The Promise

August 1, 2013

Tom has always taken his marriage vows seriously, but a job loss launches him on a downward spiral of deceit. For four months he leaves his house each morning as if he is going to work, but instead Tom spends his days searching for another job. His wife, Jean, also keeps a secret, and the strain puts their marriage at risk. Can Tom and Jean remember how to trust each other before it's too late? VERDICT With sympathetic characters and an uplifting ending, this second series entry (after The Dance) by CF author Walsh (The Deepest Waters) and relationship expert Smalley (The DNA of Relationships) is sure to please their fans, as well as those of Dee Henderson.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2013
Best-selling authors Walsh and Smalley come together again to continue the Restoration series, about the Anderson family, first introduced in The Dance (2013). Tom Anderson has lost his way and doesn't want anyone to find out about his mistakes. He has been living a lie for several months and is terrified of the impact his deception will have not just on his wife, Jean, but also on his father, Jim. Meanwhile, Jean struggles to live with a husband who has changed into a cold and angry man. When the secrets eventually come tumbling out, Tom fears the worst. However, with the help of his great-uncle Henry, Tom learns to accept the grace of God and to focus on the future. Walsh's and Smalley's ministerial backgrounds take The Promise from merely a family-based novel to an insightful drama of faith about the challenges, and the different ways people handle them, in today's marriages. Readers married and unmarried alike will find the Andersons' story as inspirational as it is enjoyable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)