Autumn Rains

JOHNSON, MYRA

AUTUMN RAINS

Healy Ferguson knows all about prisons, both the physical one he's been released from and the emotional one he keeps himself trapped in. He knows paying dues to society doesn't always mean you've paid dues to yourself, and often the price you exact on yourself far exceeds the crime.

Valerie Bishop is caught in the emotional prison of post-traumatic stress disorder, unable to venture more than a few feet out her back door. Shadowy moments from a night she can't fully remember bombard her without warning, keeping her trapped between the painful past and a future that seems hopeless.

But God promises to repay the years that have been lost; for those who trust in Him. He promises refreshing, life-giving rain. Will Val and Healy trust to see God's perfect plan, or will they choose the chains that hold them back?

I WAS EXCITED TO FIND THIS AT MY CHRISTIAN BOOK STORE AS, LIKE THE STEEPLE HILL LINES, I DON'T THINK HEARTSONG PRESENTS TITLES HAVE A LONG SHELF LIFE. THIS IS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH THIS PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR AND I HAVE TO SAY I AM IMPRESSED.

MYRA JOHNSON DID A MASTERFUL JOB OF TELLING A HEART-TUGGING STORY WITH SUCH A LIMITED WORD COUNT. (THIS IS A SLIM VOLUME THAT WOULD EASILY FIT IN MY PURSE -- 172 PAGES.) CAREFULLY CRAFTED CHARACTERS WITH DEFINITE FLAWS AND HUMAN STRUGGLES SET THE TONE FOR THIS ENDEARING LOVE STORY ABOUT FORGIVENESS, HOPE AND LETTING GO IN ORDER TO GRAB ONTO SOMETHING EVEN GREATER.

JOHNSON MADE EVERY WORD COUNT AND I IMMEDIATELY FELT A CONNECTION WITH BOTH HEALY AND VALERIE. THEIR PARALLEL STRUGGLES FOR FREEDOM FROM EMOTIONAL ISSUES, THEIR PERSONAL GROWTH AND THE WAY THEY COMPLIMENTED AND ENCOURAGED ONE ANOTHER MADE FOR AN INSPIRATIONAL READ. BUT THE STORY WASN'T SUGAR-COATED. AUTUMN RAINS DEALS WITH GRITTY, REAL-LIFE ISSUES BUT IT ALSO DELIVERS TIMELESS GOSPEL TRUTHS THAT BRING HOPE.