Book Review: As Is by Wendy Oleston

As Is

By Wendy Oleston

A Wisconsin Author!

.99 Kindle

12.99 print

ISBN-13: 978-1499781335

Buy on Amazon

From the publisher:

Life is hard for Mara Shaw. One bad relationship after another has left her a single mother with no faith in anything. She is unable to trust in anyone . . . including herself. She decides to start afresh, and never allow herself to be hurt again. Graydon Davidson walks into her life and begins to show her the truth. While the truth is hard to accept, it is also the key to her freedom. Is this gorgeous and compassionate stranger the answer to all her dreams? Or will specters from her past which emerge to haunt her take over? Mara is faced with a choice that will change her life forever.

My review:

Persistent love

For Christians, if you’ve ever tried to picture being the bride of Christ, Oleston puts a whole new spin on the subject in her new book.

We all have issues to deal with. Mara has a boatload of them, from being in denial of alcoholism to not knowing how to love or to receive love. A single mom in danger of losing her child, she agrees reluctantly to counseling. The reader is invited along as this woman walks through her despair to finally reach the lowest point and so be able to climb back out of the abyss, holding the hand of the only one we can truly count on.

On the way to her first counseling session, Mara meets a mysterious young man, Graydon, and they are instantly infatuated. Months pass during which they develop a platonic relationship and slowly learn each other’s story. Mara is constantly torn by her struggle to become a mom worthy of her son, a woman worthy of true love, and a person who can love wholly. It’s Graydon every bit as much as her counselor who forces Mara to face the ugly things in her life. Countless times Mara attempts to shove away those who want to help her. Graydon never lets her know he’s had enough. He always comes back, is always there when she needs someone, always knows what to say, acts as her conscious, and leads her gently through the valley of the shadow of death.

The reader is encouraged to conjecture about Graydon’s identity until Mara is able to come clean and accept the forgiveness she’s been offered all along. This story is definitely thought-provoking on many levels, and one that will show you the unyielding love of God. I have to offer this caveat, however, in that unfortunately vulgar language permeates the entire story. While I understand that cursing has become almost normal in society and I realize certain characters will swear as part of their makeup, I also don’t believe that it is natural for believers to continue to do so thoughtlessly once they develop a personal relationship with the Lord. It seems like a light thing to address in light of the enormous issues Mara overcame, but it was jarring and disappointing for all the care the author used in this intriguing story of second chances. Told in third person from Mara’s point of view, this is a story you’ll be thinking about for a long while.

The Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers Summer Tour

                  

Hey, everyone! Summer isn’t over until September 21, ya know. However, I do understand that most of you are out of “Summer” mode at this point. But don’t let that stop you from picking up some pretty awesome reads and cuddling on the deck for a few hours of bliss.

I see I’m in history mode, as I often am, with my picks to share with you.  

Wounded Spirits by April Gardner was a delight to find. From the little-explored time in American history, the early nineteenth century era of expansion and settlement, Gardner tells an evocative, thoughtful, and sensitive tale of pioneers, warriors, and Creek Nation people battling for identity in an innocent land. Gently exploring touchy issues such as slavery, romance in all the unusual places, pride and fall, readers will ask for more when finished. And you’ll be glad to know that you won’t have long to wait.

Yesterday’s Tomorrow was my surprise exciting read of the year. Cathy West’s awesome debut will knock your socks off so you can wiggle your toes in the sand. If you like true characters, the grit and the emotional pit of modern warfare in the Vietnam era, blood and guts and dirt in your wounds, you’ll be entranced by this gripping read. A young woman reporter finds more than other people’s stories when she goes to cover the war.

Undercurrent. What can I say? Lust, Vikings, Blood, ships, medieval history. Time travel. I’m on reading cloud ninety-nine. Michelle Griep is so excellent in her research, which I discovered with her first novel, Gallimore. Griep takes us back to the early days of Viking exploration, a time when petty kings ruled by magic, dark power, lust and the strength of their bodies and spirits. When a contemporary history professor is caught in a eddy of time, she must use her training and wits to survive and return to the 21st century.

Meander Scar: well, I guess I’m tooting my own horn here, but if you’re in the mood for an almost squeaky clean tale of forbidden love and faith, a twist of fate and a gasping ending, perhaps you’ll consider this contemporary love story of missing persons and love for all the right reasons. I’m also delighted to announce that A Summer In Oakville is releasing this week from the same publisher. Shellie Neumeier and I wrote a story that might have taken place in our own back yards. It’s gotten some great early reviews, has a blow-out fantastic cover and will transport you down a country lane full of angst, pride, love and faith while making peace with the past and welcoming a new future.