Lynne Welch

A Time to Surrender

Fiction

“Claire and Max Beaumont have grown closer through trials of faith, but their adult children still have a long way to go toward achieving happiness. Erik and Rosie are becoming closer as he fights his alcohol addiction and she overcomes her guilt for shooting him. Lexi is slowly coming to terms with her anorexia, but Jenna, used to being royally treated, resents her husband Kevin’s decision to enlist and refuses to buy into the Marine credo of supporting the wives of her husband’s command. Danny, faithful as a child, has become confrontational and legalistic in his attitudes and loses no opportunity to interrogate the enigmatic new cook, Skylar Pierson, who arrived at their door in answer to Indio’s prayers. Sally and Smalley develop several themes from Ecclesiastes 3 in their Safe Harbor contemporary Christian inspirational series (A Time to Mend and A Time to Gather, both 2008) as Claire and Max gently but firmly encourage their children to venture forth from their comfort zone and reach out in faith.”

Who Do I Lean On?

Fiction

“In the fast-paced third installment in Jackson’s House of Hope series, just as Gabby Fairbanks thinks she is finally getting her life in order, new challenges to her faith and her future arise. Her mother’s insurance payout will allow her a degree of financial security, and she is determined to go ahead with plans to purchase the building where she currently rents and make it available to Manna House residents, homeless women, for transitional shelter. But her husband, deep in debt from his gambling, seemingly wants her back, while Lee, her legal aid attorney, wants to escalate their friendship to the next level. Jackson uses the Chicago setting to good effect in building on previous titles from this and her Yada Yada Prayer Group series, offering an unblinkered Christian perspective on family, friendship, and personal obligations while allowing the reader to vicariously experience the remarkable range of experiences shared by those living in shelters, with not so much as a closet to call their own.”

Who Is My Shelter?

Fiction

“In Jackson’s fourth Yada Yada House of Hope Christian evangelical novel, Gabby Fairbanks is now settled in her new apartment at the House of Hope. But she is being pulled in several directions at once and has some hard decisions to make. Philip, her estranged husband, is in a lot of trouble with a rogue cop from whom he borrowed money and also with his partner at the commercial development firm after he takes company money to cover his gambling losses. Lee Boyer, the Legal Aid lawyer who has become a friend to Gabby, now wants to be more. Gabby must decide whether to give Philip another chance, as their sons, Paul and PJ, hope, and she turns to the folks at Manna House, where she works, and the Yada Yada Prayer Group to help her discern God’s plan for her. Jackson’s latest has Gabby continuing to learn key lessons about faith while more is revealed about the mysterious Lucy, a pivotal character throughout the series.”