Monday, August 16, 2021

About the Book

Book: Trail to Forgiveness

Author: Cheri Swalwell

Genre: Women’s Contemporary Christian Fiction

Release date: March 9, 2021

Even though he knew most of the pictures and accusations were planted, and false, people’s perceptions of what happened is what would decide Jace’s fate, not the facts themselves.

When it comes to dating, Holly has never settled…and she’s not going to start now with something as important as marriage. Jace lives with the weight of failing his wife, Simone, and refuses to repeat history. So, when Holly and Jace tentatively move toward a dating relationship, they know it won’t be as easy the second time around.

Rumors and lies about an affair spread in the church which could jeopardize Jace’s career and their reputations. In the midst of their own problems, they discover an even bigger threat trying to destroy the youth group.

What happens when evil is allowed to spread unchecked? It takes the skills of an undercover cop to reveal the sinister plot seeking to gain control of the entire church.

Will Holly and Jace find God’s trail to forgiveness…or are some actions deemed unforgiveable?

If you like wholesome fiction with a faith-filled message, step out with Trail to Forgiveness, Book 3 of The Redemption of Green Pines series today…to find out if Jace’s career and their love can survive.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Cheri Swalwell is a Christ follower who thoroughly enjoys her calling to be a wife, mother, writer and speaker, in that order. Cheri loves to encourage people through her fiction series and many nonfiction books including devotionals, Bible studies, and compilation books. For a full list of books visit www.cheriswalwell.com. If you want to sign up to her newsletter to stay updated on all the latest news, you will also receive a free gift as her way of saying thanks for joining! To read one of her many articles on life from a Christian perspective, visit her blog at www.cheriswalwell.com. She loves to interact with her readers, so send her an email at clSwalwell99@gmail.com. You can “like” her on Facebook as well here or join Heart Speaks with Cheri Swalwell, a private Facebook group where we encourage each other and share life together.

More from Cheri

Journey Back Home, Book 2 in The Redemption of Green Pines, was supposed to be a stand alone book. When I finished writing it, I realized there was so much more to the community of Green Pines, and also so much more to Holly. Who was Holly? Why was she able to help Jace through his grief? What brought her to Green Pines?

As a result, I wrote a prequel to Journey Back Home, sharing with readers Holly’s story which became Book 1, Adventure’s Invitation. That book shares the backstory of Holly and her family and I highly recommend reading it. It will make Trail to Forgiveness, Book 3 in The Redemption of Green Pines, that much more meaningful when you get to spend more time with Holly’s family!

Trail to Forgiveness picks up literally two hours after Journey Back Home ends. God unfolded the storyline as I was writing it. While Jace and Holly are busy dealing with false rumors and a church that wants to fire him, Noah and his friends are dealing with members of the youth group who are out to get them too. Thankfully, though, Officer Dave, now a new believer, sticks around and helps Jace and Paul uncover what’s happening. It’s not what you think … but worse!

Also in Trail to Forgiveness, we get to discover more about the foursome who works for Holly, former youth group members of Jace: Addie, her best friend Wynn, Zane and his sidekick Owen. Not only are there secrets circulating in the youth group, but Wynn has some strong secrets of her own.

Pre-order Book 4, Road to Freedom, to discover what secrets Wynn’s been hiding from Holly, her mentor, as well as her friends. Is Zane hiding something from Wynn also?

There is so much more to discover about the community of Green Pines. I hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as I do!

My REVIEW

This has been a very emotional journey as the author walks us through the road to forgiveness. I loved how she uses situations that some people encounter and watch them make decisions that are hard. It was easy to relate to Jace and Holly because they were very well written. I couldn’t wait to see what the author had in store for her readers and I began to get comfortable and as I began my journey in the book.

Jace has a lot on his plate after losing his wife. He is left with guilt and raising children on his own. You can feel his despair at times when loneliness comes over him. He questions what to do and how to move forward. Losing someone is hard and I liked that he never lost his faith. It is hard to believe the trails he faced but through it he became stronger and found a renewed relationship with God.

Holly is a sweet woman who has been watching Jace’s children. It is obvious how much she loves the children and I was happy to see that her and Jace were beginning to have feelings for each other. This is where I really began to see how the enemy was working himself not only into the church but into other areas of people’s lives. For some reason a certain elder in the church is out to get Jace. He has begun to do a smear campaign in the church to have Jace fired as Youth Pastor. I was so upset with the things that were said about Jace and Holly.

It is sad that this happens today in churches. A group will get together and start finding fault with a member in the church. The rumors start and before you know it, the church is divided. We need to be careful when we hear rumors and not take part in gossip. Jace and Holly did have many friends and family praying for them which is what needed to be done.

I want to focus on something else from the story. The author took on two very hard subjects and I think she did it with grace while showing what happens when evil steps in. Everyday a child is faced with bullies and in the story several young people fell victim to being bullied. A bully will seek out someone they think they can control and scare. It was hard to watch the changes going on as one particular child stopped going to youth . He was so afraid that he would go to jail or his mom would that he cut himself off from everyone. I cried when I saw how hurt this child was and what it did to him.

The other part of the story has to deal with child pornography. It is something that makes me sick to think about. The boys involved were still young yet they seemed to not care what they were doing was wrong. They not only forced others to lie for them but threatened them if they ever told. With the help of a very strategically placed youth volunteer, the secret was exposed.

In every situation that the book explored, we see a chance to forgive or decide to hold a grudge. I loved when Jace told one person that he was forgiven before he even asked. The book is a great example of going through trails and forgiving even when you may have been hurt. Of course there is much more to the story but I wanted to highlight how important it is to forgive.

As you read the book you will see a couple face accusations that could damage their reputation. Will they be able to stand together and trust God? Will Holly be accepted by Jace’s children as their step-mother? What will happen to Jace’s job as Youth Pastor? Each question has a road that leads to forgiveness. Let us remember to forgive quickly and love unconditionally.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.