About the Book:

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. Over 1 million copies sold!

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book completely surpassed all my expectations.  I had heard good things about it, and i thought the premise of it being a retelling of the story of Hosea in the old West sounded intriguing.  As I began this book, I was so drawn into the story line that I often found I did not want to put it down.

Angel and Michael Hosea’s characters were so skillfully written, and nothing about the story seemed contrived.  I found myself near tears so many times.  After all, I could relate to Michael’s dilemma since I am currently in love with a non-Christian who is so embittered about the things of the Lord.  I am always pleased when a Christian author is able to master the technique of weaving Christian principles into a story.  And this author does.

As much as I loved the story, I think the author’s note at the end of the story truly impressed me as well.  It was something to see a Christian author tell her testimony and explain how her salvation experience was somewhat akin to the experience of Angel.  I also appreciated the frank way the author dealt with the physical relationship between Angel and Michael.  So many Christian authors do not deal with this topic openly, but Francine Rivers is not one of them!

Finally, I think the story of Angel’s childhood prostitution and ensuing young life truly broke my heart.  I am sure that there were girls just like her who did exist in the history of our race.  Sometimes it was hard to read the details, but it only added to the connection I felt with the characters.

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