The sequel to The Fragrance of Geraniums . . .
Book Two in the “A Time of Grace” trilogy – by Alicia G. Ruggieri
(read my interview with author Alicia Ruggieri HERE)
In 1935, when the bank
calls in her mortgage, Sarah Picoletti – now a penniless widow – finds herself
and her children on the brink of homelessness. Sick at heart, she plans to beg
her brother in New Jersey to take her family in.
Then Doctor Samuel
Giorgi knocks on her door. Godly and well-off, Sam seems to have put the
careless ways of his youth behind him, and he also appears to have one desire:
to make Sarah his wife, two decades after he broke their engagement.
However, nothing
prepares Sarah for the storm that breaks once she makes her decision.
Everywhere she turns, the errors of her former choices confront her, insisting
on her inferiority and the irreparable brokenness of her past. Sarah begins to
wonder if Christ really can bring true redemption or if He is limited by her
frailty.
Meanwhile, her daughter
Grace faces new challenges in her own life. When her relationship with Paulie
changes unexpectedly, Grace realizes that she must make a decision with the
potential to alter both of their futures.
Compassionate and
intensely poignant, All Our Empty Places
paints the portrait of a mother and daughter with broken pasts, who dare to
step into a future overflowing with the grace of the Cross.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
Alicia G. Ruggieri
writes Christ-centered fiction that speaks of redemption. She received her B.A.
in Communications and History from Rhode Island College and lives with her
husband and their emotionally-disturbed pug on the New England coast.
My Review:
All Our Empty Places is the powerful, grace-saturated, gritty
sequel to Alicia Ruggieri’s first novel in her A Time of Grace Trilogy, The
Fragrance of Geraniums.
I remember
reading The Fragrance of Geraniums,
finishing it, and feeling so deeply and profoundly shaken and yet satisfied at
the conclusion. I wondered what would become of Sarah, Grace’s mother, as well
as Grace and Paulie.
Ruggieri’s
second book, All Our Empty Places
picks up the story where it left off in her first book. It is not a “happy
ending” romance. It is a deep, poignant, look in to the heart and life of Sarah
Picoletti, a woman who has been through the mill and back again, a woman who
has put her faith in Christ but still holds onto “hang-ups” from her past,
attitudes and memories that haunt her and seek to poison her future with their
seeming power over her.
All through
the book, the reader wonders, Will she be able to break free? Will the grace of
Christ triumph? Ruggieri paints a beautiful picture of a broken woman—a picture
which reaches out and speaks to the broken places in all of us, the places that
we long and yearn for the love and grace of Christ to fill. Every woman who has
experienced trials and difficulties can relate to Sarah’s struggle. Sarah’s
husband, Sam Giorgi is a real-life representation of Christ. Their romance and the strains that Sarah goes through in
learning to trust in the love of her husband serves as a glorious allegory to
the relationship between Christ and His church.
Meanwhile,
the delightful friendship/romance between Sarah’s daughter, Grace, and Paulie
continues to play out. I loved the strength of character that Grace exhibits as
well as her reliance and submission to her Heavenly Father throughout the book.
It is a wonderful example for young women who are seeking to honor the Lord in
their romantic relationships and to place Him first in their lives. Where Sarah
learns to hold on, Grace learns to let go. The twist at the end of the story involving
Grace and Paulie was wholly unexpected , yet so, so intensely satisfying to the
reader. And the result left me yearning to read the third book in order to find
out what will happen.
I loved this
book on so many different levels—the development of the characters, the
unexpected and unpredictable plot twist and turns, the God-saturated and
focused story-line that isn’t “preachy” but deeply ”real,” the beautiful,
strong writing style that always draws me into Ruggieri’s books, and the lesson
learned at the end of the novel—that His grace is sufficient in and through our
weakness—and that when we are willing to let something go, that is when we
truly possess it. Well-done, and I highly recommend this book for anyone who is
seeking a deeper walk with Christ and a powerful, grace-filled romance.
AUTHOR
LINKS:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AliciaGRuggieri
Twitter:
@aliciaruggieri
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/AliciaGRuggieri
PURCHASE
LINKS:
All
Our Empty Places (A Time of Grace, Book 2) – http://amzn.com/B014JVJYCK
The
Fragrance of Geraniums (A Time of Grace, Book 1) – ON
SALE for $0.99 through October 31, 2015 – http://amzn.com/B00P4PB7W6
THE
GIVEAWAY:
One winner will receive
– a signed softcover of All Our Empty
Places; a mug with 2 Corinthians 12:9 inscribed on it; Caramel Apple
Biscotti; and Harvest Spice Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate mix. (Open to U.S.
residents only due to shipping costs.)
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