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My Heart Weeps
When life takes everything, your world stops. Can a retreat heal the broken lives of two wounded souls?
Melena Rhyker’s world shattered the day her husband died. Lost without the man of her dreams, she digs deep to find a path out of her sorrow. Discovering an artistic retreat, she vows to find a reason to carry on and focus her life in a new direction. Can she heal her own heart, and find her new beginning?
Garrett Saunders knows pain. He’s spent most of his life hiding from his past. Regrets and lies haunt him, but he longs to leave them behind and embrace his true self. Will Melena’s efforts to rebuild her life in the face of such grief encourage him to exorcise his own demons of guilt and shame?
Will two hurting people find peace, wholeness and perhaps love in the heart of Texas?
Get Pamela Thibodeaux's second chance women’s fiction novel today and see how love and faith conquers all.
Melena Rhyker’s world shattered the day her husband died. Lost without the man of her dreams, she digs deep to find a path out of her sorrow. Discovering an artistic retreat, she vows to find a reason to carry on and focus her life in a new direction. Can she heal her own heart, and find her new beginning?
Garrett Saunders knows pain. He’s spent most of his life hiding from his past. Regrets and lies haunt him, but he longs to leave them behind and embrace his true self. Will Melena’s efforts to rebuild her life in the face of such grief encourage him to exorcise his own demons of guilt and shame?
Will two hurting people find peace, wholeness and perhaps love in the heart of Texas?
Get Pamela Thibodeaux's second chance women’s fiction novel today and see how love and faith conquers all.
266 pages, ebook
Published August 18, 2020
6 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Pamela S. Thibodeaux
33 books155 followersAward winning Author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers' Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction and creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, "Inspirational with an Edge!" and reviewed as "steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message."
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 19, 2020
“My Heart Weeps” is a heart-wrenching story of love, loss and finding one’s way out of the darkness with the help of faith, family and friends, old and new.
Read full review in the 2020 Summer issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2020 Summer issue of InD'tale Magazine.
July 11, 2020
Melena Rhyker's life is torn apart when her husband dies. Overcome with grief, she retreats inside herself and her home. No one can console her, not even her family, her best friend, or her faith. Months go by and it's not until she's accepted into a residency at an artist's retreat in Texas that she takes a tentative step out of her grief. She's unsure what will happen but puts her trust in the Lord. She rediscovers a part of herself she long thought dead. She emerges from the ground like a fragile flower but drowns in her grief when she returns home. A position opens up at the same retreat and she jumps at it. Two men show romantic interest in her but she feels like she's betraying her husband's memory if she pursues a relationship. Can her faith be restored and more importantly, can she open her heart to love again?
My Heart Weeps is a beautiful story about devastating loss and working through grief to embrace peace, love, and grace. My heart broke for Melena so many times while reading, I was emotionally spent partway through reading. But it's this connection with Melena's grief that makes this such an incredible story. Losing the love of your life and then rebuilding your life after such a loss is the main theme of My Heart Weeps. The characters in My Heart Weeps are fleshed out and add such depth to the story. Emotional, heartfelt narration kept me turning the pages. The ending made my heart soar and my faith was boosted simply by reading My Heart Weeps. If you're a fan of Catherine Marshall, you'll love this story. Highly recommend!
My Rating: 5+ stars
Reviewed by: Mrs. N
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...
My Heart Weeps is a beautiful story about devastating loss and working through grief to embrace peace, love, and grace. My heart broke for Melena so many times while reading, I was emotionally spent partway through reading. But it's this connection with Melena's grief that makes this such an incredible story. Losing the love of your life and then rebuilding your life after such a loss is the main theme of My Heart Weeps. The characters in My Heart Weeps are fleshed out and add such depth to the story. Emotional, heartfelt narration kept me turning the pages. The ending made my heart soar and my faith was boosted simply by reading My Heart Weeps. If you're a fan of Catherine Marshall, you'll love this story. Highly recommend!
My Rating: 5+ stars
Reviewed by: Mrs. N
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...
June 25, 2020
Through the darkness of grief, there is light.
Pamela S Thibodeaux takes you on a widow’s journey in MY HEART WEEPS, that I am all too familiar with. Melena Rhyker has lost her husband, her soulmate, and best friend. She feels as if her life is now over and there is nothing left for her. If not for her children and grandchildren Melena pushes on with her empty life every day even as dark thoughts invade her mind. It is when her best friend, Pat, encourages Melena to apply for a grant for residency at an artist’s retreat that she finds her way to her Chapter 2 at the Crossed Penn Ranch. Former CIA agent and Native American, Garrett Saunders has demons of his own to exorcise. Using his eye for photography, Garrett is swept off his feet the moment he meets Melena. Can two hurt souls trust enough to find love and peace together?
