AUTHOR: Sharon Srock
DATE: 2015
PUBLISHER: A Blonde and a Prayer Books
STARS: *****
A baby is dead and Callie Stillman blames herself. Haunted by memories of a tiny coffin, Callie can’t understand how God could expect her to put her heart on the line a second time. But the evasive little girl attending her Sunday School class is so obviously in trouble that Callie finds her resolve cracking.
Iris and Samantha Evans are living on borrowed time. Deserted, orphaned, betrayed, and deceived, they need rescuing in the worst way.
Steve Evans had his life changed by God. A reformed drug addict, he’s searching for the family he abandoned ten years ago and praying for a miracle.
The road to healing is rocky. But as Callie confronts her worst fears by bringing father and daughters together in a risky bid for reconciliation, she realizes that the Evans family aren’t the only ones God wants to rescue from a tortured past.
.Since I’d previously read For Mercie’s Sake, I knew author Sharon Srock does not shy away from hard topics and deep emotions. (That book is highly recommended, by the way.) Callie, however, hit me harder than I’d expected. Callie is a woman I would love to know in real life—brave yet fearful, faith-filled yet hesitant, and willing to sacrifice her own well-being in order to help someone in need.
I loved the realistic and tender relationship between Callie and her husband, Benton. He’s desperate to protect her, even from herself, and their faith is tested as they both work to discern what is right.
Iris and Samantha broke my heart with their fierce protection of one another in face of terrible circumstances and their tentative steps toward trust, so easily broken.
Callie is an important story of obedience in spite of fears and the result of stepping far outside one’s comfort zone for the sake of Christ. Highly recommended, Callie earns five stars. This book is part of my personal collection.