Genesis House. At some point in a relationship, a married couple (any couple) will be put to the test. The success of the marriage depends on how the couple handles conflicts and trials. The bliss of this renewed marriage is threatened when Shay becomes pregnant. Shay had been longing for another child and is overjoyed. Unfortunately, Marvin does not respond in the same way. Marvin's fear and reactions to this new child places a wedge between the couple. As this wedge gets deeper and deeper, Shay and Marvin must learn the hard way that their problems not only effect them but those around them. The author does a great job NOT be one-sided in this novel. She could have easily pulled the reader to the expectant mother's side (especially those desiring children like this reader). You can easily think of Marvin as being overly silly and doubting God, but the author pushes the reader to view both sides. There is always two sides to a coin. I love how Benson brings the husband and wife to this realization.
Rating:
Summary: Great Reading - Take You On an Emotional Ride!
Review: And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13) What a powerful story of love, hope and faith Angela Benson has woven in Abiding Hope. If you read Awakening Mercy, you will be reintroduced to Marvin and Shay. We found out in the previous "Genesis House" novel, that this couple suffered a tremendous tragedy, the loss of their only son. After a separation, the two start their life again. At the beginning of this novel, the couple is relocating from Atlanta to Mississippi to start another Genesis House. At some point in a relationship, a married couple (any couple) will be put to the test. The success of the marriage depends on how the couple handles conflicts and trials. The bliss of this renewed marriage is threatened when Shay becomes pregnant. Shay had been longing for another child and is overjoyed. Unfortunately, Marvin does not respond in the same way. Marvin's fear and reactions to this new child places a wedge between the couple. As this wedge gets deeper and deeper, Shay and Marvin must learn the hard way that their problems not only effect them but those around them. The author does a great job NOT be one-sided in this novel. She could have easily pulled the reader to the expectant mother's side (especially those desiring children like this reader). You can easily think of Marvin as being overly silly and doubting God, but the author pushes the reader to view both sides. There is always two sides to a coin. I love how Benson brings the husband and wife to this realization.
Rating: 
Summary: Abiding Hope - Faith working with Hope
Review: Angela Benson is a very well known and talented romance writer. She creates wonderful characters and vivid story lines that are not easily forgotten. Abiding Hope is her second installment in the Genesis House Series. Shay and Marvin are both praying people, the only thing about this husband and wife team is that they are both praying different prayers. Shay wants to have another child. Marvin does not. Their son Marvin Jr. was killed in a car accident. Shay wants to have a child that she can love and that will have the characteristics of her and her husband. When their son died, Marvin walked out on her. Since that time, they reconciled and she wants to get their life back. The missing ingredient is a child. Not any child, but theirs. So she prays to God to bless her with another child. They tried for 4 years after their son was killed and nothing happened. She didn't want to give up Hope. Marvin was not encouraging Shay's desire to have another child. He wanted to try to move on with their lives the way it was. It didn't want to feel the pain that comes with loosing a child. His prayer was "well nothing has happened all this time" so evidentally Shay can't get pregnant anymore. When Shay tells Marvin that she is indeed with child, he can't believe that she is. He didn't want to tell their friends until she was past her first trimester. That did not set well with Shay. She couldn't believe that Marvin was acting that way. The Lord had blessed them with this child. Marvin and Shay struggle with their feelings and the new life they are starting in Odessa, Mississippi. They use their prayer life to keep the understanding of how the other feels. This story was a really wonderful story. To keep the faith in a situation that seems impossible. May that is why they say that faith is the substance of things hope for and the evidence of things not seen. Shay believed that the Lord was going to bless her with a child. Marvin finally realized that the Lord was giving them another chance to love a child. It also brought them back together as strong as ever. We must never give up hope. No matter the situation, hope is something we must grab hold to. My favorite Angela Benson novel are Bands of Gold, Family Wedding, A Second Chance Dad and The Way Home.
Rating:
Summary: Very good book! Demonstrates excellent Godly character!!
Review: I enjoyed reading this book! I could not place it down. I learned a lot from this book. First, I learned that you cannot live selfishly in a relationship because it can cause a lot of unneccessary hurt and pain. Secondly, I learned that you must place your trust totally in God and not in past experiences. Marvin was afraid to accept God's gift of love and hope again, due to his past experiences. Thirdly, I learned that relationships are more important to God than anything. Shay and Marvin gave Bo a second chance at life by spending time with him and allowing him to make his mistakes and at the same time constructively correcting him of his mistakes. Lastly, I learned that good friends are hard to come by. Shay's friend Vickie is such a committed and dedicated friend. Though Shay and Marvin experienced difficulties in their relationship, Vickie, nor their other friend Daniel never tried to come between them or take advantage of the problems in their marriage. Some people will try and manipulate your husband or wife and take advantage of them. Angela Benson has written a marvelous novel and I'm sure it will bless many others as it has blessed me!
