Castle Quay Books (August 8, 2007)
My first taste of a new author can be a wonderful experience or it can leave an unpleasant after effect. One Smooth Stone while not my usual reading fare was one of those experiences that left me wanting more because it moved so quickly that it seemed to be over before I’d barely cracked the covers. Laycock’s riveting plot and unexpected twists to this story about men who took responsibility for their choices and consequences will leave readers craving more of the vivid narrative which transported me to the barren and harsh landscape of the northern wilds of Canada otherwise known as the Yukon. While not a place I’d choose to live myself it provided a perfect setting for this story of men with regrets from their past who wanted nothing more than to disappear from the eyes of society and remain undiscovered by those who might want them to pay for those past mistakes in a more tangible way. When Alex is forced to come out of hiding because lawyers for his birth parents have an unfinished task due to be performed as soon after his 21st birthday as possible, he tries every possible maneuver to escape the inevitable as well as deny the pull of God on his heart and mind. In the process of being disclosed to society at large once more, he also had to learn how to open his heart to trust others and allow other people to display their care for the man whose childhood memories were bitter and frightened of being trapped with heartless adults who took advantage of the system and children’s desire for affection and approval. The foster families he was placed with, following the loss of his adoptive parents only a few years after being placed in the state’s care when his birth parents were taken in a horrible accident, had little on their minds besides their own comfort and desires as opposed to loving and nurturing the children they were entrusted to care for.

In this process of rediscovering love and himself, Alex also finds himself opening his mind and heart to God and to a love he had little opportunity to experience in his younger years. Can a woman’s persistence and love break through the protective walls he built so early in his life? Can Alex break the cycle of denial and isolation he inflicted on himself when things turned sour in his earliest years? Check out this wonderful yet emotional story showing not only God’s love and desire for relationship but the healing power He can bring into our lives when we take the risk to trust once more with Him at the center of our relationships and heart desires. (ISBN#9781894860345, 256pp, $19.95)

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Codicil:
Click the bookcover above for more info or to puchase a copy. Don’t forget to visit Marcia’s Website. Thank you to the author for providing this book for review purposes. Check out other CFRB posts this week as well. David, Cathi, Laura, and Christy, plus the main CFRB Blog.

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