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Samantha's guilt and fear has kept her separated from those she truly loves. When she comes home and realizes how much she still loves her childhood friend, Landon, it is a tug of war between trust and keeping herself emotionally safe. I'd like to meet the man that could wait patiently through all her emotional storms! ( )

Beautiful allegory of how God pursues us as our Bridegroom even when we betray Him over and over again. ( )

If you are looking for a good romance novel with a strong faith message, look no farther than Surrender Bay by Denise Hunter. Set on Nantucket Island, it is also a great book for your summer getaway, even if it is just the backyard or porch. Samantha Owens returns to her childhood home with her eleven year old daughter to clean out her step-father’s house. The proceeds from the sale of the cottage will allow Samantha to pay off bills and giver her daughter all she needs to have a good life. But the memories of abandonment and bad choices become all too real as Samantha struggles to keep her heart untouched and her goals in place.

I found myself thinking about the story of Hosea and Gomer while turning the pages of Surrender Bay. While the situations are different, this is a story of unconditional love — a gift we just have to accept, not work to deserve. And while God is not mentioned by the characters, His fingerprints are all over the story. I think this would be a great book for those who don’t know or understand the love God has for us. It is a great book to open that discussion. My book club will be discussing Surrender Bay on Friday evening, and I anticipate some wonderful conversations concerning the story line, the characters and God’s nature. If you have read Surrender Bay, please leave me a comment I can share with my group. And if you have not read it, click HERE to see how you can win a copy of the book.

Highly Recommended. ( )

The story was in itself a good one. I got sick of her over and over anxieties over the same thing of not trusting the people around her. She seemed like such a head case. ( )