Books to Review

You can read about the first two books in my review of the Redemption Series here.
I am fairly certain these are the last two books I even reviewed! In any event, I completed book 3 a while ago and books 4 and 5 this past weekend.


In the book Return we find Luke in the modern day role of the Prodigal's Son. He completely turns his back on his faith and embraces "free thinking" lifestyle. It's amazing to watch as his family handles his transformation from faith-filled to faith-less. I think an important theme in this story is love and grace. While we have to be tough with those we love sometimes, we also have to extend grace.

I also think it speaks to the Prevenient Grace that God gives. That's the Grace that was extended to us before we were willing to recognize it. It's been said that God "woos" us unto Him. And I believe it. Kingsbury does a nice job helping us to recognize that we are all in need of a "return" of sorts when we move from His grip. And she tells the timeless truth that over and over again, He's there waiting for us to run up the road and come home!


Rejoice finds the Baxter's facing a new chapter in their lives. This book deals mostly with the story of Brooke and Peter. Both of them are, like Brooke's Dad, successful doctors. They are faced with a tragedy that shakes them to the core. Kingsbury deals with the stress that marriages often undergo when a horrible injury or death occurs to a child.

Again, the story gives us a glimpse into the faith journey of two people who have been successful and kind of put God in the corner as they climbed the ladder. She shows us how tragedy impacts so many and different responses to it. Of course, we are continually reminded just how precious it is when we can lean on each other to make it through the hard times.

The final book in this series is Reunion. I found this book very heavy and difficult to read. And while the theme of love and the ultimate redemption are prevalent, it was a reminder that we do have dark seasons in our lives.

Although it left me a bit "heavy" feeling, I am glad I read the series. I still don't know that I'll read The Firstborn series or the Sunrise series which continue to spin off from the Baxter family's lives. I will most likely put them on hold for a while as I finish up some of my reading list.

I DO highly recommend these books. They are thought-provoking, easy to relate with, and real life pictures of everyday people.

Happy Reading!