Song of the Broken Hearted

About the Book:  Song of the Brokenhearted is a joint writing effort of Sheila Walsh and Cindy Martinusen Coloma.  Ava has a loving family, a beautiful house, and a solid faith.  Suddenly, her ideal life will be completely broken . . . in the best of ways.  Ava’s life is full of great things. Her daughter is getting married to just the right guy, her husband’s company has kept them financially thriving for years, her son is a freshman in high school, playing football and doing well, and the ministry she started is keeping her busy as she reaches out to those with “broken hearts.”  Then it all falls apart. Ava’s safe world becomes unanchored, and she is forced to face the childhood she’s run away from her entire life. Just as she’s trying to sift through the pieces, the doorbell rings and Ava is confronted with the surprise of her life.  Ava must set out on a journey that takes her back home—something Ava hasn’t done in twenty years. As she travels across the state of Texas, strangers offer her kindness and remind her of the meaning of hope and forgiveness.  It is in this journey back that Ava discovers God in a new way. She sees she's been hiding her brokenness behind good deeds and a safe life. Learning what it means to lose it all is just the start of Ava’s journey – as is the new song God is writing on her heart.
About the Author(s):  Sheila Walsh is a powerful Bible teacher and best-selling author from Scotland with over 4 million books sold. A featured speaker with Women of Faith® conferences, she has reached more than 3.5 million women by combining honesty, vulnerability, and humor with God's Word. Sheila is the author of the best-selling memoir Honestly, the Gold Medallion Award nominee The Heartache No One Sees, the Retailer's Choice Award nominee Beautiful Things Happen When A Woman Trusts God and the Gigi, God's Little Princess series, which has won the National Retailer's Choice Award twice and is the most popular Christian brand for young girls in the US. She just released her newest book and DVD Bible study for women The Shelter of God's Promises. In 2012, she will release her life-message book God Loves Broken People.Currently completing her Masters in Theology, Sheila lives in Frisco, Texas with her husband, Barry, her son, Christian, and her two little dogs, Belle and Tink.
Cindy Coloma began writing around 1988, working on story ideas and writing plays. Her first book was contracted in 1998. Since that time she's written 8 novels, 2 nonfiction books (coauthor) and over 100 articles, short stories, and plays. Her critically acclaimed novels have been nominated for the Christy Award and Reader's Choice Award (Romantic Times), and chosen for the List of Best Books of 2004 by Library Journal.  Her first three novels have been translated into Dutch, German, and Norwegian.
My Thoughts About The Book:  The total collapse of Ava's tidy, wonderful world hit me right between the eyes.  I truly do believe that any one of the major events she faced would have crushed her - but then from my own experiences I knew that sometimes life challenges do pile up, so that if we don't take notice of the first one, we soon find several others kicking us while we are down.  The book is designed to be enjoyed with several  hidden lessons about trusting and believing in God.  I loved the story and once I started reading it could not put it down. 
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.