Book 3 of Mended Hearts Series
Jilted is the third book in the Mended Hearts Series by Author Varina Denman. Prepare yourself for a soul wrenching finale, an in-depth look under the facade of small town U.S.A., and a look into depression and its aftermath.
JILTED, STORY LINE:
Jilted is Lynda Turner’s story. She has spent her adult life in depression and deep dark mental depression. Nothing ever seemed to last for her. As a result, Lynda always sees her glass half empty rather than half full with a crack down the side of the glass. In addition, her parents are dead and her beloved high school sweetheart jilted her. Her husband ran off leaving her in a dark depression without a way out, her married high school sweetheart chased her for years telling lies about her, and her church in Trapp ask her to leave the congregation.
Through all this her daughter has found the love of her life, Dodd. Simultaneously, Lynda has fought depression, prejudice, gossip, narrow-mindedness, and evil intent. Into all this turmoil comes Clyde Fenton, ex-con, falsely accused of rape and imprisoned for 20 years. With Gods mercy and grace Clyde has faced his own demons and revelations; his story is detailed in the previous books in this series. Finally, Clyde has now set his sights on a forever love and is determined to show Lynda the man he “can be” if she will accept him with all his faults and issues, as he accepts hers.
Come and join Lynda, Clyde, and the citizens of Trapp as two lonely damaged people face life in prejudice, close minded, gossipy, small town U. S. A.
JILTED, CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:
First of all, though a Christian book, this author knows how to teach the Christ lesson without preaching, pushing, condescending, or prodding. Consequently, this novel will appeal to any reader. Author Varina Denman has continued her heart wrenching tale of the citizens of Trapp, Texas. In this character driven novel, Ms. Denman has created a deeply emotional and satisfying story-line. In fact, Ms. Denman brings you from the lowest low to highest high and does so masterfully.
In addition, the mysteries, manipulations, evil, and secrets are finally all revealed in this third book. As a result the shocks and plots just keep coming as Ms. Denman had many threads to weave together in this book to create the finale for the story-line and Trapp. My emotions were all over the board in this book. I cried, laughed, shouted, and wanted to shake some of the characters. Ms. Denman’s characters are very real with real problems which need real solutions. This book highlights the mental illness of depression and its repercussions as Lynda comes to terms with her life and makes decisions that are life changing. Dragging yourself from the depths of despair and depression is easier said than done.
Trapp, Texas citizens have decisions to make and evil to face; will they become the Christians God intended or will they continue in their old ways. Tragedies will strike this small town, the aftermaths, and how the town resolves them will determine the fate of Trapp. Can Lynda and Clyde overcome all the evil which has tried to destroy them? Will the town of Trapp ever accept Lynda and Clyde?
Finally, Ms. Denman portrays masterfully how humans show one face to the world, when in their hearts, evil resides and has prominence. She also skillfully reveals the power of the human spirit to face and come to terms with evil, pick ourselves up, and move forward toward the life God intends for his children. Will there be a happy-ever-after for Lynda, Clyde and Trapp?
In concluding the review of Jilted I found the story never lags or slows as it surges forward to the climax. The characters are well-developed and the story-line was intriguing as it grabs you from the first pages.
JILTED, RECOMMENDATION: 5 + STARS
Lastly, I hope this review has inspired you to buy this book and the previous 2 books in this series. You will not regret the purchase. This book is a standalone, however, reading all three will increase your enjoyment of the story-line and characters. I highly recommend Jilted and the series to anyone that likes a solid, well-written and developed story-line. In addition, Jillted, will keep you on the edge of your seat as you unravel the mysteries and secrets. I couldn’t put this book down; consequently I read it straight through.
Final Note: I received this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest book review. All book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion; in addition, all book reviews on line and on my blog under my name are my opinion.