Monday, May 1, 2017

A Fragile Hope by Cynthia Ruchti

Book description:

Hope grows when seeds are planted---even in the muddy middle of life.

Josiah Chamberlain's life's work revolves around repairing other people's marriages. When his own is threatened by his wife's unexplained distance, and then threatened further when she's unexpectedly plunged into an unending fog, Josiah finds his expertise, quick wit and clever quips are no match for a relationship that is clearly broken. 

Feeling betrayed, confused, and ill-equipped for a crisis this crippling, he reexamines everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith and love. Love seems to have failed him. Will what's left of his faith fail him, too? Or will it be the one thing that holds him together and sears through the impenetrable wall that separates them?

My review:

   I normally don't read books by this author, as she writes romance. However, I read a Christmas novel by her that I really enjoyed, so I decided to give this book a try. I like it a lot. Possibly because it focuses a lot on the male character, so it reads more like a man's book, in my opinion.

 Due to something I won't give away because of spoilers, the female lead is not active in the book much, so most of the interplay is between the male lead and other characters in the book. The book is a great read, and the author does a great job of showing what can break down a marriage, and the steps people should take to fix it.

 I liked the main character, Josiah, a lot. He had messed up badly, but when dealt a major curve ball, he stuck with his wife and was by her side for days, even when she was not responsive to him or anyone else.

 This is an encouraging and interesting read that shows God can work even when humans have messed up. Definitely 5 stars.

 And an aside: A coworker saw this book at work and asked to read it, She said she loves the author's books. After I loaned it to her, she discovered it was not the author she thought - Jodi Piccoult, but she still very much enjoyed the book and cried at the end - as did I.

 I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the author:


Cynthia Ruchti tells stories hemmed in hope. She's the award-winning author of 17 books and a frequent speaker for women's ministry events. She serves as the Professional Relations Liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers, where she helps retailers, libraries, and book clubs connect with the authors and books they love. She lives with her husband in Central Wisconsin.


Thanks to Litfuse for the review copy.



  When your life's work revolves around repairing other people's marriages, what happens when your own marriage begins to fall apart? Find out what happens to Josiah Chamberlain in Cynthia Ruchti's new book, A Fragile Hope. Feeling betrayed, confused, and ill-equipped for a crisis this crippling, he reexamines everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith and love. Love seems to have failed him. Will what's left of his faith fail him, too? Or will it be the one thing that holds him together and sears through the impenetrable wall that separates them?

Celebrate the release of A Fragile Hope by entering to win Cynthia's Sign of Hope Giveaway!


One grand prize winner will receive:
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on May 3. The winner will be announced May 4 on the Litfuse blog.

2 comments:

Cynthia Ruchti said...

I loved the "aside"! I hope your coworker decides to check out other books I've written. The only "romance" books I've done are the Christmas novellas. All my full-length novels are women's fiction, which focuses on the emotional journey. :) The reference to Jodi Piccoult made me smile. I'm a fan!

Cynthia Ruchti said...

Thank you, too, Mark, for your specific comments about the male lead character. It means so much. Even using the term "women's fiction" is sometimes limiting. Often my books are slotted in General Fiction or Contemporary because the emotional and relational connections, as well as the faith connections, aren't solely reserved for the female characters in the books, although many have a female primary point of view character. It was a challenge--but a good one--to write A Fragile Hope in large part through Josiah's point of view. Thanks for the thoughtful review.