Description: California's gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.
Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.
Then she meets Michael Hosea. A man who seeks his Father's heart in everything, Michael obeys God's call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel's every bitter expectation, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw.
But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband's pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael does ... the One who will never let her go.
My Thoughts: Ever had a book take you through an emotional roller coaster? This one had a corkscrew and everything. It truly broke my heart. The pain that Angel suffered through... I wish I could tell you, but that would spoil it.
Most Christians know the story of Hosea, the prophet who married a prostitute. Few have thought of the story from the prostitutes point of view. This book in no way okays the things that Angel does (Hosea's wife), it only shows her for the human she is; broken and bleeding. The amount of grace needed to pull her out of the mire is just shows how loving God is.
Unlike most books that put my heart through the ringer, this one ends on a happy note. I can't tell you how many times I have read a book that ended with everyone dead and no one changed or even content. This one is that opposite. It begins with death and cold hearts and ends with God's grace.
The only thing that I didn't like was that it literally followed Angel's entire life from when she was around five to her death. It was a bit much.
Though I would not allow younger teens to read it and will caution all others, due to its subject matter, I believe that it is a great read.
***I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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