My review of Courage to Change by Elizabeth Maddrey

About the book:

Book Two of the 'Grant Us Grace' Series.

When Phil Reid became a Christian and stopped drinking, his hard-partying wife Brandi divorced him. Reeling and betrayed, he becomes convinced Christians should never remarry, and resolves to guard his heart.

Allison Vasak has everything in her life under control, except for one thing. Her heart is irresistibly drawn to fellow attorney and coworker, Phil. Though she knows his history and believes that women should not initiate relationships, she longs to make her feelings known.

As Phil and Allison work closely together to help a pregnant teen, Allison melts his defenses. But when Brandi discovers Phil's new relationship, she decides that though she doesn't want him, no one else can have him. Can Phil and Allison's love weather the chaos Brandi brings into their lives?

My review:

Courage to Change was an interesting story containing spiritual depth. It wasn't preachy or patronizing in tone. The title fit the characters' journeys very well. We all need the courage to change our preconceived notions when God is steering our hearts in another direction. This novel confronted the issues facing guilt-ridden divorced Christian singles head-on. There are plenty of people in the church who may try to judge your motives, but only you and God know the truth. This should be the deciding factor regarding remarriage, not what people tell you in their opinion is right or wrong. This story illustrated that truth well. It also showed that there are long-lasting consequences to the choices we make. Whether we are Christians or not, it won't make the ramifications of poor choices go away. At the same time, Jesus will give us the strength to deal with them appropriately and in a way that glorifies Him, if we will just ask.

The author tackles a number of tough subjects, one being the issue of single parenting vs. abortion vs. adoption. These issues were handled well. There are many facets to adoption plans, and the author captured the many complexities in this story. I enjoyed the subplot with Lindsey as a secondary character. Marcus had a difficult situation to deal with, but he dealt with the issues appropriately. I felt bad for Phil and the problems his ex-wife had caused for him. I understood his guilt about his ex causing problems for Allison too. But in the end, true love wins every time. I enjoy stories where obstacles are fought and overcome, but not in a sappy way. There were realistic feelings and issues in this book, but none of them were over-the-top.

The author's writing was readable and not at all awkward. I would definitely recommend this series to people who want to read about tough issues but don't want to feel depressed afterward from the content. Courage to Change was encouraging and inspiring to read. These characters felt like they could be my friends.