Inspy Romance

Inspy Romance—Fall in Love With a Good Book

Book Recommendation – A Handful of Hope by Elizabeth Maddrey + gift card #giveaway

by

Narelle here. Today I’m sharing with you my book recommendation for A Handful of Hope by Elizabeth Maddrey. This wasn’t the post I’d planned to share today. I changed my mind last weekend after we recorded a bunch of StoryChats @ InspyRomance podcast/YouTube episodes that included an upcoming episode #20 on Mental Illness with Jaycee Weaver (releasing Friday, May 7).

We’re including a $25 Amazon gift card giveaway with my post – see details on how to enter (which includes being a YouTube subscriber and commenting on our StoryChats @ InspyRomance YouTube channel) at the end of my post.

Book Description:

She wants to be worth loving.

Repeated heartbreak has convinced Jen Andrews she’s unlovable. When the groomsman she’s paired with at her best friend’s wedding shows interest, she wonders how long it will be before he realizes his mistake.

David Pak is ready to settle down with the right woman. After a disastrous first date with Jen, he’s determined to look elsewhere. But he’s haunted by the wounded look in her eyes.

How will David set aside his hesitations and see past Jen’s barriers to find love? And if he tries, will she let him?

A Handful of Hope is the fourth book in the Taste of Romance series of contemporary Christian romance novels set in the metro Washington, D.C. area. If you like stories of love and hope in the fast-paced modern world with realistic characters and heartwarming romance, then you’ll love Elizabeth Maddrey’s latest journey with this beloved circle of friends.

Narelle’s Thoughts:

I enjoyed reading A Handful of Hope (A Taste of Romance Book 4) and journeying with Jen and David in their friends-to-more romance set in metro Washington D.C. area. Jen and David are paired up at a friend’s wedding and the initial spark of attraction is there. They also work for the same company on different floors. Their work connection provides opportunities to see each other around their busy jobs.

Jen and David’s romance is unique and challenging for a couple of reasons. David has Korean heritage and his family expects him to marry a nice Korean girl from their church. Jen is struggling with depression that can impact on her ability to socialise. She does her best to hide her symptoms, but there are times when it becomes too much. We’re given an insight into what’s happening in her life when she retreats to her home with her adorable dog, Tribble, for company.

I also empathised with Jen when she had to cope with the careless words and opinions of people in her circle of family and friends who lacked insight and understanding of her mental illness. I loved how Jen didn’t take on board the unhelpful comments made by Christians who just didn’t get it. The stigma of mental illness is handled with sensitivity and the story has a strong Biblical foundation.

I loved how David didn’t give up on Jen. He took the time to understand the why’s behind Jen’s words and actions. The easy option for David would have been to let Jen push him away. Instead, he makes the heroic decision to choose the road less traveled. And he shows he cares for her by doing things like cleaning her kitchen without being asked.

I recently reread this book and remembered why I haven’t read book 5 in the series – A Tidbit of Trust. The heroine in book 5, Sara, is one of Jen’s best friends. I was so mad with Sara for what she did to Jen in this story that I couldn’t bring myself to read Sara’s romance story. While rereading A Handful of Hope, I remembered why I was cranky with Sara for saying things to Jen that were mean and insensitive, especially considering Jen’s struggle with depression.

Elizabeth Maddrey has encouraged me to give A Tidbit of Trust a chance after I mentioned my issues with Sara during our upcoming StoryChats @ Inspy Romance episode #20 on Mental Illness with Jaycee Weaver.

I highly recommend A Handful of Hope to readers looking for a contemporary Christian romance that handles the issue of depression with sensitivity and Biblical truth.

Questions for you: Have you read A Handful of Hope? Have you read many CCR (contemporary Christian romance) books that include characters who struggle with depression? Have you ever skipped a book or jumped forward to read a book in a series because you had a strong emotional reaction (negative or positive) to the main character when you met them as a minor character in an earlier book? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

$25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway – open until Monday May 9, 2021.

