Book Info: The only pragmatic man Lilly Hart needs in her life is a six-year old. Widowed for three years, Lilly has decided to leave the home of her intrusive in-laws to stand on her own. However, her in-laws find her new life as a cook at Lake Manawa utterly unsuitable for their grandson. When an argument ensues, a handsome strangers–who designs roller coasters, of all things–intercedes on her behalf. But Lilly is not about to get involved with any man, especially this cocky gentleman. Little does she know she is about to begin the ride of her life. |
 A History buff, antique collector, and a freelance graphic designer, Lorna Seilstad is the author of Making Waves and draws her setting from her home state of Iowa. A former high school English and journalism teacher, she has won several online writing awards and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.You can find Lorna Here: Website Facebook Pinterest |
“Rolling onto her side, she punched the pillow beneath her head. No, I will not cry tonight. Not again. I have a new home. I’m starting over. I’ll be fine. Her heart didn’t listen, and soon the corner of the pillow lay soaked. Ligntning flashed outside, and she rolled onto her stomach. The heavy stomping of thunder only made the little house seem more empty, and the solitude engulfed her.
But she was safe.
Dry.
Thanks to Nick.
After wiping her eyes, she propped herself on her elbows before pulling the Bible closer. She didn’t want to open it. God had let too many storms occur in her life, and He hadn’t exactly been stilling them.
Trust me.
She felt the words press again on her heart. But why should she? She flipped the Bible open to the book of Luke and the story of Jesus stilling the storm. What had Brother Hamilton said? That Jesus doesn’t still every storm, but He’s in the boat with you?
But where were you in my storm? Were you sleeping? Didn’t you care?
She wanted to pull the words back. Who was she to question the Lord? Her eyes dropped to the Bible splayed in front of her. The apostles questioned Jesus, but He questioned their faith. The missed the greatness of the One in the boat with them.
But it was the words written in the margin in her mother’s hand that caught her eye. Faith entrusts oneself and one’s children to God in the midst of danger.
Her mother had told her she was leaning on her own wisdom and not the power of God. Had her own mother struggled with the same things when Lilly’s father had died?
Lilly’s heart throbbed. Lord, I see what I’ve been doing. When the storms came, I had the same choice the apostles had. I could have responded with fear or faith. And I chose fear. I stopped trusting You and startewd trusting only myself. Please, Lord, please forgive me.
Though the thunder continued to rumble, a quiet surrounded her heart. She chose the believe in the greatness of the One who calmed the storms.
She traced her finger over her mother’s words again, saying them aloud. “Faith entrusts oneself and one’s children to God in the midst of danger.”
Mama, I hope I never have to find out if I have your kind of faith.“
I think when people read a romance book, even an Inspirational one, they look more for the romance and don’t expect to have any spiritual revelations. I know in my own reading that’s usually the case. When I read, I like to make page notes of my favorite scenes and narrow them down to one final scene to include in my review. When I read this scene, I KNEW it was the one I wanted to include.
I think we all have struggled in this area at some point in our lives, maybe several times. I know I have. This passage really spoke to my spiritual nature. I have been through many storms in the past several years and, in the back of my mind, I always had the niggling thought of, “God where are you?”. This scene helped me to realize I was trusting myself to fix the situations and not seeing the greatness of the One in the boat with me. I loved this scene and it really opened my eyes. Now, I know some of you are wondering, “What about the romance?”. No worries! There is plenty of that, too.
Lilly Hart: For those of you who have read the previous two books in this series, you know Lilly is a very spiritual person. She puts everything in God’s hands. Although, she struggled with that a little in this book after the death of her husband. She is a very strong woman. Making her own way in the world for her and her son, Levi. She’s humble, very loving and lovable.
Nick Perrin: Nick is my kind of hero. He’s very spiritual, trusting every situation to God, and very protective. He would risk his life to protect Lilly and Levi. A roller Coaster builder and operator, he takes risks every day. Very fun-loving but he knows when to be serious, too.
Levi Hart: Can you say, “Adorable”? Levi’s six year old cuteness came out on every page. Lorna captured him perfectly. I just wanted to hug him and pinch his little cheeks. LOL
I have been hooked on Lorna Seilstad’s books since I read Making Waves. This one was no exception. This last book in the Lake Manawa Series was quite a ride. (Pun intended!) It had just the right ammount of romance, spiritual overtones and drama combined. Neither were over-bearing, but very well balanced. Mark Westing, Marguerite’s little brother, was all grown up and played a significant part in this book. I was glad to see he wasn’t forgotten. I hate to see a significant character dropped. I was also glad to read Lilly’s story. I felt she had been short-changed when I read book two. From the first book I wanted to read about Lilly. Now this series is complete for me. A wonderful read. If you haven’t read it, I do recommend you pick it up.
Buy The Ride Of Her Life At:
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My Rating: 5 out of 5 Palms
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