Keeping Faith

Niki Hershey Knisley

Description

Kingsbury meets Picoult in this compelling story about whether a young couple with everything against them can keep their faith in God and each other.

The culmination of their story points to a fairytale ending. And why shouldn’t they have one after all they’ve been through?

Gabe Scott and Faith Brooks were reunited more than a year after their relationship ended badly. In the interim, Faith had returned to her old life and was content. But there was still a part of her heart Gabe would always hold.

So, when he turned up on her doorstep a transformed man, and they rekindled their relationship, she thought since they’d already been through the fire, their future looked bright. Now he’s proposed and, with marriage and the reunion of their little family, they’re excited to move on.

But as they prepare for the wedding and seek to put their past behind them, it proves harder than expected. It seems the factors stacked against them during their engagement are following them into their marriage and Faith’s doubts are growing. Did they make a mistake? Was it too soon? Do they have too much baggage for this to work? The trust that had eroded between them the year they dated has barely had time to rebuild, and what is a relationship without trust?

Keeping their faith strong and their marriage together is draining them of the passion that once bound them so tightly. And Faith begins to struggle to recognize the person she’s becoming. Can they keep their faith in the Lord and each other together?

Amidst this turmoil, a tragic turn of events throws them into a tailspin of doubt and threatens to strip them of both their faith and their marriage. Suddenly, they’re faced with the question not of whether they’ll get their fairytale ending, but whether they’ll be together in the end at all.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Kingsbury
• Christian
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 11 avril 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665742375
• Langue: English

Extrait

Praise for the Faith Brooks Series
“Niki has an amazing understanding of God’s love for us, how he makes all things new, and how He works all things together for our good! The story of Faith and Gabe is culminated in such a real way - not ignoring the difficulties that were the result of choices made by two flawed human beings. I love how she threads scripture throughout the narrative and makes it come alive - seeing it applied to practical situations brings greater understanding to His Word. Thank you for writing a compelling trilogy that kept me engaged right to the last page! Can’t wait for your next book!”
-B e th B.
“Niki’s books are very moving and hit home. They are sure to touch many hearts.”
-L o ri M.
“I love how truth always prevails in Niki’s books. Through her characters she shows how God changes lives, from those who are far away from God to those who have been in church their whole lives and have become judgmental.”
-L eo na K.
“Niki writes with perception, insight, depth of understanding of human nature, and wisdom gained from experience and a long walk of obedience with her Lord. The dialogue between characters is fun, witty, and engaging. She develops her characters in a way the reader can not only relate to but also come away from with hope that real growth and change are possible for anyone desperate to know a loving, gracious Savior. Well done!”
-R oxan ne H.
“Brilliant!! Captivating!! I couldn’t put the book down. Niki is a very talented writer! Wish this book was required reading for teens and parents. Is your life in a hopeless situation or going smoothly? Read her book and discover for yourself what the Brooks family will do when faced with tough dilemmas and what their answer is to solve these issues…it will set you free too.”
-D eb M.
“Niki has a unique style of writing – using a different font for each different point of view for each of the characters. The story-telling blends together seamlessly. She writes in great emotional depth as she develops her characters and portrays how they interact with one another. As a reader, I was satisfied to learn how the Brooks family followed godly precepts as they navigated together (and sometimes apart) through life’s tough situations.”
-C arol yn W.
“I’m so excited for this third book! I’ve read the first two so many times and have been anticipating the release of this last one! Though I’m sad it’s the end of the series, I’ll just go back and read them all again when I’m done!”
-R eag an C.
 
Keeping Faith
 
 
Faith Brooks Series
BOOK 3
 
 
 
Niki Hershey Knisley
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2023 Niki Hershey Knisley.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6657-4236-8 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-4237-5 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023907083
 
