Marta Perry
Perry, Marta - FATHER'S PROMISE, A
(Steeple Hill Love Inspired - 1998) (4+)
God does indeed work in mysterious ways, and if you want or need to be convinced, here's a book for you. Set on a beautiful island off the coast of Georgia, A FATHER'S PROMISE reveals
God's handiwork in a unique way...when He brings three very needy people together.
Daniel Gregory is convinced that he's the only one who can protect his five-year-old deaf daughter, Sarah, from a cruel and uncaring world—even if he has to work 24-hours-a-day and sacrifice having a real life of his own in order to do so. Little Sarah has lived most of her life in a cocoon, and in Daniel's mind, her babyish, compulsive behavior only points to the need to continue to keep her isolated and protected. Our heroine, Leigh Christopher, has some troubling problems of her own. Due to a painful misunderstanding, she was fired from her job as a teacher of the deaf; and she is now spending the summer on the island trying to heal her emotional wounds—convinced that she must somehow find a future for herself that doesn't include using her God-given gift for teaching.
As the story unfolds, it becomes obvious that these three vulnerable people have gaps in their lives that can only be filled by each other. It is only when an elemental force of nature brings them together, however, that they finally acknowledge the love they have for each other...as well as the ongoing presence of God in their lives. The story clearly shows that although God's ways may be hidden from us at times, He will weave the individual, and sometimes painful, threads of our lives to form a perfect tapestry—if only we will let Him. Beautifully written and full of meaning, A FATHER'S PROMISE is a delight for readers who want a touching story line combined with strong and compelling characters. Marta Perry (a.k.a. Martha Johnson) has created a warmly loving, sweetly inspirational gem of a book! ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web
Perry, Marta - SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE
(Steeple Hill Love Inspired - 9/99) (4)
High-school sweethearts, Emily Carmichael and Nick O'Neill, were torn apart by vicious rumors of a theft committed by Nick's father. Under a cloud of suspicion, the O'Neill family was forced to leave the town of Mannington, Pennsylvania. Fourteen years later, Nick returns—as a man of power, and with revenge in his heart for the Carmichael Mill and the people who treated his father so unjustly.
Emily never got over Nick, but when he didn't return, she married the mill owner's son Jimmy Carmichael, a close friend of Nick's. Now a widow with twin boys, she acknowledges her former sweetheart's return with apprehension, and rightly so. As a member of the board of directors for the mill, she is selected to act as his guide while he is in Mannington, putting her in close contact with the man she once loved. While Nick presides over the day-to-day activities associated with the mill's merger, he soon realizes his love for Emily never died. But she has no idea he intends to destroy her father-in-law, and in doing so, put the livelihood of her family's mill (and the town's major source of income) at risk. Can this couple, forced apart by lies and manipulation, regain the love they once shared?
SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE is a sweet, soul-searching inspirational romance that brings together two people who harbor secrets that can hurt and destroy. Marta Perry gives the reader a subtle lesson about "doing the right thing" and learning to let go of hate and malice. She has written a gentle, thought-provoking story of love and determination that belongs on every romance reader's keeper shelf. ~Olivia Holton for Bookbug on the Web
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