I loved this book and I’m sure you will as well.
I was given an advance copy for an honest review.
Pamela S Thibodeaux takes you on a widow’s journey in MY HEART WEEPS, that I am all too familiar with. Melena Rhyker has lost her husband, her soulmate, and best friend. She feels as if her life is now over and there is nothing left for her. If not for her children and grandchildren Melena pushes on with her empty life every day even as dark thoughts invade her mind. It is when her best friend, Pat, encourages Melena to apply for a grant for residency at an artist’s retreat that she finds her way to her Chapter 2 at the Crossed Penn Ranch. Former CIA agent and Native American, Garrett Saunders has demons of his own to exorcise. Using his eye for photography, Garrett is swept off his feet the moment he meets Melena. Can two hurt souls trust enough to find love and peace together?
I loved this book and I’m sure you will as well.
I was given an advance copy for an honest review.
November 9, 2020
What a beautiful, heartwarming story. Melena’s husband dies and leaves her heartbroken. She doesn’t know how she will carry on. A wonderful book for everyone.
July 14, 2020
Melena “Mel” Rhyker expected to live out her life beside her beloved Jon. When he dies in middle age, she feels like a part of her has been ripped out. She’s been “Mel and Jon” so long she doesn’t know how to be “Mel,” and she doesn’t particularly want to learn.
For weeks she mourns Jon, self-medicating and closing herself off from even the other people who loved him. Her best friend Pat returns from a mission trip and provides the listening ear Mel needs, and more: she encourages her, without pushing, to get on with her life.
Mel begins to take baby steps, and then graduates herself to a big step: she revives her long-suppressed interest and ability in art, and applies for a grant to an artists’ retreat at the Crossed Penn Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. To her amazement, she’s accepted. She has butterflies in her stomach at such a new adventure, by herself, but she knows it is now or never.
And the “now” turns out to be delightful, as Mel settles in to the guest ranch and realizes that her talent was dormant, not dead. Something else isn’t dead, either: the still-attractive widow draws the attention of not one but two cowboys. One is a little younger than she, the other her age and hot.
Can Melena move past her grief to accept all that God and life have for her now?
There is a lot to like here. The friend Pat has a no-nonsense air, but she’s not above quoting a little Scripture. She’s the kind of best friend anyone would love to have, loyal and unshakeable. She even goes to the ranch with Mel a couple of times.
The dude ranch/art retreat sounds absolutely perfect, and the reader will find herself wishing it was real. It’s good to see Melena find a new place to belong, where she can be just “Mel.” It’s also a good peek into life at an artists’ retreat.
The novel is a deep dive into bereavement, something Thibodeaux has personally experienced. She explores the emotional, financial and spiritual effect on a widow, especially a relatively young one. While keeping to CBA standards, the book also handles the physical needs of a still-young woman.
“My Heart Weeps” also explores the psyche of Garrett, the male lead, a still-hunky cowboy at 50. Garrett grapples with his background of abuse and neglect and what it means to be a Native American man in today’s society. He hides his gifts until Mel and the folk at Crossed Penn persuade him to share them again.
And the novel stays true to its signature verse, Jeremiah 29:11. While Mel mourns the good life she lost, she is able to move on to the abundant riches God has for those who serve Him.
This is a good women’s fiction offering from a seasoned author.
“My Heart Weeps”
By Pamela S. Thibodeaux
Temperance Publishing
Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN #978-1-7342451-5-8
For weeks she mourns Jon, self-medicating and closing herself off from even the other people who loved him. Her best friend Pat returns from a mission trip and provides the listening ear Mel needs, and more: she encourages her, without pushing, to get on with her life.
Mel begins to take baby steps, and then graduates herself to a big step: she revives her long-suppressed interest and ability in art, and applies for a grant to an artists’ retreat at the Crossed Penn Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. To her amazement, she’s accepted. She has butterflies in her stomach at such a new adventure, by herself, but she knows it is now or never.
And the “now” turns out to be delightful, as Mel settles in to the guest ranch and realizes that her talent was dormant, not dead. Something else isn’t dead, either: the still-attractive widow draws the attention of not one but two cowboys. One is a little younger than she, the other her age and hot.
Can Melena move past her grief to accept all that God and life have for her now?
There is a lot to like here. The friend Pat has a no-nonsense air, but she’s not above quoting a little Scripture. She’s the kind of best friend anyone would love to have, loyal and unshakeable. She even goes to the ranch with Mel a couple of times.