Archway Publishing rev. date: 05/09/2023
Contents
Dedication
Prologue Faith
Chapter 1 Faith
Chapter 2 Gabe
Chapter 3 Grace
Chapter 4 Faith
Chapter 5 Grace
Chapter 6 Faith
Chapter 7 Carter
Chapter 8 Gabe
Chapter 9 Grace
Chapter 10 Ellie
Chapter 11 Faith
Chapter 12 Gabe
Chapter 13 Faith
Chapter 14 Ellie
Chapter 15 Faith
Chapter 16 Grace
Chapter 17 Gabe
Chapter 18 Faith
Chapter 19 Faith
Chapter 20 Gabe
Chapter 21 Faith
Chapter 22 Gabe
Chapter 22 Ellie
Chapter 23 Grace
Chapter 24
Chapter 25 Ellie
Chapter 26 Carter
Chapter 27 Gabe
Chapter 28 Grace
Chapter 29 Faith
Chapter 30 Gabe
Chapter 31 Faith
Acknowledgments
Reviews and Copies
Dedication
To my family: my husband Craig and boys Hudson, Ty, and Graham. I am grateful for your support. For Craig adjusting to this passion of mine that he didn’t know existed when we got married as young adults. For patience as we discerned together what exactly this “writing thing” was: a career, a passion, a calling, or a hobby. For the boys tolerating the times I spent pursuing my dream instead of playing a game or watching another fantasy or sci-fi movie with them. For all of them not taking it personally when I was much more drawn to secreting away to write or edit than cook a gormet meal or clean the house, which would have benefitted them more. While I do love all things writing, it pales in comparison to how much I love all my boys/men. You are the greatest dream I have ever sought and acheived.
Prologue Faith
Not again. This cannot possibly be happening to me again. Isn’t having your daughter’s life endangered three times before she’s even out of diapers more than anyone should have to bear?
I think I’m having a panic attack. I can’t breathe, my chest is tight, and my world is caving in. I have never felt so out of control. I have been in plenty of stressful, anxiety-ridden, painful situations in my brief twenty-one years of life (okay, most have been in the last several and self-inflicted), but never—NEVER—have I felt this depth of fear and helplessness.
They say control is an illusion. That even when we think we have great influence on a situation, in actuality, it’s much less than we imagine. We are full of our own self-importance and buy into the lie that we’re the master of our own universe. What’s the famous quote about accepting what you can’t change, having courage to change what you can, and the wisdom to know the difference? I think most of the time we don’t even try to discern the difference; we assume we can change anything. But in tragedy, there is no confidence. As there are no atheists in foxholes, there are no braggarts when a loved one is on the brink of death. I just never considered I might find myself so cruelly stripped of my surety and naked with vulnerability with such uncommon frequency.
Had I no faith, I would be hopeless as well as helpless—completely lost. I can’t even fathom the emptiness that would swallow me whole if I had no one to depend on to fix an unfixable situation but my feeble self. Blessedly, I am not. And never before have I been so dependent on His sovereignty to rule the day, which, considering my past few years of turmoil and chaos, is truly saying something!
Now all that’s left to do is entrust my sweet little girl into the Hands of the only One who could ever affect the outcome in the first place, beg for her life to be spared, and—the hardest part…to wait.
Chapter 1 Faith
This was a terrible idea!
“It’ll be fun!” they said.
“Girl bonding time,” they said.
“A great way to bring the two families together!” they said.
They were wrong.
It’s a nightmare.

“Ooh, Faith, look at this one! This is perfect!” Amanda Scott coos, for like the twentieth time today. How can she keep saying that? There’s only one perfect wedding dress for me. I just haven’t found it yet. But it definitely hasn’t been any of her suggestions!
“Perfect for whom?” Grace mutters under her breath. I elbow her and plaster on a smile.
“Okay, just a sec, I’ll come see,” I call back cheerily, hoping to mask my irritation.
I join Amanda in the next row over, willing myself to give this one a chance. She’s got to have one good find in all these choices, right? Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and all that.
But no. No such luck. This dress isn’t as gaudy as some of the previous ones, I’ll give her that. How is it, amidst hundreds of dresses, she can only surface the worst ones?
“There are no ugly wedding dresses, just as there are no ugly children,” she’d assured us as we drove to the first of five stores that day. Yes, Gabe learned to speak in clichés from his mom. Somehow, it’s become endearing coming from him, though. Her…not so much. It doesn’t help when her catch phrases just aren’t true.
“She hasn’t seen some of the kids I’ve babysat for, apparently,” Grace had whispered in the backseat next to me. I stifled a laugh and grinned at her. Mom was up front with Amanda and pretended not to hear, but I caught the corner of her mouth twitch.
I was in a much better mood then. Four stores, fifteen dresses, and two hours with Amanda Scott later… Well, let’s just say—I’m not laughing now.
I turn the dress she’s gushing about around and tilt my head. The back is kind of pretty. It’s not a bad dress, really. It’s just…not me. And the first couple times she suggested something, I was understanding. Amanda doesn’t know me very well and doesn’t know my style. But after explaining to her what I’m l