Contributor Review - The Thorn Bearer by Pepper Basham

 

Ashley Dougall has a terminal disease and forgiveness is the only cure.

Ashley Dougall’s father stole her innocence, her selfish fiancé stole her heart, and unforgiveness is slowly stealing her life. Drawn by the desire to help others, she tries to escape haunting memories and enlists her services as a nurse in war-torn Europe. Along with her childhood friend and fiance’s brother, Samuel Miller, the fragile threads holding Ashley’s life in place one-by-one begin to snap. From the deck of the ill-fated Lusitania to the smoke-filled trenches of WWI, Ashley must choose between forgiveness of the past, life in the present, and a Savior who is willing to help her face them both.

 Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

An astonishing debut; there are no other words to describe it! "The Thorn Bearer" embodies the very best that inspirational historical romance fiction has to offer with its engaging characters, interesting and intriguing historical backdrop, a story line that moves along as naturally as the ebb and flow of an ocean wave; peaceful at best and dangerous at worst. At its core however, was the steady, resounding heartbeat of a God who loved and abided and forgave and redeemed; the deepest, darkest, most painful secrets that any woman could ever have to bear.

Ashleigh Dougall and Sam Miller have known each other for years; after all, he is her sister Catherine's fiance and has been like a big brother to Ashleigh during her childhood years in the North Carolina mountains.Following the death of her father, Ashleigh's sister and mother return to their family home in England. In the meantime, the relationship between Ashleigh and Sam incrementally changes; especially after a trip to England aboard the ill-fated Lusitania; where Ashleigh is forced to confront her past in the form of her former fiance, who whispers that he knows the Dougall family secrets. Upon arrival in England, Ashleigh's newfound attachment to Sam is challenged as her sister dallies with his affections and scorns Ashleigh's attempts at starting a new life for herself as a nurse. Her dream of establishing an orphanage; resigning herself to a life of singleness, comes from knowing that a man like Sam Miller could never accept her soiled past; it will be her thorn to carry for the rest of her life.

The story that follows is amazing; not only do Sam and Ashleigh learn to listen for God's voice and discover the power of forgiveness, but many other characters in this book experience life-changing redemption as well. There is plenty of room for this story to continue and I will be the first in line to run the next page.

It was a pleasure to receive a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. 

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Rebecca is a graduate of Bryan College with a degree in Christian Education, and is currently serving at the First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, North Carolina as the Director of Children's Ministry. With nearly 28 years of experience in her field, she has had many opportunities to use her love of reading and writing in creative ways across the generations. A wife, mother of four "nearly" grown children, and grandmother to four beautiful grandchildren, Rebecca has been able to return to her love of reading and more recently reviewing, with a renewed passion for the "beauty of story".