Blogger’s Note: I want this blog to be something that can help you as readers, and one way to do that is to share book reviews. I’ll share ones that are both new releases as well as what I call “oldies but goodies.” I hope to produce posts on a monthly basis. May you enjoy these posts.

I sat there at breakfast, staring at my Kindle Scribe, seriously considering whether or not I should call in sick. Why would I do that? A book, of course. One that I discovered I couldn’t put down. Normally, I don’t read women’s fiction. I’m a suspense writer, and I read the genre I write most of the time, save for the occasional foray into nonfiction or the dabble in other fictional genres. But, Stronger than the Storm, by Deena Adams, drew me in and wouldn’t let me go. Adams is a brand-new author in the Christian fiction realm, and this debut novel surprised and challenged me at the same time.

Stronger than the Storm is a women’s fiction novel that focuses on the lives of Kevin and Beth Holbrook as well as their daughter, Leesa along with her brother, Tyler, and sister, Megan. As the middle child, Leesa finds herself experiencing what many middle children do. Not as pretty as her younger sister, not as driven as her older brother. Battling low self-esteem, she’s felt like a misfit most of her life.

Now at eighteen, a high school graduate, and legally an adult, Leesa sets out on her own in the company of her best friend. Yet life begins a series of twists and turns that plunge both her and the rest of her family into crisis. Her picture of her adult, independent life begins crumbling, and Beth and Kevin’s marriage comes under fire until Beth wonders if it will break under the strain of their daughter’s waywardness and secrets kept under wraps for years.

Adams paints a picture of the way in which God can redeem even situations that seem so hopeless. She also put me right there in the setting. Though I’ve never been to the Tidewater area where most of the story takes place, I felt like I’d visited and learned a lot about it. I could easily picture this family, once so united, now threatening to blow apart at the seams. But God…

Stronger than the Storm is a novel that not only Christians but others could pick up and get themselves lost in it. No, I don’t recommend calling in sick to read this. But I do recommend a solid look and read if you’re a lover of woman’s fiction. I look forward to seeing more of Adams’s work in the future.

Five of five stars. I received an advance review copy of this work. All opinions are my own and are my honest review.