The Promise - Dan Walsh & Gary Smalley

 

Genre: Books; Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: 4/1/2013

Rating: 5 out of 5 Near Perfect

PROS: Wonderful marriage/relationship advice sprinkled throughout the story, real life scenarios many spouses find themselves caught in; heart wrenching love story

CONS: 

 

 

Imagine spending the last three months assuming your husband is going to work everyday as usual. He wakes up, goes through his normal routine, and comes home at the same time he always has from work. He even has his “good” days at work he says, and his “bad” days at work.

Now imagine you are that husband who was fired from his job three months ago. Too ashamed to tell your wife, you go through your normal routine leading everyone to believe you are going to your job as normal. What they don't know is that you spend your days at a little coffee shop scouring the want ads, just hoping you'll find something before the unemployment checks run out. Not that the unemployment checks are paying all the bills anyway. The savings account is drained, your credit cards are maxed out, and you're pretty sure you are going to lose your house. Somethings gotta give, and you have to find a way to tell your wife.

Jim and Marilyn's marriage is doing much better since we last met with them in The Dance. Celebrating in Europe on their second honeymoon, they try to keep to their promise to not talk about their kids. But at the top of their concern list is their son Jim and his wife Jean. Something seems off with them, but they rarely share their feelings with others. Once home from their trip, this family will unite and try to work through another set of marriage problems.

Walsh, an award-winning author and former pastor, and Smalley, an author and speaker on family relationships, have come together to co-author this second book in the Restoration series. The Promise is another great novel on marriage, again, one of the best that this reviewer has read in a long time! Both men have had excellent hands on experience and have truly the research knowledge that is needed to write such a book.

Marriage in today's society can conjure up many words, and longevity is often not one of them. Through Tom and Jean's story, we come to see many emotions that creep up in real-life families today due to the ever changing economy. When things are going great is the time that purchases are made...houses, cars, vacations, etc. Without long term planning, when a spouse looses a job it can bring a couple to their knees. Financial worries aside, the person that lost their job is also dealing with the emotions/feelings that go along with it. This can be a dark time in their world, and outside help is often needed.

The Promise is so much more than a contemporary fiction novel, it's that gentle reminder of the decisions we have to make on a daily basis and how they affect others around us. Great detail is given to the setting, the characters, and the overall topic, and the authors leave this reviewer eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!

**I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion**