Review: Softly and Tenderly

Softly and Tenderly (A Songbird Novel)

About the Book:

Happily married and owner of two successful boutiques, Jade longs to begin a family with her husband, Max. But when she discovers that Max has an illegitimate son – who he wants her to help raise – Jade’s life is turned upside down.

She flees to her childhood home, a rambling Iowa farmhouse, with enough room to breathe. There – while her mother’s health grows fragile, and the tug of her first love grows stronger – Jade begins to question everything she thought she knew about family, love, and motherhood. In the wide-open landscape, Jade begins to see a future that doesn’t rest on the power of her past, but in the goodness of God's tender mercies.

My Comments:  

If you are looking for a fluffy feel-good read, look elsewhere.  This is a book about secrets, about pain, about infidelity, about death.  Yes, there is hope but just as in real life, these characters have to get through the nitty-gritty.  They have to forgive--and accept forgiveness, and sometimes its hard to figure which is harder.  There are times when we all want to run away from life, but life has a way of catching up to us.  Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck have written a wonderful tale of healing and growth, but certainly no book about perfection.  Grade B+

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers for providing a review copy via NetGalley.  Their product page is here.