My favorite night of the month took place last week…our monthly Book B*tches meeting! My dear friend hosted us in her gorgeous home and treated us to a night of comfort food and fellowship that is SO good for the soul.
Our book this month was Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I’ve said this before, but one of my favorite aspects of being in a book club is that I’m introduced to books I might not read otherwise. This is likely one of those books, but I’m so glad I read it!
Redeeming Love was published about thirty years ago and many B*tches were familiar with it. I’m embarrassed to admit I’d never heard of it. But, it’s a worldwide best seller and about to be released as a major motion picture.
Here’s what Goodreads has to say:
California’s gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.
Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.
Then she meets Michael Hosea. A man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything, Michael Hosea obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel’s every bitter expectation until, despite her resistance her frozen heart begins to thaw.
But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband’s pursuing love, terrified of the truth she can no longer deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael Hosea does…the One who will never let her go.
A life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love.
Although the message of the novel is AMAZING, I did find the first several chapters very difficult to get through because the subject matter is grim. Overall, I think every Christian should read this story. Francine Rivers paints such a clear picture of how God truly loves us.
Book B*tches
Our sweet hostess sent each of us home with our own little angel as a nod to the main character, but also because we are all an angel to each other. Truly blessed to be part of this book club.
If you haven’t read this yet, get it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FODEV34/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01FODEV34&linkCode=as2&tag=emerybodie-20&linkId=9bc145090c7aeaee977c91a81a9f6893