The dude ranch/art retreat sounds absolutely perfect, and the reader will find herself wishing it was real. It’s good to see Melena find a new place to belong, where she can be just “Mel.” It’s also a good peek into life at an artists’ retreat.
The novel is a deep dive into bereavement, something Thibodeaux has personally experienced. She explores the emotional, financial and spiritual effect on a widow, especially a relatively young one. While keeping to CBA standards, the book also handles the physical needs of a still-young woman.
“My Heart Weeps” also explores the psyche of Garrett, the male lead, a still-hunky cowboy at 50. Garrett grapples with his background of abuse and neglect and what it means to be a Native American man in today’s society. He hides his gifts until Mel and the folk at Crossed Penn persuade him to share them again.
And the novel stays true to its signature verse, Jeremiah 29:11. While Mel mourns the good life she lost, she is able to move on to the abundant riches God has for those who serve Him.
This is a good women’s fiction offering from a seasoned author.
“My Heart Weeps”
By Pamela S. Thibodeaux
Temperance Publishing
Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN #978-1-7342451-5-8
November 12, 2020
My Heart Weeps is a beautifully written story, full of emotion. We weep along with Melenia as she struggles with grief and despair, and we find hope along with her as she finds there is life after losing a spouse. She finds her way to an artists’ retreat, and we read the following “Unlike the acute, empty silence at home, this seemed more like an expectant pause, a moment pregnant with promise.” The writing and the story are five stars, but a few things bothered me. There are some wonderful Christian messages, but also some concerning non-Biblical ones. I was surprised to find a few cases of profanity sprinkled throughout. One of the characters expounds the “Bible is the inspired word of God, but is written by man … and has been translated so many times there’s not a bit of telling what is in the original texts and what isn’t.” If that’s the case, then what authority could the Bible have, and why should we follow it? If God could create the heavens and the earth, He is certainly able to preserve His word. That same character later counsels her friend that sex is a natural extension of a relationship, and not every connection has to end in marriage, which is clearly unbiblical, and the main character does point that out as such. At one point, one of the characters has a vision of danger and calls on “the Archangel Michael” to intervene. 1 Timothy 2:5 says “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” In another place, the main character says “I just want to do what’s right.” “By whose standards?” she was asked, and she shrugs. She is then told “At some point in our lives, in our spiritual journey, we have to set our own standards.” She asks how, and is told “ask, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, your angels, and/or spirit guides – whatever term or terms you use to connect to your Divine Source for guidance.” I enjoyed the book, and as said before, it is very well written, but Christian readers should approach it with caution.
August 2, 2020
Melena Rhyker has just lost her husband Jonathan to a blood infection and is overcome with grief. Even her children, grandchildren and religion cannot console her. She falls into a deep depression, even quitting her job.
Five months later, she receives a grant for a residency at an artist’s retreat in Texas. She puts her faith in God and accepts. Melena has never been away from home before. However, the experience proves to be a positive one. When offered a job at the ranch, she accepts and continues to pursue her art.
Two cowboys show a romantic interest in her, but Melena feels guilty, as if she would be disloyal to the memory of her husband. Garrett emerges as a well-developed character. A fellow artist, cowboy, former DEA and CIA agent, Garrett has a troubled past of family tragedy that he needs to work through with the advice and help of his Native American grandfather. Garrett helps Melena overcome sleepwalking and supports her through his friendship.
Partly based on the author’s own personal experience of losing her husband, My Heart Weeps is a touching story of overcoming grief. It appeals to all human beings who must come to terms with the death of a loved one. This novel offers a positive, uplifting experience.
Five months later, she receives a grant for a residency at an artist’s retreat in Texas. She puts her faith in God and accepts. Melena has never been away from home before. However, the experience proves to be a positive one. When offered a job at the ranch, she accepts and continues to pursue her art.
Two cowboys show a romantic interest in her, but Melena feels guilty, as if she would be disloyal to the memory of her husband. Garrett emerges as a well-developed character. A fellow artist, cowboy, former DEA and CIA agent, Garrett has a troubled past of family tragedy that he needs to work through with the advice and help of his Native American grandfather. Garrett helps Melena overcome sleepwalking and supports her through his friendship.
Partly based on the author’s own personal experience of losing her husband, My Heart Weeps is a touching story of overcoming grief. It appeals to all human beings who must come to terms with the death of a loved one. This novel offers a positive, uplifting experience.
August 2, 2025
Pamela Thibodeaux delivers a touching and heartfelt journey of grief, healing, and unexpected love in My Heart Weeps. This women's fiction novel tackles the emotional devastation of loss and the tentative steps toward rediscovery with compassion, authenticity, and spiritual depth.
