About the Book

Book:  Valley of Shadows

Author: Candace West

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: March 2020

A shattered heart. A wounded spirit. A community in crisis.

Lorena Steen gave up on love years ago. She forgave her long-time estranged husband, but when circumstances bring her to the Ozark town of Valley Creek, she discovers forgiving is far from forgetting.

Haunted by his past acts of betrayal, Earl Steen struggles to grow his reclaimed faith and reinstate himself as an upstanding member of Valley Creek. He soon learns that while God’s grace is amazing, that of the small-town gossips is not.

When disaster strikes, the only logical solution is for Earl and Lorena to combine their musical talents in an effort to save the community. But even if they’re willing to work together, are they able to? Or will the shadows that descend upon Valley Creek reduce it to a ghost town.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Candace West was born in the Mississippi delta to a young minister and his wife. She grew up in small-town Arkansas and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. At twelve years old, she wrote her first story, “Following Prairie River.” In 2018, she published her debut novel Lane Steen. By weaving entertaining, hope-filled stories, Candace shares the Gospel and encourages her readers. She currently lives in Arkansas with her husband and their son along with two dogs and three bossy cats.

 

More from Candace

Why I Wrote Valley of Shadows

Can a villain become a hero? When I ended my debut novel Lane Steen, I knew someday I had to discover if a kidnapper and alcoholic was worth saving. Could that same person save a town after tragedy strikes while wrestling with his own demons?

Earl Steen had a dark valley to cross.

With a destroyed reputation, Earl must prove in Valley of Shadows that God has not wasted His efforts on him. Also, Lorena, his estranged wife, has her own score to settle. How can she when the villain no longer exists?

Nothing tugs at my heart more than lost, unrequited love. My second book focuses on their lost relationship. Earl and Lorena had haunted one another long enough. Could God mend what Earl had shattered?

Sitting down to write, I returned to Valley Creek and uncovered places within Earl’s heart that I never knew existed. Lorena’s struggles became mine as she grappled with understanding and forgiving. The dark places of their past somehow had to merge with the light of a hopeful future.

Getting Earl and Lorena to rediscover their love was a journey fraught with tension, grief, frustration, and hope. Was it worth every rewrite, every long hour staring at my computer screen waiting for my characters’ next move?

You bet!

MY REVIEW 

Get ready for a journey that is filled with emotions that reach deep into your soul.

 I know there are things in my past that I have asked for forgiveness.

 The hardest thing to do is forgive yourself. In this story Earl has done

 some unthinkable things.

 His pride gets in his way when his wife leaves him. I can’t blame Lorena for leaving Earl

 after he physically hurts her and one of the children. Anger gets the best of Earl 

when he kidnaps one of his daughter’s and runs as far away as he can.
The pain that Lorena feels is unbearable as she comes to terms with

 what her husband has done. On a trip to see her daughters she runs into

 Earl after sixteen years. This is where the meat of the story is. 

The author lets readers into Earl’s life and the struggles he has had over the years.

 Some people in the little town where he lives think of him as a drunk. 

I loved how Earl took each day with prayer and faith that God would

 redeem him and maybe people would see him in a different light.
I liked how the town came together after a tragedy destroys everything. 

Can they find a way to rebuild? It was exciting to read about the idea

 the town came up with to raise money. It puts Lorena and Earl in a difficult position

 but I know it was God's plan all along. I admire Lorena for always standing 

by her vows and never once thought of divorce. The author easily captures the deep 

hurt Lorena has felt over the years. I must say I liked Earl the most because he 

represents each of us who have traveled down the dark road where shadows follow. 

They remind us of what we have done and try to keep us from turning to God. 

It made me think of a rear view mirror. We look in it to see what is behind us .

 What if we applied that to our sins and stopped looking in that rear view 

mirror and started looking forward where forgiveness is waiting for us?
I loved the story and thought it was a great example of letting go of the past,

 forgiving and seeing people the way Jesus does. He forgives us with 

unconditional love. Earl and Lorena will both need to forgive themselves 

and each other before they can move forward . The faith element is rich 

throughout the story with glimmers of hope and restoration. Never give up hope, 

because God is a God of second chances. He can do the impossible if 

we allow ourselves to surrender to Him.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, June 22

Inklings and notions, June 23

Mary Hake, June 23

deb’s Book Review, June 24

Connie’s History Classroom, June 25

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 26

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 27

For Him and My Family, June 28

Artistic Nobody, June 29 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 29

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, June 30

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, July 1

Writing from the Heart Land, July 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 3

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, July 4

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Candace is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card, a paperback copy of Lane Steen and Valley of Shadows!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10dba/valley-of-shadows-celebration-tour-giveaway