A Chance at Forever

When I first started reading this book I was a little impatient with Mercy McClain. She was very unyielding in her belief that Aaron Firebrook did not deserve to be hired as a teacher and she was also very hesitant when he became a gardener at the orphanage where she worked. But, as the story continued, I saw how protective she was of the youngsters that were residents at the orphanage in Teaville, Kansas and I began to wonder how I would have felt to have been a young girl with an underdeveloped arm. Probably shy, self-conscious and always wondering what people were thinking. And if I also had to worry about a boy who bullied me at every opportunity? I found myself softening toward Mercy because the boy who bullied her in her youth was George "Aaron" Firebrook, he was guilty of bullying everyone in those days and suddenly Mercy was now forced to be in contact with him everyday! Aaron was back in Teaville seeking to correct his mistakes so that he could ask for forgiveness of those he had wronged and I couldn't keep from rooting for him. All actions have a cause and all actions should be capable of forgiveness and I wanted Aaron Firebrook to be given a chance! "A Chance at Forever" is the third book of The Teaville Moral Society series but it can be read as a standalone novel. I grew to love both Mercy and Aaron and there are some children in the orphanage who also tugged at my heart strings. This story touches on letting go of past hurts, making wrong choices, trying to correct our mistakes and searching for forgiveness. It is a book that features romantic love, love for our fellow man and the "love that passeth all understanding" that we can receive from God. Author Melissa Jagears has given readers an entertaining story filled with realistic characters and some situations that are very pertinent even today. I recommend "A Chance at Forever" for readers who enjoy Christian romance and historical fiction. I received a copy of this book from the publisher but I was not obligated to give a review. This is my honest opinion.

A CHANCE AT FOREVER is a very satisfying addition to the Teaville Moral Society series. Though set in 1909 the issues and themes of this book are also very relevant today. The characters from the previous books continue the work at the orphanage and help the women and children of the red light district. Our main hero, Aaron Firebrook, has returned to Teaville after an absence of several years, determined to make amends for the bullying he did as a child. He desperately wants to be a better man. He found Christ during his time away but still hasn't made the connection that he can't will himself to be better, he needs God's help. One of the children he bullied was Mercy McClain, who was born without a full arm, even though he secretly admired her. Both now working at the orphanage, Aaron very much wants to show Mercy he is a changed man, though she distrusts him. Mercy is hesitant for him to be around her, or the children, but there is one young belligerent teenager, Jimmy, who no one can reach. Aaron recognizes his younger self in Jimmy, so tries to work with him. Trust, forgiveness, and the ability to change with God's help are spiritual themes explored. Written with sensitivity and humor, A CHANCE AT FOREVER is a book I enjoyed very much. Though I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher, that did not influence my opinion. All thoughts are my own.