Praise for
Delia Parr and her novels
âThe heartwarming story stars three middle-aged sisters dealing with the ordinary ins and outs of lifeâ¦. Parr is to be commended for her character development; each sister is well differentiated. The novel is also tightly plottedâ¦another strong offering from Steeple Hill.â
âPublishers Weekly on Abide with Me
âReaders will immerse themselves in the lives of these three women in midlife whose Christian roots help them overcome lifeâs challenges and rejoice in its joys. With a homey feel reminiscent of Jan Karonâs âMitfordâ series, this initial entry in a new trilogy is recommended.â
âLibrary Journal on Abide with Me
âRealistic issues with concrete solutions will keep readers engaged.â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews on Abide with Me
âParrâs writing is fresh and original.â
âMilwaukee Journal-Sentinel on The Ministerâs Wife
âWritten in the tradition of LaVyrle Spencer, Parrâs books are beautifully written in elegant proseâ¦. The charactersâ faith is always a big factor in their growth and triumph.â
âTina Wainscott, author of In Too Deep, on The Promise of Flowers
âAlways one to break the rules and craft intelligent, thought-provoking romance.â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews on Sunrise
âVery few writers today are on a par with Delia Parr.â
âAffaire de Coeur on The Ivory Duchess
H ot, humid days and sultry nights each summer slowed the pace of everyday life in Welleswood, a small suburban town in Southern New Jersey. Despite the renaissance that had breathed new life into this once-dying town, many families fled the suffocating heat and escaped to nearby mountain retreats or beach resorts for a few weeks at a time. Others remained to take advantage of townwide recreational and cultural events organized by an old-fashioned network of women who worked together to make Welleswood a good place to live, even in the throes of summer.
Within the predictable cycle of summer this year, however, the early days of July would bring heartache and tragedy, as well as new challenges to grow in faith and love, to three very different women in Welleswood.
âDaddy canât come.â
At the sound of her granddaughterâs voice, Barbara Montgomery looked up from the travel brochures that littered the dining room table. Her husband of thirty-four years, John, was standing in the doorway holding their twin granddaughters, one in his arms, and the other at his side. âJessie! Melanie! What a surprise!â
Barbara pushed back from the table, rose to her feet and quickly set aside all thoughts of the sailing adventure she and John were planning two years from now when they launched into retirement as members of a crew on a two-year sailing trip around the world.
âDaddy canât come,â Melanie repeated. Her little six-year-old face was strangely solemn, and she held tight to her Pappyâs shoulder.
Jessie tugged free from his hand. The eldest by all of three minutes and the more dominant by leaps and bounds, she folded her hands on her chest and stomped her foot. âDaddy had to go away, and Pappy says we canât go with him, but I want my daddy. Why canât me and Melanie go? Youâll take us, wonât you, Grammy? You know the way to heaven, donât you?â
âHeaven?â Confused, Barbara looked up and studied her husbandâs features. She froze the moment she saw his tearstained cheeks and the grief that shadowed his gaze. The world stopped for a moment. Time stood still. Her heart pounded against a wall of denial that refused to be cracked. Their son Steve was in heaven? Steve was gone? No, that couldnât be true. Impossible. Not Steve. He was only thirty years old. He was a health fanatic. He had these two precious little girls to raiseâlittle girls whose mother had deserted Steve and abandoned her babies shortly after their birth.
No. Steve could not be in heaven. Barbara had just talked to him this morning. She locked her gaze with her husbandâs, praying he would put her worst fears to rest. âJohn?â
Fresh tears coursed down his cheeks. âOur Steveâs gone. Heâs beenâ¦murdered,â he croaked. âOur boy has gone Home, and the girlsâ¦the girls need us, Barb, now more than ever.â
Pain seared the very essence of her spirit. The look of absolute grief in her husbandâs gaze melted the wall of denial protecting her heart, and she rushed to embrace him. With one arm around Melanie, she pulled Jessie against her, too, as her soul clung to her faith in Godâfaith that would somehow have to sustain them all.