Melena Rhyker is a widow whose world has come to a standstill. Her journey from heartache to healing begins at an artistic retreat in Texas—a setting that serves as both a literal and symbolic landscape for her transformation. Thibodeaux beautifully captures the complexities of grief: the numbness, the longing, and the slow reawakening of hope.
Enter Garrett Saunders, a man equally haunted by pain and remorse. Their meeting is not a sweeping romance, but a slow-burning connection rooted in shared sorrow and the desire to move forward. The author skillfully develops their bond with emotional realism, allowing their growth to unfold naturally through moments of vulnerability, reflection, and faith.
Faith plays a central role in My Heart Weeps, but it’s never forced. Instead, it’s a gentle undercurrent that offers light in dark places—making the novel not just a story of love, but also one of spiritual renewal and emotional resilience.
This is a novel for anyone who has faced loss, questioned their purpose, or longed for a second chance. It’s about finding peace in brokenness and learning to live—and love—again.
Final Thoughts:
A moving and inspirational read, My Heart Weeps offers a powerful reminder that even in our darkest seasons, healing is possible—and sometimes, love comes when we least expect it. Perfect for fans of emotionally rich, faith-infused fiction.
Melena Rhyker is a widow whose world has come to a standstill. Her journey from heartache to healing begins at an artistic retreat in Texas—a setting that serves as both a literal and symbolic landscape for her transformation. Thibodeaux beautifully captures the complexities of grief: the numbness, the longing, and the slow reawakening of hope.
Enter Garrett Saunders, a man equally haunted by pain and remorse. Their meeting is not a sweeping romance, but a slow-burning connection rooted in shared sorrow and the desire to move forward. The author skillfully develops their bond with emotional realism, allowing their growth to unfold naturally through moments of vulnerability, reflection, and faith.
Faith plays a central role in My Heart Weeps, but it’s never forced. Instead, it’s a gentle undercurrent that offers light in dark places—making the novel not just a story of love, but also one of spiritual renewal and emotional resilience.
This is a novel for anyone who has faced loss, questioned their purpose, or longed for a second chance. It’s about finding peace in brokenness and learning to live—and love—again.
Final Thoughts:
A moving and inspirational read, My Heart Weeps offers a powerful reminder that even in our darkest seasons, healing is possible—and sometimes, love comes when we least expect it. Perfect for fans of emotionally rich, faith-infused fiction.
August 2, 2025
My Heart Weeps is a tender and emotionally compelling novel that speaks to anyone who’s ever faced the crushing weight of grief and the fragile hope of starting over. Pamela Thibodeaux masterfully weaves a story of second chances, emotional healing, and the quiet, persistent power of faith.
Melena Rhyker’s pain is raw and relatable—she’s a widow whose life stopped the moment her husband died. Her decision to attend an artistic retreat feels like an act of desperation, but it becomes a brave first step toward healing. There, surrounded by nature and creativity, she begins the long journey of rediscovery.
Garrett Saunders is a man burdened by secrets and regret. When he and Melena cross paths, what begins as mutual respect for each other’s sorrow slowly blossoms into something deeper. Their connection isn’t rushed; it unfolds with a beautiful honesty that makes it feel genuine and earned.
Thibodeaux’s strength lies in her sensitive portrayal of grief and personal transformation. The retreat setting adds a calming, restorative atmosphere that mirrors the characters’ internal growth. Themes of faith, forgiveness, and the quiet emergence of new love are handled with care and sincerity.
Melena Rhyker’s pain is raw and relatable—she’s a widow whose life stopped the moment her husband died. Her decision to attend an artistic retreat feels like an act of desperation, but it becomes a brave first step toward healing. There, surrounded by nature and creativity, she begins the long journey of rediscovery.
Garrett Saunders is a man burdened by secrets and regret. When he and Melena cross paths, what begins as mutual respect for each other’s sorrow slowly blossoms into something deeper. Their connection isn’t rushed; it unfolds with a beautiful honesty that makes it feel genuine and earned.
Thibodeaux’s strength lies in her sensitive portrayal of grief and personal transformation. The retreat setting adds a calming, restorative atmosphere that mirrors the characters’ internal growth. Themes of faith, forgiveness, and the quiet emergence of new love are handled with care and sincerity.
June 22, 2021
Melena a retreats inside her self and her home when her husband dies.
A long ago dream as an artist, brings it to light at a retreat. Meeting
Garrett, a photographer. The hurt they both have, a story of finding forgiveness and letting the past go for new beginnings. A delightful
story to enjoy.
A long ago dream as an artist, brings it to light at a retreat. Meeting
Garrett, a photographer. The hurt they both have, a story of finding forgiveness and letting the past go for new beginnings. A delightful
story to enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews