Wish You Were Here by Beth Vogt
Howard Publishing, 2012
Reviewed by Amanda Stephan
5 stars *****
Realistic Portrayal of a Confused and Hurting Woman
Meet Seth Rayner. Self-absorbed and selfish, he's so self-assured that he never takes Allison Denman's thoughts or feelings into consideration.
Allison Denman, the lucky bride-to-be who is looking for safety. But is Seth the one to give it to her? After one kiss shared with his brother, Daniel, Alli's not so sure.
With Seth around, you never had to think...
Tough decisions face Allison as she leaves her groom-to-be standing at the altar with his mouth hanging open. Marrying Seth was what everyone expected. It was what Alli wanted. Or so she thought. Until she had to do it. Now, all she could see in her ruined future were lists of regrets and apologies she owed everyone. There was no un-doing her choice. She hadn't thought of all the consequences. Such is the conflicted state of Runaway Bride, Allison.
Guided by her wise friend Meghan and the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit, Allison faces her confused future. Would it have been right to go through with the marriage? While the kiss shared with his brother had at first been innocent enough, was she right to have enjoyed it so much? Would it be possible to share a future with her fiance's brother? These are just a few thoughts troubling Alli.
"If you can stop controlling your life, maybe God will finally have a chance to get a word in edgewise and be able to tell you what He wants for your life."
How many of us could have that statement uttered to us? Meghan, Allison's maid of honor and best friend, is a lighthouse of wisdom as she helps guide Alli back to reality and pull the pieces of her broken life back together.
Are we just the sum total of our past mistakes? Would it be possible to say sorry for a mistake so huge that it would take God's grace to forgive it totally?
This isn't a story about freedom-seekers who have everything under control. This is a story about real people dealing with real situations. Hurting, bruised, broken people. People who make mistakes and people who they've hurt with those mistakes. Although this book is fiction, it packs a punch and is loaded with wisdom. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to more from Beth Vogt.
Highly recommend!
Beth hit some pretty hard issues and treated them respectfully without going into detail.
Amanda Stephan ~ Christian Romance Author
www.booksbyamanda.com
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