BOOK REVIEW: To Forgive, Divine
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by: Vickie McDonough
Dancing Word Reviewer
Title: To Forgive, Divine
Author: Melissa Lea Leedom
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc.
ISBN: 0-595-29495-2
Genre: Inspirational/Contemporary/Romance
Bonnie Callaway's beloved husband has been dead over two years, and she hasn't considered dating another man until her pastor, Jeff Wells, asks her out. She's happy raising her two boys, working her home-based business, and giving of her time to help out at church. Though she has always admired the widower pastor, she is surprised and flattered with his interest, and even a little stunned to discover she is excited about spending time with the handsome, godly man. But things go wrong from the get-go.
As pastor of a big church, Jeff is always under the scrutiny of his parishioners. He barely even asks Bonnie out, before lips are wagging and the grapevine is humming with the news. Jeff has long admired sweet Bonnie, who seems to be involved in half the projects the church sponsors. But the disturbing information Clara Adkinson, a long-standing member of his church, tells him has Jeff questioning whether Bonnie is truly the woman for him.
To Forgive, Divine gives laypeople a taste of what it's like to live the life of a pastor. Every move Jeff makes is weighed and measured by the very people that he ministers to each week. Rumors mix with truth until Jeff doesn't know what to believe. Bonnie is a victim in the whole crazy mess, but even she must decide whether she will forgive those involved, and especially Jeff, whose complete turnabout leaves her confused and hurting.
The book starts a little on the slow side, but readers will quickly grow to care for Jeff and Bonnie and want to know how they muck through the mess they find themselves in. The characters are well drawn and realistic. Some of the interesting secondary characters come close to stealing the show.
The one thing that bothered me about To Forgive, Divine is the frequent point of view changes. Rather than staying in the heads of the main characters, Ms. Leedom often jumps into the head of a minor character for a short time. Still, the compelling story and the faith message of forgiving those who have wronged you is well worth the time spent on this heart-tugging story.