Rating:
Summary: Very good book! Demonstrates excellent Godly character!!
Review: I enjoyed reading this book! I could not place it down. I learned a lot from this book. First, I learned that you cannot live selfishly in a relationship because it can cause a lot of unneccessary hurt and pain. Secondly, I learned that you must place your trust totally in God and not in past experiences. Marvin was afraid to accept God's gift of love and hope again, due to his past experiences. Thirdly, I learned that relationships are more important to God than anything. Shay and Marvin gave Bo a second chance at life by spending time with him and allowing him to make his mistakes and at the same time constructively correcting him of his mistakes. Lastly, I learned that good friends are hard to come by. Shay's friend Vickie is such a committed and dedicated friend. Though Shay and Marvin experienced difficulties in their relationship, Vickie, nor their other friend Daniel never tried to come between them or take advantage of the problems in their marriage. Some people will try and manipulate your husband or wife and take advantage of them. Angela Benson has written a marvelous novel and I'm sure it will bless many others as it has blessed me!
Rating: 
Summary: Alana's review
Review: I enjoyed this book. I found both positive and negative thngs about it, but would overall recommend it, because of the message that is sent about God. Initially, I found it to be somewhat dull at times. I didn't like the way it began because it didn't go into what happened to their son. Also, I felt more details were needed regarding Marvin's walking out on Shay. I wasn't completely convinced that Daniel was satisfied in his singleness and thought they left Vickie's issue of being single was left open. What did she do about being in love with Daniel? The positive side was that it reflected a good sense of a relationship and how hard communication can be at times. I liked the struggles that each character faced. Especially the dialog that took place between Shay and Vickie (when Vickie confronted Shay about her actions toward Martin) I thouroughly enjoyed the exhaltation to seek God, no matter what we feel or think of ourselves.
Rating:
Summary: Waiting to read more!
Review: I first fell in love with Angela Benson's Awakening Mercy. Excited that Abiding Hope was a continuation story I could not wait to find out what happened to Shay and Marvin. I finished reading the book in 3 days and thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait for the next one that continues CeCe and Nate's story. I enjoy these books because they deal with real-life issues that Christians do go through and love reading how the Lord is magnified throughout the book. We do go through and the stories address situations that I can identify with and they acknowledge God as the solution. I did not get bored or skip through the book at all. I have a great love for reading and have been truly blessed by finding the HeartQuest Books and knowing that Amazon.Com has many other African-Americn authors that I am looking forward to reading and purchasing their books.
Rating:
Summary: Waiting to read more!
Review: I first fell in love with Angela Benson's Awakening Mercy. Excited that Abiding Hope was a continuation story I could not wait to find out what happened to Shay and Marvin. I finished reading the book in 3 days and thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait for the next one that continues CeCe and Nate's story. I enjoy these books because they deal with real-life issues that Christians do go through and love reading how the Lord is magnified throughout the book. We do go through and the stories address situations that I can identify with and they acknowledge God as the solution. I did not get bored or skip through the book at all. I have a great love for reading and have been truly blessed by finding the HeartQuest Books and knowing that Amazon.Com has many other African-Americn authors that I am looking forward to reading and purchasing their books.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Angela Benson!
Review: Take a trip to Odessa, Mississippi with Marvin and Shay Taylor! While there you'll walk with them through releasing their painful past and grasping the wonderful future. Can Marvin set aside his fears of losing another child in time to save his marriage? Can Shay trust her husband to be there for her in her new pregnancy no matter what? These questions gloriously unfold on the backdrop of an endearing small town, a misguided teen and single friends with their own set of struggles. No matter who you are, you'll find something you can relate to in this story. Check it out!
Rating:
Summary: Trust in the Lord...
Review: The birth of a child is a wonderful blessing from God. Children bring a certain joy to your life that cannot be compared to anything. Just to wake up each morning and see their angelic faces will put a smile on the face of even the hardest person.
Sharonetta "Shay" Taylor and her husband Marvin are ecstatic when their son Marvin, Jr. was born. In their eyesight, their lives were perfect. Not only did they have a happy, healthy child, they were also active in their church and outside ministries. Suddenly, their bright days turn dark when six-year old Marvin, Jr. is killed in an auto accident. How will Marvin and Shay cope with this loss? Will they seek comfort in God and in each other, or will their pain be so great they withdraw into themselves? To find the answers to these questions and more, I encourage you to pick up a copy of this very compelling novel.
ABIDING HOPE was a very deep, emotional read. I could not imagine having to bury my only child, or any child for that matter. Ms. Benson did an excellent job of showing the character's sorrow and how it affected their lives. The emotions portrayed did not seem over the top. Instead, they were so real, it was if you were experiencing the loss yourself. There were many times I found myself wanting to reach in and offer a consoling hug and words of encouragement. Kudos to Ms. Benson for such a touching read.
Reviewed by Renee Williams
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
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