Trials of Faith

Rating:
Summary: A Good Story Line and Message for Teens
Review: College freshman, Cassandra Smith is experiencing life away from home and parents for the first time. Sharing an apartment with her best friend, Beth, Cassie's Christian up-bringing is quickly shoved aside to make room for the popular college life. Parties, alcohol, and drug use prevail. Cassie struggles with guilt, but doesn't want to be unpopular. She tries to hide some of her bad habits on her rare visits home.

Soon she meets Mac Lugot. Mac is a partner at a successful accounting firm. Fascinated by the beautiful and fun Cassie, Mac is quick to offer her a job as his secretarial assistant. Their relationship quickly becomes serious.

When Mac goes home with Cassie to meet her parents, he doesn't understand why Cassie has never mentioned her Christianity to him. Is it unimportant to her? Determined to find out if her parent's faith is truth or fantasy, Mac starts studying the Bible on his own. What happens when he finds a faith in God and Cassie has trouble believing in her parent's God? Is it too late for Cassie to give up the lifestyle she's picked up in college? Does she even want to try? And what about when Mac runs into an insurmountable obstacle? Will he be able to keep his new faith?

TRIALS OF FAITH is an interesting story about facing life away from home for the first time. Cassie runs into a lot of the same situations and tests as most first time college students and must decide whether the beliefs she was raised with are worth keeping. I was a bit impatient with Cassie's attitude toward her family, but she had the typical teenager mindset-she is the only one who matters.

There is a lot of head hopping in TRIALS OF FAITH, making it sometimes difficult for the reader to follow. There is also a lot of telling instead of showing, so the story doesn't flow very smoothly. Otherwise, the author had a good story line and a message that needs to be heard by all teens. I recommend TRIALS OF FAITH for a cute love story with faith at the base.

-- reviewed by Laura V. Hilton for Christian Bookshelf

Rating:
Summary: Hooray for Crystal!
Review: I enjoyed the escape I found while reading this fictional story, but mostly I enjoyed how she incorporated God's wonderful infallible Truth into it. Am looking forward to more from Crystal.

Rating:
Summary: Hooray for Crystal!
Review: I enjoyed the escape I found while reading this fictional story, but mostly I enjoyed how she incorporated God's wonderful infallible Truth into it. Am looking forward to more from Crystal.

Rating:
Summary: Spellbound
Review: I started out reading "Trials of Faith" a chapter at a time. In a couple of days, that was no longer an option. I had to finish it. It is an excellent book to give to someone that you feel you need to witness to, but are hesitant to do so. The Plan of Salvation is very plain in this book. I am looking forward to Crystal's next book

Rating:
Summary: Spellbound
Review: I started out reading "Trials of Faith" a chapter at a time. In a couple of days, that was no longer an option. I had to finish it. It is an excellent book to give to someone that you feel you need to witness to, but are hesitant to do so. The Plan of Salvation is very plain in this book. I am looking forward to Crystal's next book

Rating:
Summary: A Cozy Read
Review: Trials of Faith is one of those books you just can't put down! Crystal Ratcliff has done a great job of making Mac and Cassandra come alive as they struggle with the issue of salavation. In their relationship with each other, how do they "walk the walk" when life tosses them some curve balls? Reading Trials of Faith is like sitting across the table talking to your best friend. You'll come away refreshed and wanting more!