We’re giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one winner who completes the following steps:

  1. Subscribes (or is a currently subscriber) to our StoryChats @ InspyRomance YouTube channel.
  2. Leaves a comment on any of our StoryChats @ InspyRomance YouTube episodes.
  3. Leaves a comment on this post to let us know the YouTube episode number where they commented (to make sure we don’t miss seeing your YouTube comment).

The giveaway is open until May 9 and the winner announced in the following Sunday Edition.

We currently have 88 YouTube subscribers. We’d love to reach 100+ YouTube subscribers so we can name our channel (instead of the channel name link being a long and random alpha numeric combination).

Elizabeth, Valerie and I have lots of fun recording the episodes. We appreciate everyone who takes the time to listen to our podcast and/or watch on YouTube. We also thank our subscribers who support us by sharing the episode links on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Narelle Atkins (199 Posts)

A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and international locations.


Comments

  3. I have listened to a few of the podcasts and have subscribed. I did comment earlier this week on episode 17. I have also listened to this weeks episode.

  4. I subscribed and listened and commented on episode 11. I’m looking forward to Jaycee’s, since I have friends with depression issues, and they’ve said they’ve had experiences where fellow believers have told them they don’t enough faith.

  8. Hi Trudy, I’m sorry to hear about your friends and their experiences with being told they don’t have enough faith. I will admit I did get a bit worked up about this issue when we were chatting with Jaycee about how some Christians respond to the issue of mental illness. Interestingly, I completely lost my Internet connection and sound toward the end of the episode. This may have been a blessing because I’d said my two cents and then had a chance to calm down and process what I’d learned. All that to say it’s a great episode with a lot of food for thought. Thanks for subscribing and commenting at YouTube. 😊

  9. Episode 10 Proposals with Toni Shiloh. Watched it but didn’t comment. This book sounds very intriguing and I love the book cover. Have a Great weekend and stay safe.

  11. I subscribed to Story Chats on Facebook. I commented on Episode 18. Every once in a while when I have some quiet time I will catch up on videos on YouTube!

  12. I have not read A Handful Of Hope yet but it sounds like I need to add it to my TBR pile. Also, I don’t think I’ve read too many books that feature a character who battles depression. And yes, there’s been a book series where I wasn’t enthusiastic about reading the next book because I didn’t like the character…..but I’ve been surprised by the ending and was glad I gave it a chance. I love when an author redeems a character :-)

    I am a current subscriber to your Youtube channel, I commented on episode 17: Trigger Warnings and CCR with special guess Liwen Ho. Thank you for the giveaway chance!

  13. I commented on Episode 18. I love your post today, and now I just have to go back and look at Elizabeth’s books you mentioned. Pretty sure I’ve read Sara’s story…but can’t remember it. Lol.
    I must say I love all the Inspy blogs and podcasts. You girls are fabulous.
    PS Would love to see Dan Walsh on InspyChats, or is his genre out of the scope?

  14. Thank you so much for sharing your time and your talent. God bless you. I am signed up for your You tube channel. I left a comment on the Split Time romance.

  15. Hi Alicia, It’s a pretty cover and great story. I hope you’ll have a chance to read A Handful of Hope. Thanks for watching our Proposals episode. Enjoy your weekend. 😊

  17. Hi Patty, Thanks for subscribing and commenting here and at YouTube. I’d estimate, since we’re up to Episode 18 and occasionally run longer than our target of 30 minutes per episode, that we’d have around ten hours of YouTube viewing on our channel. Happy viewing. 😊

  18. Hi Trixi, I hope you’ll have a chance to read A Handful of Hope. It’s also available in a box set – A Taste of Romance Books 4 & 5. I’m glad the author did a great job redeeming the character in the story you enjoyed. Thanks for subscribing and commenting here and at YouTube. 😊

  19. I have not read that book but have read a lot of CCR books & series. I missed when the live You tube episodes have been on but would love to watch them for sure.

