At 18, Penny Carson married the first man to look at her as a woman. Trent Taylor was handsome, confident, bad-boy appealing, and his touch brought shivers to her soul. She left a steel-cold father for a hot-blooded, hot-tempered devil.
She lived a life separated from family and friends. She was blamed for everything, owned nothing. She walked on eggshells, yet was never good enough to avoid the fists.
As if drawing on personal experience, Gina Holmes masterfully traces the life of an abused woman who still desperately loves her husband. She illustrates the patterns of behavior Penny recognizes–he’s good today, I can mention this; things are wrong, I best tread lightly. She presents the fragile logic Penny illustrates to justify her man to others–he isn’t always this way. He just ______________ (fill in the excuse blank).
This novel would be the perfect Lifetime Movie–if Lifetime were to ever allow a story of redemption in which God played a role. Women who don’t understand the mindset of their abused sisters will gain insight in Gina’s book. Women who know the mindset all too well will find comfort and hope, and maybe the strength to live again.
Several years into it, and this blog still refuses to be categorized. It's eclectic and includes everything from writing posts to snippets from my ordinary life. 
Linda W. Yezak 
Excellent take on this, Linda. My BFF from childhood was abused, and her own mother didn’t help matters. She treated them both like children, saying if they only behaved…. That didn’t help at all!
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Oh, dear. Awful that her own mother wouldn’t advise her better than that! God didn’t create woman to be man’s punching bag. We’re His temple, too!
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I read this a year ago and enjoyed it, too.
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I can’t say “enjoyed.” It was a hard read. After something like this, I need a lighthearted comedy. But it was good, and Gina is a talented author.
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Sounds good. Gorgeous cover too!
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It is a beautiful cover. Whoever did it did a great job.
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If you want lighthearted comedy, read Linda Kozar’s Fat Ladies Mystery series. They always make me laugh.
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Just finished one of hers. What a hoot!
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Thanks for the thoughtful review of this novel. It sounds like a book I’d want to read. And it IS a gorgeous and evocative cover. Going to look up and buy a copy of it now.
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Oh, good! Glad I could help.
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