"For All Eternity"

Almond Tree Series #1

by June Foster

Description

When Joella Crawford meets handsome accountant, JD Neilson, he's the man of her dreams—polite and clean cut with strong moral values. He's the perfect Christian man. Or is he? 

JD Neilson falls in love with interior designer, Joella Crawford despite his father's command to marry a woman of his faith, the one true church, the Exalted Brethren. Yet despite his efforts to gain status in the afterlife, he can't attain the quiet peace he sees in Joella's life. Can he find the strength to forsake the teachings of his childhood to embrace The Truth? If he does, will Joella accept him or has he lost her forever? 

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Biography

An award-winning author, June Foster is also a retired teacher with a BA in Education and a MA in counseling. In 2013, June's book Give Us This Day was a finalist in EPIC's eBook awards and in 2014 a finalist in the National Readers Choice Awards for best first book. Ryan's Father won The Clash of the Titles book of the month for 2014 and is one of three finalists in the published contemporary fiction category of the 2014 Oregon Christian Writers Cascade Writing Contest and Awards. June has written four novels for Desert Breeze Publishing. The Bellewood Series, Give Us This Day, As We Forgive, and Deliver Us, and Hometown Fourth of July. Ryan's Father is available from WhiteFire Publishing. Red and the Wolf, a modern day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, is available from Amazon.com. June loves to write stories about characters who overcome the circumstances in their lives by the power of God and His Word. June uses her training in counseling and her Christian beliefs in creating characters who find freedom to live godly lives.

Website: http://junefoster.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/june.foster.92?ref=br_rs

My Thoughts ~

Joella Crawford is an interior designer and devout Christian. JD Neilson is an accountant and member of the Exalted Brethren church, a cult devoid of biblical teaching and beliefs. Their lives literally collide on the walking/bike path on campus. Both share strong moral values and are devoted to their respective faith walks, and both hold deep secrets that could ruin any chance for a future relationship.

I had a difficult time getting started in this book, but just as I questioned whether I wanted to continue reading the story took hold and held my attention to the very end. June Foster paints a vivid picture of the Exalted Brethren and how the family unit is affected throughout a lifetime as a member of the cult. As strong Christian values and beliefs compare many lives are affected by the differences between those beliefs. 

The author built upon her characters' beliefs and expectations for their respective futures. Additionally, family members and friends were an integral part of this story, holding true to the values of their faith and beliefs. A story of conflict and an emotional roller coaster kept me questioning JD's motives and his deception where Joella was concerned. There were times that I was disgusted with JD and found him to be far from the man we meet in the beginning of this book. 

If you love Christian fiction, you'll thoroughly enjoy this book of faith and Christian convictions. It is well written and brings out the differences and strengths in the lives of Christians versus non-Christians. I was a bit distracted with a lack of some additional editing, but it didn't detract from the story. I rated this book 4 stars.

Disclaimer: Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All expressed opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.