Finding Faith, New Heights Series #3

Paula Landin-Cohen is keeping a terrible secret from her husband, and it’s tearing her marriage apart. In Finding Faith by Denise Hunter, Paula learns the importance of honesty, as well as the difficulty of possessing it. The hope of a promotion urges her to investigate the identity of a three-year-old girl called Faith, but the investigation stirs up memories that Paula has tried to bury.
The novel’s beginning was slow, but before long I couldn’t wait to see what would happen to the characters, and how all the bits of plot would fit together. Unfortunately, there are some pieces that don’t seem to fit anywhere. Paula’s marriage often seems trite and not much deeper than the fickle relationships teenagers find themselves in—fine one moment and barely intact the next.
For the most part, the characters are refreshingly imperfect. They make mistakes, suffer the consequences, and learn from the ordeals in a way that the reader can identify with. Paula is pleasant, and slightly flirtatious, but she is also a selfish woman. Her career comes first. Linn is a delightful young woman who has made some bad choices and is suffering the consequences. But though she is trying hard to get her life back on track, she finds herself falling into the same traps that led her here. David’s role as Paula’s husband is quite nondescript; he alternates between being a kind and loving mate who calls frequently and genuinely cares about Paula, to other times being a distant man who doesn’t talk to her unless he has to, depending on which would better add to the drama of the moment. And the parents of Faith are picturesque parents who truly care for their daughter, coping with her Cerebral Palsy, and who are the solid example of a good Christian couple in this story.
When Paula has a chance to leave home for awhile in hopes of a chance at her dream job, she leaves without hesitation. Not long after she moves to Chicago, she is approached by a family that is desperate to find out the real identity of their daughter, Faith. Paula agrees to help the small family, knowing that if she helps them it will nearly secure her the promotion. Yet, it is too close to her painful past for comfort. The disentanglement of events means the unraveling of everything she thought was constant in her own little world.
Finding Faith was a fun book to read. It has a good mix of serious moments and lighthearted ones. The story does mention—and features characters who participated in—abortion and adultery. Paula herself does not see anything wrong with abortion for most of the book. However neither action is portrayed in a positive light; the consequences are terrible.
Though it is book three in a series, the story stands very well on its own. It is a narrative of love and excitement, and filled with applicable truths. I would recommend this book to any woman who doesn’t mind a romance novel that delves a little deeper than most dare. – Sarah Haines, Christian Book Previews.com