DUST by EVA MARIE EVERSON

As I sit here reflecting back on this story I just finished, I find myself filled with tears. I loved the time period of the seventies. There were so many things changing in the world and with it was the music. “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas is one of my all time favorite songs. It holds many memories and this story brought back a time when I was struggling to be a teen in a family that was dysfunctional.

Each character in the story is significant for different reasons. Cindie is a lost girl wanting so bad for someone to love her. Her desperation was evident by the way she flaunted herself around. Oh how I wanted to tell her that she was precious  in God’s eyes. She didn’t need to rely on her good looks to catch a man. In her weakness she let lust take over and that was her defining moment. It was heartbreaking to realize that she was raising her daughter all alone. I think I loved Cindie because we see her flaws but through her mistakes God gave her a gift that most women want. I enjoyed reading how she matured in some ways and trued so hard to be a better person. 

Allison is a wonderful character who loved with her whole heart. The non proposal she gets from Westley is laughable and should have been a sign that something was amiss. She was happy to be his wife but just beyond the horizon is a secret that will change the course of many lives. The author deals with a hard subject of miscarriage and shows the devastating and emotional turmoil couples  go through when they lose a child to this tragedy. I liked that in the midst of sadness, God had a plan and Allison would find herself a mother to a sweet child. Now I don’t want to say much more about this storyline because it is the meat of the story. Secrets always have a way of coming out. I wonder how long Westley thought he could hide his secret? 

Westley was hard to like at first. I thought he was a little arrogant and hid things that would be hard to overcome. I know he loved Allison but he sure was deceitful about his child. He and Cindie seem to play games as they fight over a child who needs love and stability. I did become a fan of Westley’s later in the book when I realized he wanted the best for his child and Allison. The author writes a story that  lets us inside a family where in the end, your decisions can affect others. I loved how the story became full circle and how each character left a handprint that touched others. I cried at the end and wanted  the story to never end. I became invested in their lives and loved how second chances and forgiveness led to a remarkable story that I will never  forget. 

I received an advanced copy without being required to write a positive review  .