Beloved Counterfeit by Kathleen Y'Barbo - Reviewed

MY REVIEW:

“In a moment, Claire made her decision; for a lifetime, she would regret it.” (p. 12)

Claire O’Conner and her sister Opal had little choice but to try and survive their childhood. Though survival came at a dear price, survive they did, and when Opal chose to marry Thomas Hawkins, Claire was force to make a life-altering choice once again. Surviving a ship-wreck and arriving on Fairweather Key opened the door to new beginnings in more ways than one, and Claire O’Conner establishes her heart and soul beneath a new banner – Ruby O’Shea.

Beloved Counterfeit follows Ruby as she tries to make a life for herself and her three nieces. As she makes her new beginning, God introduces Micah Tate into her life. He too is struggling with forgiveness and second chances, and when he is offered a chance to protect Fairweather Key, he decides there are some residents he wants to protect in a very personal way. Sparks fly as he and Ruby attempt relationship, and the romantic scenes by the ocean will leave you breathless with wonder! Will he and Ruby be the answer to each others' prayers? Or will their pasts come into the present with even more dangerous consequences?

Once again, Kathleen Y’Barbo has woven a tale of love, adventure and danger. Within the pages of Beloved Counterfeit lie a physical struggle for healing and wholeness, a spiritual battle against shame and guilt, and a desperate longing to receive God’s forgiveness and grace for past wrongs and then to offer that same grace to others. The love story is truly precious, and the struggle that Ruby and Micah face together is both frustrating and dangerous. Their faith, though new and tenuous, rings true, and ultimately reveals a beautiful picture of God’s grace in our lives at the point we feel most unworthy to receive the gift.

This story transported me once again to another time and place, but all the while I was able to experience God’s mercy and grace in a way that revealed my own faith for the wondrous gift that it is!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

KATHLEEN MILLER Y’BARBO is a tenth-generation Texan and a mother of three grown sons and a teenage daughter. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University and an award-winning novelist of Christian fiction whose first published work jumped onto the Christian Booksellers Association bestseller list in its first month of release. Kathleen is a former treasurer for the American Christian Fiction Writers, and is a member of the Author’s Guild, Inspirational Writers Alive, Words for the Journey Christian Writers Guild, and the Fellowship of Christian Authors. In addition, she is a sought-after speaker, and her kids think she’s a pretty cool mom, too…most of the time, anyway.