Surrender Bay

I'm sorry, but I never did receive my order. I hope all is well with all of you there. Maybe someday it will appear in my mailbox. Stay safe!

Surrender Bay by Denise Hunter is the story of Samantha (Sam) who has to return to Nantucket to sell the house of her hated stepfather after his death. But returning home brings up a lot of ghosts for Sam and questions for her eleven-year-old daughter Caden. This story could be seen simply as a romance, but it is so much more than that! Landon, Sam's childhood best friend, has been waiting for Sam his whole life, but secrets Sam has kept for far too long threaten to tear them apart. Sam is not your typical character in a Christian novel. She drinks, has poor impulse control, is sexually lax and not a great mom. But she's trying. Her entire focus is trying to improve her daughter's life and ensure that Caden won't have to be a house cleaner like Sam. Abandoned by her mother, abused by her stepfather, and pregnant under mysterious circumstances, Sam does everything she can to push away anyone who shows her love, especially Landon who wants so much to be everything to her. Sam makes mistakes again and again, getting drunk, flirting with strangers, etc, to avoid the closeness she could have with Landon. And through it all, Landon loves and forgives her. He is not a pushover; he gets angry with her, but as he tells her "Love isn't earned; it's a gift." The story is an allegory of God's love for us, but it's told without preaching or rigidity. It flows easily, and is an enjoyable read despite some occasionlly awkward metaphors. Have a friend who loves romances but isn't Christian or doesn't understand God's love? This book makes His love for us eminently clear. I look forward to the next entry in this series.

I'll be honest, here. I'm extremely picky about what I read. There are many authors who are praised by the masses and critics alike, but I can't get past the third chapter. So it was with a nervous hand and much apprehension that I opened "Finding Faith" by Denise Hunter. She is my good friend's wife and, I suppose, a friend to me in her own right. That alone made me pause before reading the first page. But there is more reason to doubt why I should crack the pages of her book. Denise writes in what has to be my least favorite genre; Christian Chic Lit. But I enjoyed the book. No, I really enjoyed it. A lot. There were more twists and turns and surprises than most thrillers and the `Christianity' was not a smack in the face with a solid oak two by four that most Christian writing tends to be. So then Denise wrote her next story, "Surrender Bay" and I decided to give that a go as well. Two chapters in, not a single reference to God, church, Satan, the Bible or any of the Christian writer's staples. Eight chapters in, still quite secular. Or is it? "Surrender Bay" is an allegory. It is decidedly not for everyone. It is not for the Christian reader who wants to be spoon-fed church-like platitudes and beatitudes. It is not for the extremely conservative or the reader who is looking for a `nice little love story'. "Surrender Bay" is reality. It can be raw and tender, gritty and romantic, ugly and passionate. In fact, sometimes the passion can be quite ugly. If you have not read the book, you might not want to continue reading this review. If you have read Denise's previous works and have the misconception that this is like "Finding Faith", you might not want to read "Surrender Bay". You might not want to, but you should. "Surrender Bay" is a story of doomed relationships. It is the story of a woman so wrought with self-loathing and guilt that she can not see the perfect answer to her pain even when he continually stands in front of her. She is hurt, emotionally closed off, and mother to a child who does not appreciate or understand her. It is also a story about a man who loves her unconditionally. And finally it is a story of broken relationships, betrayal, lust, anger, forgiveness, hatred, death, loneliness and, most of all, unconditional love. As I read through "Surrender Bay", I was at first a bit confused. I was unaware that the story was an allegory for the love and hate that we sometimes feel toward God. But it is also an allegory for the love and hate we sometimes feel toward those we are closest to. I kept waiting for the kindly neighbor to "share God" with the protagonist (who is her own antagonist throughout most of the story) but it never happened. No one ever got down on their knees and `prayed the sinners prayer'. No one saw a miracle. No one begged God for forgiveness. Or did they? As I reread the ending, and it only took three evenings to read the entire book, I found so much useful information in the story. Useful in my own jour

A surprising inheritance fills Samantha Owens with burgeoning hope and sickening dread. While the rundown ocean front cottage on Nantucket Bay could signal the end of her financial worries, it also requires Sam to return to the very place where her childhood dreams were shattered, leaving her scarred, fearful and alone. Reluctantly, Sam returns to Nantucket with her young daughter Caden hoping she can restore the cottage quickly and sell it for an attractive profit. Sam hadn't anticipated that Landon Reed, her childhood confidant, would be living in his parents' home, unmarried and still so much in love with her. Sam is drawn to Landon's generous heart and the security he offers and yet she knows all the professed love in the world won't last when her betrayal all those years ago comes to light. To call Surrender Bay just a romance novel, though it is that, is to sell it short. It is a beautiful love story that I literally could not put down. The setting is enticing, the characters complex and their emotions and heartache palpable. Sam epitomises an adult whose heart and mind has been scarred by a traumatic childhood. Her first thought is to protect herself no matter what the cost to others and yet is so appealing that I wanted to comfort her myself! And Landon is compassionate, faithful and protective while remaining a realistic character, a tribute to Denise Hunter's talent as a writer. Sam's choices and their consequences are painful to read, Landon's constancy is a joy and the romance is simply mesmerising. God's love, faithfulness and the heartache He endures to draw us back in to relationship with Him is powerfully told in this story by way of allegory. Without any overt reference to God, Denise has turned the spotlight on the depth of God's love for His children in a story that will remain with you long after the last page is read. I was so taken with Surrender Bay I have chosen is as one of my book club's selections for 2008.

I've always thought Denise Hunter was an amazing writer but this wonderful story sets her firmly at the forefront of compelling love stories. How Landon breaks down Samantha's determination that she is unworthy of love kept me glued to the pages. An amazing story!