Redeeming Love

So a good friend recommended this book to me for my wife. There were themes that she would relate to, and it would likely help her process a lot of her life. Well, for her protection, I thought I'd read it myself first. Yes, a late 30s male reading a 'romance' novel. I don't even like novels outside of Westerns. In any case, before the prologue was even finished, I was wrecked-- in a good way. God used this book, and is still using this book, on SO many levels for me. I was sober at home for a good week. My wife kept wondering what was wrong. Well, nothing was wrong. God was just plowing my heart in so many ways. And while I was embarrassed a little being moved by fiction and the characters, I recognized there are, and have been, many, many Angels, and Luckys, and Michaels in the world. There are real people in these situations. Probably not all situations at once, but each situation, there is a man, woman, or child who knows exactly the feeling of the scene. And that is painful, but necessary to realize. God uses it to change us to action. A few examples, this book immediately awakened my position as a father, especially to my daughter. I desire to love her so much better and be much more careful of my words and actions. The book also destroyed so many walls in my heart, specifically concerning relationships, bitterness, anger, forgiveness, marriage, and worth before Jesus. I don't think there's an area of my life it has not touched. Thus, I'm reading it again, only slower this time, and journaling it. The first time I could rarely put it down and even read it at work! The biggest impact this book made was on my marriage. It really helped me realize I was not loving my wife well at all, when I self-righteously thought I had been. In reality, in tension, I would digress and escape, instead of embracing and affirming her. While my bride does not have a history is a similar career, there were countless times when the life of Angel mirrored my wife's life exactly. Comments Angel makes, situations she is caught in, abuses she receives, lies she was taught. Therefore, I was able to identify with my wife and it has lead to me beginning to love her much more like Christ loves His bride, and not above her as if holier. Likewise, Michael Hosea puts me to shame, though he is a flawed, but faithful husband who wrestles with God, and accepts God's plan and sovereignty over all. He is patient and godly. He walks with Jesus well, while confessing his struggles. He helps her see he is just as wicked and undeserving before God. I also fell in love with Angel, and had compassion throughout. It was not what I expected. There is reader frustration seeing her run, but I also understood every single time. She never ran because she loved other men. I saw her past, youth, wounds, hardness, pain, self-sufficiency. And I had compassion throughout. I think it's what the Lord wants us to feel. I've tended to have a harshness towards the 'adult' themes of life. And of course it's an area for caution. But this book has led me to call out for liberation of those held captive. I believe very few caught in lifestyles of any realm of the sex industry or trafficking likely do NOT wish to be there, but have found themselves there nonetheless. So I am crying out for God to liberate the trapped, helpless girls who face this brutal gauntlet. Man's selfishness runs deep and without regard for the devastation it causes on others. The other characters of the book are simply fascinating, and each has a personality. Again, this is brilliant writing. But it also adds significant sub-stories to the already great book. I also love how Francine uses the latter portions of the book to reveal unknowns in the beginning. Normal I'm sure in novels, but since I don't read them, I'm not used to it! Fascinating from start to finish, and absolutely saturated in scripture and the gospel of Jesus. If I could, I would give Francine a huge hug. She, by the Spirit, has written a masterpiece, albeit 20 years ago now. And Praise God, it has changed my life. I'd like to buy this book in bulk from the publisher. I'd like to give it away. I think it can impact almost anyone. At the same time, as in my wife, I need to talk with her before having her read it. It is a heavy and beautiful book, which is amazing. But it can also be too heavy, if a person is not at a good place to absorb the emotion. As one reviewer put it, this book was clearly an anointing on Francine Rivers. Only God above could create such a story through his own people. So be ready for God to dig deep into your life, male or female, and bring to the surface emotions and judgments that needs exposed, rooted, or healed. I'm praying God never allows me to stop feeling the truth He has shown me in this book.

Redeeming Love is one of those rare books that stays with you long after you’ve finished it. I went in expecting a moving love story, but what I got was so much deeper. The plot twist truly caught me off guard—and I loved it. It added a whole new layer of emotional depth and made the story even more powerful. The characters are beautifully written and incredibly human—flawed, resilient, and full of heart. Watching the journey of love, grace, and forgiveness unfold between them was both heartbreaking and healing. Francine Rivers has a gift for vivid storytelling that makes you feel everything right alongside the characters. This book isn’t just about romance—it’s about redemption, healing from the past, and learning to accept love even when you feel unworthy. I laughed, I cried, and I couldn’t put it down. If you’re looking for a story that’s emotional, meaningful, and ultimately uplifting, Redeeming Love is an absolute must-read.

Read the book of Hosea in the Bible first. Then, read this book. I could not put this book down. What heartache and what love! It will open your eyes to how we hurt God time and again just as the Israelites did, but God keeps forgiving, keeps loving, keeps wooing mankind. There is not one boring page in this book. It is full of betrayal, pain, & heartache but there is that redeeming love in the midst of it all. This is a book you won't forget.

Amazing story of REDEMPTION!! Such a lovely story of love, hope, grief, pain, anger, resentment, forgiveness, and kindness. A MUST READ!!

This was such a beautiful story to read. I am usually a tv girl, but I wanted to get into reading. I could not put this book down. I bought it used and the pages and cover were perfect. No damage at all. I recommend this novel to anyone; especially those who have had challenges with trusting God and His love.

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.

This is one of those books that stays with you long after you close it. It is a very emotional Christian romance that follows a woman who has been deeply wounded and hardened by her past, and a man who chooses to love her with patience, sacrifice, and commitment. The story is heavy at times because it deals with trauma, abandonment, and broken identity, but the message of Gods mercy and restoration shines through the whole book. I loved how the story slowly shows what Gods unconditional love looks like in practice. It is a beautiful and powerful read, but also a heavy one, and the themes may be intense for some Christian readers. Some of the harder parts include childhood trauma, child exploitation, prostitution, and the emotional weight of watching a character try to heal from years and years of deep pain.

This book was one of my favorite I have ever read! Really shows you Gods love and patience.