faithful by Kim Cash Tate

Thomas Nelson Publishing

• ISBN-10: 1595548548
• ISBN-13: 978-1595548542

A story of life-long friends each struggling with life changing moments that tests their faith in God.  

Cydney thought she knew God's plan for her life but at 40 she realizes the path God has chosen for her may not be what she thought after all. 

Dana seems to have the perfect life until she discovers her husband is having an affair and her world is rocked out of control.

Phyllis has a deep relationship with God which she passes on to her children easily but her husband is a non-believer which makes their life together tumultuous at best.  When she runs into an old friend, a very Christian man, she starts to question her life choices.

God and their faith play very important parts in each of these women's lives.  Is their faith strong enough to help them through their struggles? 

The author writes quite naturally about not only individual relationships with God, including the issues of premarital sex, lust, betrayal, trust, and faithfulness but she does it without being preachy and doesn't lead us to the "happily ever after" scenario.  

There are definite  Christian messages throughout the entire book but it is truly the story of three women in totally different stages of their lives and how the deal with strife as well as the day to day issues every woman faces daily. 

The women and men in this book are flawed just as all of us are, there is no perfect life.  Challenges are faced , dealt with, moved on, just as we all of do everyday.  The difference is that in this book the relationships with God are brought to the forefront, not kept in the background and while the issues tackled are not easy, the author has written them in a way that not only shows God's love but interweaves hope and faith in a way that shows that all relationships including those with God and our family entail a great deal of work. We are never promised that life is going to be easy.

If you are looking for a typical Christian romance book, this is not it.  This book is much more.  As a Christian our faith can be questioned daily and this book uses these three women's lives to show us just a few instances of questions but there is a true underlying message for everyone.  God will give us strength but we must put in the time too.  The time for prayer, the time of helping others, the time for ourselves.  Most importantly our hearts need to be open to receiving His gifts.  

This is a well written novel that I truly enjoyed but be prepared to not only read about the faith of the characters in this book, it will also make you look at your own faithfulness.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”