If He Only Knew
by Michelynn Christy, Brandi Gabriel
Published by Blessed Publishing
Publication Date June 16, 2017
Genres: Christian Fiction
Setting: California Vietnam Era - US - 1961 - 1975
Main Character Ages: 18-25
Written for: Adults
Pages: 161
Synopsis:
It's 1968 and love is in the air in the small coastal town of Cambridge, California.
Donna Peterson, the preacher's daughter, has her entire life ahead of her and the future looks promising. But things aren’t as they seem in Cambridge. A tangled web of secrets threaten to destroy the lives of each person involved – Donna, her boyfriend Bobby, and Rick, Bobby’s best friend. Will the truth make them free, or will they lose their friendship forever?
I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Purchase Links
I really appreciate when an author is willing to write about difficult topics and present them in a Biblical perspective. The characters in this book had hard lessons to learn about forgiveness and forgiving, and the authors were very clear about the forgiveness that comes only from Jesus. This makes it very hard for me to write this review, because I know it was a labor of love. And my opinion is apparently in the minority because I have read other reviews and they are mostly glowing. Overall, the rating on Goodreads (out of 17 reviews, not including mine) is 4.22 stars.
This was a very difficult book for me. I’ll be candid with you, if I hadn’t committed to reading and reviewing it, I would have stopped reading it close to the beginning. The dialog and the story seemed superficial and lacking depth up until the big reveal and then things got emotional. The portion that dealt with forgiveness felt very preachy and contrived.
One of the characters, Rick, went to war and managed to forget he was reporting for boot camp the next day. That just didn’t seem realistic based on my experience (and my friend was going during peacetime). And then there was Rick’s return after he went MIA that was made very little of.
The hardest part to read was the subject matter. Without going into details, I’ll just say that it was a topic that is very sensitive and it was painful to read about, especially with the details that were given. I won’t give away any spoilers, especially because the authors are very clear about not revealing what the issues are, so if you want to know so you can make a decision about reading this book, feel free to send a note on my contact page and I can give you more details privately.
Guest Post from Michelynn Christy & Brandi Gabriel
Take a step back in time…
If He Only Knew is a novel set in the late 1960s. The book deals with family relationships, loyalty, friendship, love, and loss. The main topic is somewhat controversial in nature, but we won’t mention what it is lest we spoil the story for readers. A similar book was written in a different genre under another name and the story really resonated with readers. We felt compelled to share this story with others who perhaps wouldn’t pick up that particular genre, and that is how this book came about. It may be set in the sixties, but the message is as relevant today as ever. Our prayer is that God will touch readers’ hearts and draw them closer to Him.
Blog Stops
Bibliophile Reviews, February 17
Reading is my Super Power, February 17
A Greater Yes, February 18
proud to be an autism mom, February 18
Texas Book-aholic, February 19
Inklings and notions, February 19
Radiant Light, February 20
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 20
Christian Author, J.E.Grace Blog, February 21
Janices book reviews, February 21
Jeanette’s Thoughts, February 22
A Baker’s Perspective, February 23
Karen Sue Hadley, February 23
Avid Reader Book Reviews, February 24
margaret kazmierczak, February 24 (Interview)
Bigreadersite, February 25
Among the Reads, February 25
Simple Harvest Reads, February 26 (Guest post from Mindy)
Pursuing Stacie, February 27
Red Headed Book Lady, February 27
Maureen’s Musings, February 28
Carpe Diem, February 28
The Fizzy Pop Collection, March 1
Josephines Thoughts, March 2
Have A Wonderful Day, March 2
Giveaway
To celebrate their tour, Michelynn and Brandi are giving away the following:
Grand Prize: ONE themed book box, (this will contain small items that relate to the story
1st Place Prize: ONE $25 Amazon gift card,
2nd Place Prize: ONE signed paperback copy of If He Only Knew
3rd Place Prize: ONE signed paperback copy of If He Only Knew!!
Ends March 3, 2018
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/c601
congrats on the tour. I like when an author writes about a difficult topic from the Christian perspective also. I look forward to reading this.
quilting dash lady at Comcast dot net
Thank you, Lori. Normally I don’t mind difficult topics – it was the particular topic. 🙂
I hope you enjoy the story!
Now I’m very curious about what the controversial topic is about. I guess I’ll have to read the book!
I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for reading and reviewing! We totally understand that not everyone will like the book and subject matter presented. The sister book written in a completely different genre, while not exactly the same but very similar, has over a thousand reviews and they vary quite a bit. Fortunately, the Amazon average star rating is 4.5. I have had readers contact me (regarding the sister book) who have experienced the same situation the main character did, and they have been able to find comfort and healing in the pages of the book. As an author, that is one of my goals and a great blessing. We pray many will find the same thing in ‘If He Only Knew.’ Our greatest desire is for God to use this book for His glory!
Thank you for the honest review, Phyllis!
Congrats on the tour and thanks so much for your g=review and the giveaway as well.
Congrats on the New Release & the book tour!? I enjoy reading books with an underlying message that will apply to life! It helps to keep the story with you for a long time! Thank you for sharing this great story with us! Im excited to read it!!? And Thank you so much for the generous giveaway!????
?xoxo?
?Kris Meldgaard?
*********m420k@gmail.com