  20. Hi Margaret, Yes, definitely revisit the books in Elizabeth’s A Taste of Romance series. Sara’s story is near the top of my TBR list. I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog posts and podcasts. If Dan Walsh is writing CCR, we’d welcome him as a podcast guest to talk about one of his books. By memory his recent series with the adorable dogs on the covers are sweet/clean contemporary romance, but I may be mistaken? Thanks for commenting here and at YouTube. 😊

  22. Hi Amy, I hope you’ll have a chance to read A Handful of Hope. We pre-record the podcast/YouTube episodes and release them weekly on Friday mornings (US time). Maybe one day we’ll be brave and record live? We have 18 episodes available at our YouTube channel that can be watched any time. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  23. I haven’t read the book but can understand how people make the comments. I have a few friends who suffer badly from depression and it is sometimes hard to be a supportive friend. I have one who asks for help and suggestions but doesn’t really want them so have learnt to avoid subjects. I have found it hard to read more by a couple of authors when the books all seemed to deal with characters dying and spending so much about the treatments and other dying people. I could probably read them now but I still remember the feelings I had at the time (due to mum dying and passing around when I was reading them).

  24. I haven’t read it, but I love the title. I have friends diagnosed with mental illnesses and it never fails to surprise me how their families often simply ignore their illness in hope it will go away. I found a friend in tears one day because after 5 years her father mentioned he had read an article and never realised that behavior was part of her illness, she was so happy he had finally acknowledged her illness. I think there is so much ignorance about it and unknowing cruelty from that. Not on YouTube.

  26. I have not read it. I don’t avoid books with characters who have characteristics which bring out an emotional reaction–good or bad.

  27. Hi Jenny, It can be tricky to navigate friendships, and I’m glad you’ve found positive ways to support your friend. There are seasons when it’s best to avoid topics and issues that we know are too close to home. If I know a main character, or a character who has been a main character in a previous book in the series, is going to pass away during the story, I will brace myself and push through with a box of tissues close by. I’ll sometimes put off reading future books in the series that will be dealing with the grief etc. When I have the emotional energy, I’ll consider tackling the heavier reads.

  28. Hi Dianne, My heart goes out to people who are struggling with mental illness and don’t have supportive family or friends who can help them. Denial of mental illness is unfortunately common, although the denial is not necessarily because the person doesn’t care or want to help. Family members also need help and support in caring for their loved ones who have a mental illness. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  31. This is a topic close to home because I have a fairly long history with brain illness (perhaps a better term since it is more specific and less stigmatized). The struggle in church settings is that brain illness can go on for a long time and it seems to challenge how people view God’s power or willingness to heal. It can also come across as the person being “needy”.

    “Didn’t we already help them once? When are they going to get their act together?”

    Getting the right medical assessment and help along with knowing that God’s love for you is never in question go a long way to living life with what may well be a chronic condition. When there is also someone who loves you regardless? That is pure gold to the heart!

  32. Hi Lincoln, Yes! I one hundred percent agree with your perspective. In the upcoming podcast on mental illness, I talk about my mother’s experiences. Her strong faith is what has sustained her through very difficult and challenging circumstances. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us. 😊

  33. I’ve really enjoyed listening to the podcasts since it started. I don’t usually watch on YouTube, but went back and watched the alpha males episode and commented on it. That episode has been one of my favorites because I had no idea I had so many thoughts about alpha males before listening to it.

  34. Hi Melynda, We’re glad you’re enjoying our podcast. The alpha males episode with Liwen is a fun episode. Thanks for commenting here and at YouTube. 😊

  35. I really enjoy listening to the podcast. I have commented under the name Mariléne VE on the 19th episode. Thank you so much for making a podcast!

  37. I enjoyed the podcasts and have subscribed. I commented on podcast number 18.

  38. I am listening to Episode 18 right now. I really didn’t realize there was an entire channel until today. Oops. Now subscribed. I left a comment as writer girl 2006

Discover more from Inspy Romance

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading