Reviews

Redemption by Karen Kingsbury

vcarter's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective

4.75

thatchickeva's review against another edition

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4.0

A good crying/getting hope book

carissadruann's review against another edition

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5.0

Great start to a series! I was unsure about this book and the affair storyline, but I was pleasantly surprised about my feelings during this book. Kari is such a wonderful, strong person it's impossible to not try to understand her actions and beliefs. At times I felt sorry for Tim and others I wanted to slap him in the face. I loved Ryan's character. And John and Elizabeth Baxter are amazing! I haven't learned enough about the rest of the siblings to form an opinion yet, but I am looking forward to Ashley and Luke's story in the next book. I definitely recommend this series!

b00kr3vi3ws's review against another edition

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3.0

http://www.b00kr3vi3ws.in/2014/01/Redemption.html

A Special Note: Redemption series is Christian Fiction. I am not Christian and I have not read the Bible. So, I am not in a position to agree or disagree with the religious side of the book and my review will be solely focus on this series as a work of fiction and my point of views on the characters/situations as a third person. I do not mean to criticize or applaud any of the religious views presented through the stories.

http://www.b00kr3vi3ws.in/2014/01/Redemption.html


Our protagonist in this first book of the series is Kari Baxter Jacobs. When she discovers that her husband has been having an affair and wants a divorce, she decides not to divorce him and instead work through their problems. She moves in with her parents, where her ex-flame, Ryan walks into her life. She also discovers that she is pregnant with her husband’s child, one that they have been trying for quite some time. The story follows Kari through her struggles with her marriage, her attraction towards Ryan and how she comes to term with everything and try to work out her problems.

My main problem with this book was Kari’s attitude towards her cheating husband. I am sorry, I do not approve of cheating in any form and I cannot fathom why she would want to continue her relationship with her husband. I mean cheating isn’t something that just happens… It requires a lot of conscious decisions, and in my book any man who has taken those conscious decisions over and over again over a period of time doesn’t deserve a second chance. A person should make an effort to work out whatever problems he had in his marriage that pushed him towards cheating instead of just going about cheating on his wife. To top it off, Tim, Kari’s husband cheats on her with his student…! That’s just not done. I get the part about forgiveness and loyalty… well forgive him and move on. Not forgive and move back in so that he can go on and continue with his ways!

Well, ranting over! Now that I have managed to get that out of my system, let me move on to the good aspects of this book. We meet a lot of character in this book. It is clear that the authors were aiming to set up a background for the other stories in the series and as such, some characters play a more important role than the others. But the leading casts of this story were all very well fleshed out. I loved to hate some of the characters in the book. The plot is pretty simple and almost predictable. I am actually happy with the ending because I don’t think that given Kari’s train of thoughts, I would have liked the ending any other way. The author’s language and style story-telling is most fascinating. It was probably the USP of the book.

Overall, this was a couple of hour’s worth of light reading for non-Christians like me. I will be picking up the next book in the series for sure.

kieraanne9's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

thesandrapages's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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blueskies01's review against another edition

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5.0

The Redemption series is an excellent series of books! A very interesting and easy read. I would highly recommend these books.

mmpascarella's review against another edition

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5.0

I just love this series so far. It's unpredictable and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time!

lara_lleverino's review against another edition

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2.0

Christian Fiction brain candy

stephanywrites's review against another edition

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3.0

This was my second time reading this and I loved it even more the second time around. It's a story about a woman who finds out her husband is cheating on her and will do everything she can to save her marriage. Not because she thinks she doesn't deserve better, but because she believes in her marriage and the sacredness of it.

The biggest theme in this book is a sentence the main character, Kari, says over and over again: "Love is a decision." It's why she is fighting for her marriage and it's a message that needs to be displayed everywhere because love IS a decision. It's not a flighty emotion, it's a decision to fight for what you believe in.

My only complaint is that there were times that the counseling sessions felt too clinical and rehearsed.

The story is one of many in the Baxter family series and I can't wait to read more!