Redeeming Love: A Novel

I could not put this book down. It was raw, real, heart-wrenching, and yet so joyous to see God working in the lives of Sarah, Michael, Miriam and Paul. Let this be your next read - you’ll be so glad you did.

I was prepared to be disenchanted with this novel. I chose it because it didn’t contain profanity so I could listen to it on Audible over our Jeep’s sound system as I drove 360 miles. Not too many down the road and this story that is a fictional depiction of the non-fiction world of the prophet Hosea. The story line helped me understand a difficult book, but more importantly it brought clarity to my own past and the redemption I have experienced and the hope for I have for the futures.

Honestly, this brought me back to the Lord! This book truly reminded me of God’s unmeasurable love. To anyone who comes across this, please read this book!

Read this book twice and it filled my heart and soul completely. A must read for every unbeliever and especially the believer.

I read this book about 15 years ago and it was a favorite back then. I recently saw the movie on Netflix and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I decided to reread the book. I finished it in 5 days although I stopped a lot to try to savor it. I am convinced this book is divinely inspired by God. It has genuinely changed my soul and I cannot recommend it enough.

Redeeming Love is a beautiful story, based on the book of Hosea in the Bible. It is not an exact re-telling, and I was glad, thinking, if Angel ends up having kids by other men the way Gomer did, I'm not going to like this book. So never fear. I wasn't disappointed, and I don't think you'll be either. Angel has lived through hell. Her life is marked by rejection and hardship. At age eight, her mother dies. She is sold to a child molester, and then eventually into prostitution. As a teenager, she escapes and travels west to California, hoping for a new start. But she doesn't have any useful skills, and so she turns back to prostitution, having no other way to survive. She doesn't know love, and she doesn't believe in God. All she knows is that she should have never been born. Michael Hosea is a man of God who yearns for a wife. He is excited when God points Angel out to him as the one, and dismayed to learn that she is a prostitute. Still, he marries her, and day by day he courageously pursues her cold, dead heart, believing that one day she will fall in love with him and become the wife he longs for. There are people who thought this book a little too risque for their tastes. I thought Rivers did a fantastic job of keeping it clean, especially considering that it is about a prostitute who has endured unspeakable horrors. There are places when she and Michael are being intimate "on scene", but nothing is described or detailed. Rivers only gives insight into their emotions and conversation. Though the prologue is long, it did help me understand where Angel was coming from. If Rivers had introduced me to Angel when she was an embittered prostitute and offered her back story in little bits and pieces, I might not have been sympathetic toward her. The characters were beautifully crafted, but I will say that Michael seemed a little too good to be human in places. I did appreciate his temper and doubts, but he was on speaking terms with a certain character way too fast in my opinion. I did not like Paul at all. I didn't even feel sorry for him for losing his wife. I would have been happy if he had remained a miserable lonely man for the rest of his life. (Yes, I disliked him that much.) And here's where Rivers' talent comes in: she took Paul, a character I wanted to spit at, and had me forgiving him in the last few chapters. Wow. I want to write like Francine Rivers when I grow up. What is it about Francine Rivers' books? She doesn't get fancy with her words or sentences. Her stories aren't packed with adventure or humor. But there's something about them. There's something that draws you into the story and holds you there until the end. Maybe its the unique characters and their life-like emotions and struggles. Or Rivers' honest heart spilling onto every page. Perhaps its the powerful message of redemption and grace, so naturally woven through the plot. Pick up one of Rivers' books. You'll see what I mean. And like me, you'll probably add her to your list of favorite authors to watch.

The most amazing book I’ve read. Strengthened my desire to forgive and love without condition, as Christ loves humanity forever

Sometimes you're just drawn to a book, an author. While I was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve day, I was at Barnes & Noble and wandering aimlessly. Something drew me to a new hard-cover, and an author I hadn't read before, Karen Kingsbury's FIFTEEN MINUTES. I don't generally read Christian fiction, but I felt like I had to get this book. I was just beginning the book on Christmas Day when something made me look up the author's website and read about her background. She said the book that made her start writing Christian fiction was this one, by Francine Rivers, Redeeming Love. I looked the book up, and read the sample pages and felt that special something when you've discovered a new author you know you are going to love. I bought the book, and curled up to read it. Started around 9pm or so, and usually head to bed by 11, but I was so riveted by this story that stopping wasn't an option. I think it was around 1 or so when I finally finished, and the tears were flowing so hard that I could barely see the words. This is one of those special books that has the ability to change people, to move them, and to give them hope. It's a re-telling of a classic bible story, one that I wasn't familiar with. It's a beautiful story and it had a very powerful impact on me. I am a new author too, and my new sweet romance is doing well, but one baffling thing is that for some reason that appears to mystify Amazon as well, the book has been on the bestseller list for Inspirational fiction, a category I never chose for it. That, combined with the very strong feeling of being drawn to this book, has me reconsidering my own writing, and I am feeling as though I am meant to write an Inspirational book in the near future.

Book s in very good condition. I love the novel too. The lead female s a confused soul yet wit the help of her husband they overcame many obstacles in their marriage. It has a beautiful ending too

My favourite book for sure. I have in it physically in Portuguese and on my kindle in English

Anyone who has dabbled or desired to walk in the sphere of romance would benefit greatly from this book. It teaches the possibilities of erotic and unconditional love between spouses, all the while highlighting the True Bridegroom's love for His Beloved.

Reedeming Love is the heartbreaking story of a little girl, sold and forced into prostitution, a dark romance full of triggers and not an easy read. Angel is offering her body to survive in California's gold country 1850. Her heart is filled with hatred and contempt against men until Michael Hosea finds her, marries her and drags her out of the brothel. Michael Hosea is a man full of strength and wisdom, he brings Angel to his cabin at his farm and loves her unconditionally. Angel's broken heart is thrown into a storm of emotions that she can only handle by running away from Michael. This powerful retelling of the book Hosea has made me cry many times, so sad, but also a wonderful message of love and forgiveness, hope and comfort through faith in God. There is a HEA after all, that again, made me cry because it is very emotional and beautifully written. Clearly five stars for this powerful dark love story Reedeming Love, a beautiful book on my shelf.

Francine Rivers' intention was to write a REAL love STORY. In other words, not what we want love to be, not what we believe it to be but as God has intended it to be, love as God has shown us in so many ways. And she was inspired by the book of Hosea. I'm usually not fond of love stories because of their falseness. This one though has entered the realm of my favorite books! I couldn't put it down and ended up wanting more so I ordered "A lineage of Grâce". Also a must read! 🥰 What is awesome with these books, is that it revives the desire to read the Bible even more than usual. 🙌🏻🤍