Book Review: Cherished; A Novel of Unconditional Love

Kim Cash Tate has written a powerful Christian fiction book about forgiveness, redemption and restoration.  The women in "Cherished" learn that God loves them and He will forgive them if they turn to Him in repentance.

About The Author
Kim Cash Tate is a Women of Faith speaker and the author of "Faithful", "Heavenly Places", and the memoir "More Christian Than African American". A former practicing attorney, she is also the founder of Colored in Christ Ministries. She and her husband have two children.


Unconditional Love
This is a story about a group of friends and family members who were active in a large church in St. Louis. Kelli has recently returned home to St. Louis after living in Texas for several years. She dreamed of being a Christian singer and songwriter when she was in high school. However, she became romantically involved with her boyfriend and got pregnant. Brian, her boyfriend, refused to accept any responsibility for the situation and Kelli was left to fend for herself. She decided that having an abortion was her only option, but she kept this a secret from her family and friends. She has not seen Brian for many years and she does not think she will ever be able to forgive him.

Heather's  life was shattered when she had an affair with a married man and was forced to leave her beloved church. She then had a one-night stand with a singer in a popular Christian band and was devastated when she found out that he had a girlfriend and he had no desire to have a relationship with her.

These women were confused, lonely and broken. Kelli and Heather became friends and learned that they had value and were worthy of love and redemption. They found that anything was possible when they put their faith in God. They received valuable mentoring and friendship from their Christian sisters at church.  The women learned and accepted the fact that they were cherished as beautiful daughters of Christ. The theme of this book is forgiveness....we learn to accept God's forgiveness, to forgive others and to forgive ourselves.

My Thoughts
I do not read very much fiction, but I found this story very inspiring and comforting. I could feel real empathy for the characters in the book. I was laughing, crying, loving and hating right along with Kelli and Heather.
"Cherished" reminds us that we can always go to Christ and receive forgiveness. We are cherished for who we are, not for what we do or don't do. We have hope for a bright future...no matter what we did in the past. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian fiction and is seeking a book that is uplifting and inspiring.

If you would like to learn more about this book, please click HERE to view the "Cherished" video book trailer.

I would like to thank Audra Jennings from B & B Media Group for sending me a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review; A Promise To Remember

 A Promise to Remember, by Kathryn Cushman, is a story about how two very different families deal with grief.  I chose this book to read because I recently installed the Kindle for PC software on my laptop computer.  The publisher is offering this book as a FREE download for Kindle users.

Chad Phelps and Jeff Johnston are killed in a car wreck.  The Phelps family is wealthy and live in an exclusive area of Santa Barbara, California.  Melanie Johnston is a single mom and works in a grocery store to earn a living.  Chad Phelps had been drinking the night he collided with Jeff Johnston.

This book provides a look at how the families go through  denial, anger, depression and finally acceptance in dealing with the loss of their teenage sons. 

This is a Christian fiction book but it is not preachy.  Christian beliefs and values are used by both families to move forward and accept this tragedy.  The theme of the story is forgiveness. 

I could really relate to this book because I was in a head-on collision with a drunk driver in 1992.  I went through many of the same feelings that were portrayed in this book.  This is a very helpful book for anyone who has gone through a traumatic experience.  It will help you get things in the proper perspective.

Other books by Kathryn Cushman:
Waiting for Daybreak
Leaving Yesterday
Angel Song