A Time To Embrace by Karen Kingsbury ~ review

Their whole life was a series of miracles. Can they really hope for one more? And as tragedy pulls their lives apart, can they somehow find that all-important time to embrace?


After twenty-one years, John and Abby Reynolds are back together and feeling like newlyweds. Together they are convinced they can handle the issues of their past, the questions from their children, and even the high-school politics that drain the joy from John's coaching career. But then disaster strikes...the type of tragedy John and Abby never expected.
The squeal of brakes and the crunch of metal changes everything. Suddenly devastation tears at the heart of their family, and the depth of their existence. In the process, their children falter in their faith and guilt colors everything about the future. Fumbling for forgiveness and hoping for a miracle, John and Abby must remember what is important and cling to that above all else.
Together, they're determined to move on with their lives. but is "together" enough for a future they never expected?

My take on this book:
John and Abbie Reynolds have just survived a close call with divorce, but now their marriage seems to be on solid ground. John is still coaching football at Marion High School, and while he really tries to connect with his students and football players he is having difficulty with the team, they had bad attitudes and in general came off cocky,and the parents of the boys are even worse, having lost two of the first four games of the season, the parents are rude and condescending, threatening to get John fired if things don't improve. So when an unsigned letter shows up at the school questioning whether he is a good moral leader, because they say that he knows his players are drinking and drag racing but does nothing about it, and in an ironic twist of fate John is in a car accident, hit by a boy who was  drag racing, while he survives he is paralyzed from the waist down. Can their marriage survive this, and how will it affect those around them?

Karen Kingsbury's writing skills shine thru in this book, the characters come off as very real, as they deal with day to day struggles. I enjoy the way she weaves God's message throughout her books, her stories are always very inspiring and reminds the reader that with God all things are possible.
While this is the second book in the Timeless Love Series, it can easily be read as a stand alone story, but I would recommend reading the first story, because you will get a glimpse of what John and Abbie's marriage endured, with the help of God.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an inspirational story, that has some substance to it, be prepared you won't be able to put this one down!

rating 5/5

Even though I was provided a copy of this book to review by Booksneeze it in no way alters my opinion of this story.