Title: A Father’s Love: Joyous Hope
Author: Jean Defreese Moore
Publisher: Covenant Books
ISBN: 978-1638149606
Pages: 342
Genre: Historical Christian Romance / Fiction
Reviewed by: Tony Espinoza
Pacific Book Review
When trials and tribulations find their way into our lives, we all seek to find a means of finding relief or help through those trials. For some, they have family and friends that they can lean on. For others, they seek therapy and professional help. For many however, faith is the biggest and most looming presence in their lives to help tackle the painful issues facing their everyday lives. The desire and hope to put your trust in an overarching idea or deity is a strong one that many turn to, and as Alan Watts described faith, “To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don’t grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.”
In author Jean Defreese Moore’s A Father’s Love: Joyous Hope, the author continues the series of historical and Christian fiction and romance novels that explores the cornerstones of faith as it relates to one group of connected people. As Federal judge Reid Britt steps into a more prominent role within the church and struggles with the moves his sons are in the process of making, his nephew returns home to regain his health while his brother and others face dangers that could lead to their demise. Through their faith and beliefs, the people bound together through family fight to overcome their struggles and face the uncertain futures that await them.
The author did a memorable and heartfelt job of conveying the detail and thoughtfulness that this book needed. The narrative did a fantastic job of making the setting have some weight to it, as if the historical time period the author chose to infuse this story into just jumped right off the page. The balance the author struck between the themes of faith and family in the narrative with the dynamic character arcs and emotional storytelling was so fantastic to read and see play out on the pages of this novel, and the lofty places this narrative went to will have the readers hanging onto the author’s every word.
This is the perfect read for those who enjoy faith-based narratives, especially those that include historical fiction, Christian fiction, and romance genres built into the narrative. The development of Reid’s family throughout this time period, from the fears and worry he has as a parent and husband to the dynamic clashes he has with his siblings and the bond he shares with his nephews made this story feel more connective and personal as a narrative.
Thoughtful, inspiring, and engaging, author Jean Defreese Moore’s A Father’s Love: Joyous Hope is a must-read novel for fans of Christian and Historical Fiction. The emotional weight of the characters and their story arcs will have readers invested in their faith and life journeys, and the full-circle narrative will have fans both inspired and tearful as the story concludes.
