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The Captive Bird
A SHAMEFUL SECRET Jenna Ryan has a secret she plans to take to the grave, but the arrival of Matt Watson on her doorstep threatens to reveal that secret. There’s no way Jenna will fulfill Matt’s request, because doing so would threaten the fragile world she’s built. A DUTY TO FULFILL Matt Watson grew up idolizing his uncle. But as he endeavors to fulfill his uncle’s last request, Matt reveals a secret he wishes he’d never uncovered. How can a man Matt idolized have committed such an appalling act? THE CAPTIVE BIRD Jenna Ryan has created a safe haven in the north Georgia town of Walnut Hill. The victim of a devastating crime, she’s established a new life where she’s loved and admired. But her house of cards will crash around her unless she does the one thing she thinks is impossible – forgive the man who hurt her.
- GenresRomance
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2013
About the author
Claire Sanders
31 books24 followersI love to write sweet romance - both historical and contemporary. Check out my website:
www.clairesandersbooks.com
www.clairesandersbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 3, 2022
This books hits on some pretty sensitive topics and does so with honesty and realism. The haunting pain of childhood sexual abuse, the silent cry of pain, guilt and self loathing, the fear of self revelation and intimacy and the dichotomy of good and evil that can exist within the human heart. Can these emotions ever truly be healed? Can forgiveness even be possible, and for whom will the balm of forgiveness bring healing? Examine these issues with Jenna and Matt as they grapple with these questions as they learn to dare to love and to experience the hope and divine strength which they can draw upon when they have reached the end of their own. A clean, uplifting read.
February 1, 2014
The subject of sexual misdeeds plays a miniscule role in romance novels, but since the issue is part of modern life, why not? The author takes what could have been a routine happily-ever-after story and deepens it by building in a mystery and emotional turmoil. Calm, pretty, and talented Jenna Ryan, who uses her job at a bank to help many people in her small Georgia town, gets a request from doctor Matt Watson. His uncle, once a family connection to Jenna, wants to see the young woman before his terminal cancer kills him. She refuses, and thereby hangs the tale. While Matt strives to convince her to do the good deed, he comes to realize there’s more to her story, and his uncle, than he thought. A wise person once said, “Don’t be a victim, be a survivor,” and that’s what Jenna ultimately learns. Matt has lesson to learn, too, and their mutual growth coupled with an attraction between them, ultimately bring the required HEA. An interesting take on romance, much more grounded in reality than many, with Christian overtones as well.
February 10, 2014
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”
― Lewis B. Smedes, Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve
In a story of forgiveness and healing, a romance is kindled between a couple who have baggage they hardly knew they were carrying. In the US, statistics show that one out of 5 girls is a victim of childhood sexual abuse. I believe that number is actually higher, because, like the main character in this story, many victims never tell. Like the main character, I was victimized at the age of 12, and never told until well into my adulthood as well. The author portrays a realistic struggle between independence and freedom. When Jenna is faced with the secret she'd thought she'd put to rest, she discovers that her "healing" was nothing more than coping with a wound ignored. I love the clean, sweet romance in this book. It shows that courtship can happen even among modern adults. This book was hard to put down from page one, and has a satisfying ending that makes it worth the emotional struggle. Highly Recommended.
― Lewis B. Smedes, Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve
In a story of forgiveness and healing, a romance is kindled between a couple who have baggage they hardly knew they were carrying. In the US, statistics show that one out of 5 girls is a victim of childhood sexual abuse. I believe that number is actually higher, because, like the main character in this story, many victims never tell. Like the main character, I was victimized at the age of 12, and never told until well into my adulthood as well. The author portrays a realistic struggle between independence and freedom. When Jenna is faced with the secret she'd thought she'd put to rest, she discovers that her "healing" was nothing more than coping with a wound ignored. I love the clean, sweet romance in this book. It shows that courtship can happen even among modern adults. This book was hard to put down from page one, and has a satisfying ending that makes it worth the emotional struggle. Highly Recommended.
January 19, 2016
Jenna is well-respected in her community. She has great job, a nice house, and good friends. She believes she's put the past behind her until Matt Watson appears on her doorstep begging her to grant his uncle's dying wish.
Jenna refuses to comply, aware the uncle wants her forgiveness. She reasons that only God can forgive him for his abominable act. She fails to realize her own healing will never be complete without that one act of grace.
Truly worth reading! The intensity of the truth in the story tugged at my emotions.
Jenna refuses to comply, aware the uncle wants her forgiveness. She reasons that only God can forgive him for his abominable act. She fails to realize her own healing will never be complete without that one act of grace.
Truly worth reading! The intensity of the truth in the story tugged at my emotions.
August 31, 2016
Jenna is well-respected in her community. She has great job, a nice house, and good friends. She believes she's put the past behind her until Matt Watson appears on her doorstep begging her to grant his uncle's dying wish.
Jenna refuses to comply, aware the uncle wants her forgiveness. She reasons that only God can forgive him for his abominable act. She fails to realize her own healing will never be complete without that one act of grace.
Truly worth reading! The intensity of the truth in the story tugged at my emotions.
Jenna refuses to comply, aware the uncle wants her forgiveness. She reasons that only God can forgive him for his abominable act. She fails to realize her own healing will never be complete without that one act of grace.
Truly worth reading! The intensity of the truth in the story tugged at my emotions.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews