Grace Restored by Toni Shiloh – Review, Snippet & a Giveaway

About the Book

Series: Freedom Lake
Genre:  Adult, Christian, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Indie
Publication date: March 20, 2017

Michelle Thomas has it all. Beautiful and successful, she’s just opened her own law firm in Freedom Lake. What more could she want? When her old flame rolls back into Freedom Lake, she’s intent on ignoring him. But how can she give the widower and his precious twin girls the cold shoulder?

Still reeling from the death of his wife, Guy Pierre returns to Freedom Lake to take over as town sheriff and raise his twin daughters. Alone. Yet, life keeps throwing Michelle in his path and sparks of interest began to rise.

Will old secrets tear them apart again or can they find the faith to let God’s grace restore what has been broken?

GOODREADS | AMAZON | B&N | BOOKS2READ | KOBO | ITUNES

 

About the Author

 

Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer. Once she understood the powerful saving grace thanks to the love of Christ, she was moved to honor her Savior. She writes to bring Him glory and to learn more about His goodness.

She spends her days hanging out with her husband and their two boys. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and president of the Virginia Chapter.

​​GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM
BOOKBUB | AMAZON | WEBSITE  | NEWSLETTER

Blog Contributor:
Putting on the New | Heartwings  Blog | Diversity Between the Pages | ACFW Virginia

 

 

Snippet

June 11, 2003

“Promise we’ll always be friends.” Michelle Thomas glanced at her best friends, Jo Ellen Baker and Chloe Smith. Graduating from high school was going to change their relationship no matter what. She just prayed it would stand the test of time.

“Of course, we will,” Jo said in her no-nonsense tone of voice.

“Just because we’re going to college doesn’t mean our friendship will change,” Chloe stated in her soft voice.

Michelle sighed. She loved her friends, but sometimes, they didn’t seem to understand how tenuous time could be. In the blink of an eye, life could be altered.

“I love you, guys.” She smiled at them, eyes misting over.

“Aw, group hug.” Jo exclaimed.

Michelle wrapped her arms around them. Life couldn’t get much better.

The sound of the doorbell brought the hug to a close. Her parents had gone out for date night and had allowed her to have a sleepover with her girls. She knew they didn’t like her opening the door when they weren’t home, but she was an adult now.

She peered through the peep hole and frowned. Why was there a police officer at her door? She opened the door. “May I help you?”

The officer removed his hat, a somber look coloring his features. “Are you Michelle Thomas?”

She nodded. This was getting stranger by the minute.

“I’m Officer Simpson with the Kodiak City Police Department, may I come inside?”

What were the Kodiak City Police Department doing in Freedom Lake?

“Who’s at the door, Chelle?” Jo called out.

“The police.”

Jo quickly padded to the door to stand next to her. “How do we know you’re really the police?”

Trust Jo to be cynical and non-trusting. Who would lie about that?

He handed over his badge and Jo examined it. Michelle wanted to laugh at her serious expression, but something was off. Something wasn’t right.

Chloe peeked over Jo’s shoulder. “Looks real to me.”

“I suppose,” Jo replied. She handed the badge back. “Just say what you have to say right there.” Jo pointed past the threshold, as if the officer wasn’t strong enough to cross it if necessary.

The officer met Michelle’s gaze, his gray eyes softening. “Ms. Thomas, your parents have been involved in an accident.”

“What? Are they okay?” She swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat. She met Jo’s eyes, noticing the creases in her forehead. She vaguely noted Chloe’s hand on her back.

“Ma’am, I regret to inform you…”

It sounded like a recording. The words didn’t make sense. How could they be dead? She just saw them. Her dad had teared up after the graduation ceremony while they were taking family photos.

Slowly, the sound of wailing penetrated her thoughts. She wished they’d shut up. How could she hear what the officer was saying if they wouldn’t stop?

Her knees buckled and she felt arms come around to steady her.

It was her.

She was the one wailing. She was the one making the incessant noise.

They were dead. At the blink of an eye, her parents were dead.

Review

If you’re looking for a book filled with truth, with restoration, and with hope, look no further. 

In Grace Restored, Toni Shiloh takes characters who are merely surviving—moving forward in life while carrying the weight of their hurts, secrets, and mistakes—and leads them to discover so much more.

It’s been thirteen years since Guy Pierre left Freedom Lake without a word. Thirteen years Michelle Thomas has focused on her career, on forgetting the boy she loved. And now he’s back. 

First of all, let me just say that twin girls will make any story better! And Guy’s struggle as a single dad makes it all the more aw-inducing.

While the girls add an element of cuteness, sweetness, and even humor to Grace Restored, it’s the adults who make this story the best it can be. The friendships are true. The conversations are deep and meaningful. The questions are raw and real. And the search for God, for forgiveness, for grace is the heart and meat of this book.

Shiloh doesn’t shy away from difficulty. She embraces the hard realities of a sin-filled world and offers readers hope that God is bigger. That God can, indeed, restore us. 

With one pair of this group as of yet unattached, I can’t wait to see what this author has in store for readers next.

 

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. 

Giveaway

For a chance to win an e-copy (International) of Grace Restored by Toni Shiloh, comment on this blog responding to the following question: What verse capture’s God’s grace for you?

Tour Schedule

March 19-Among the Reads | The Power of Words​
March 20-Faithfully Bookish | Wishful Endings
March 21-Singing Librarian Books
March 22-A Baker’s Perspective
March 23-Remembrancy
March 24-Kat’s Corner Books
March 26-Reading Is My SuperPower
March 27-Robin’s Nest
March 28-Cafinated Reads | Fiction Aficionado
March 29-Cordially Barbara
March 30-All-of-a-kind Mom
March 31-Blossoms and Blessings

Reviewer: Mindy Houng