Shades of Blue

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love Christian suspense/mystery. The best genre' of fiction that there is, in my humble opinion. But.... my favorite author does not write suspense. She writes emotionally gripping novels that contain romance, yet I wouldn't necessarily call a romance book.

Karen Kingsbury does not just write a story. She writes impacting stories that more often than not address a specific topic/issue: depression, adultery, pornography addiction. On her site is a section where people wrote in about how her books impacted them. There are stories about marriages saved, and even of a young boy quitting his pornography addiction.

Fiction should never take the place of the Bible, or God Himself, but I am more convinced than ever of the power in a story. Jesus Himself used stories - we call them parables - so is it that big of a leap that He could use stories people write to help people - even convict and change? I think not. I myself have been helped by something I read in one of Karen's books, and other authors.

If you have never read a Karen Kingsbury novel, I would suggest that you do. I warn you though, it is hard to read one of her books and remain dry-eyed. And her newest is no exception.

I won Shades of Blue last month. Karen had a contest all month where she gave away 2 copies on Twitter and Facebook each. On facebook, you could enter daily by posting the video book trailer, which is how I won. I got this comment from a friend of mine after I posted the trailer:

Looks like a sad story. Another guy breaking the heart of an innocent girl. Don't think I want to read it. I would be mad at the guy for not being honest with the girl up front and playing with her emotions.
I admit, I was curious how Karen would handle this story. It is the story about Brad Cutler, weeks away from his wedding. Due to an ad campaign he is working on involving baby products, and also due to the time of year it is, he is suddenly struck with the burden of what he did ten years ago. He and his girlfriend aborted their baby. Now on the verge of marrying another woman, he realizes he never told the other girl he was sorry. So what happens? You need to read the book and find out.
I will say this: Karen did an excellent job of showing the effects of abortion on not only the mother, but also the father and the relationship between the two parties. I don't feel she left the guy off easy, and though part of the story was sad, it was a truly awesome read and I was left with an even more solid belief that abortion is wrong, and that it leaves only heartache and guilt behind, but God can forgive any sin - even abortion.