Redeeming Love

I feel like my heart has just been put through the wringer. Wow.

There are two versions of Redeeming Love: the original 1991 version, and the 1997 version that was sanitized to remove the coarse language and (very) mild love scenes to make it fit for the Inspirational market. I bought the original 1991 version, but even with it being the original, the story still has a strong religious bent, and the love scenes are not explicit but more implied.

To be honest, I put off reading this for a very long time, thinking I wouldn't enjoy it as I don't normally read Inspirational. You have only to browse my bookshelves to know I prefer books with a bit more...spice. ;-) But after reading a friend's review, and learning about the 1991 version, I became interested enough to click buy. I have to say, I'm so glad I took a chance on this one! It's such a beautiful, angst-filled, heart-wrenching love story, and I know it will stay in my memory for a very long time.

Angel has known nothing but a life of pain from the day she was born. At a very young age, she was sold into prostitution, and from that point on, lives through unspeakable horrors, at times barely surviving and often asking herself why. “Why was I even born?” is a question that often goes through her mind, and after reading about the unspeakable things and situations she's forced into time and time again, I honestly couldn't blame her.

Enter Michael Hosea.

From the moment Michael sees the beautiful golden-haired angel walking by, he knows she's the one. The one that would be his wife. How is he so certain? God tells him so.

Michael is a man of faith, and his faith is what carries him through during the duration of this story and his heartbreaking relationship with Angel. And it's his faith and steadfastness through betrayal after betrayal and hurt after hurt that finally shows Angel that he's unlike all of the other men she's known before him. He doesn't want to use her, hurt her, or take advantage of her...he only wants to love her, and have her love him back.

Having never known the true love of any man, it takes Angel a very long time to believe Michael's love is real, and even longer for her to feel she's worthy of it.

Redeeming Love is a deeply emotional roller coaster. Just when you think it can't get any worse...it does. Be prepared for some hard-core angst. Be prepared to cry. But in the end, my tears of pain turned to tears of joy as Michael and Angel walked through fire and came out strong on the other side.