Receive A Tumbled Stone (One Smooth Stone #2) Author Marcia Lee Laycock Disseminated As Script

Tumbled Stone by Marcia Lee Laycock
Book starts out with Andrea in the Saskatchewan wilds where she lives with her foster parents,
She's in charge of the farm animals and they are cruel and it's hard work,
Desolate prairies and barren lands and she's pregnant from her boyfriend and she will be leaving for a year to stay with the sister of the foster mother,
Story also follows Alex and he's on his way to find his sisterhe assumes she was also put in foster care when they were younger,
Alternating chapters and Andrea learns from her new location that God is not mad at her and she has friends who help her understand God,
Alex and his wife are on the trail and know where she was prior to leaving the area, . .
Andrea brings them all together over time and she has choices and many options from all directions, Like that the characters are not all thrown together in one big lump but gradually so you can get their story down before others are introduced,
Like the fact that family matters and how it helps here, Love how they list the pro and cons of the situation and it helps clear her mind, also praying to God,
Love what the stone does for her, . . Story has a bit of everything for your reading pleasure: romance, travel, family situations, mysteries, and forgiveness,
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end,
Received this review copy from the author via The Book Club Network and this is my honest opinion,

A Tumbled Stone is the second book in a two book series by Marcia Lee Haycock, One Smooth Stone, the first book in the series, won the Best New Canadian Christian Fiction Author Award,

Both stories feature Alex, a young man, abandoned by his parents as a child and then brought up in foster care where he suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
Not surprisingly, he has some rage and anger management issues but as Alex matures and meets positive and supportive people, he begins to turn his life award,

In this second book Alex is newly married to Kenni, who was introduced in the first book, The plot revolves around Kenni and Alexs attempts to find Andrea Alexs sister who he just recently learned of her existence,

The story is a mystery but it is not of the thriller genre with lots of twists and turns, Rather it is a story that the author slowly develops, Despite the slower pace, the author kept me wanting to read more and I enjoyed reading what she had written, Laycock introduces a number of interesting, multidimensional characters, Most characters are every day folk, who live in rural Manitoba farmers and their families who work hard and love the land, Andrea was raised by foster parents on a farm in the rural countryside and loves all that it entails, She loves nature the animals, birds and landscape and also the chores and helping her foster parents run a family farm, As with many families, problems sometimes and secrets withheld from other family members, Being a Christian Fiction book there is a strong emphasis on Christianity, but in this particular story, it is a Christian faith rooted in fear and rules one of the primary causes of the family differences, along with lack of communication and sharing ones vulnerability and feelings.


Issues of abortion, adoption, alcoholism, workaholism, extramarital relationships, and lack of communication, sharing and showing affection, wanting to be loved and appreciated are all topics that Laycock raises in an open and caring dialogue.
She strongly counterpoints a loving and compassionate Jesus with the punitive, unforgiving God preached about in some churches, including the one Andreas foster parents attend, The book is not preachy and though Laycock occasionally uses biblical quotations, they are quite suitable and well integrated into the story, I think readers, who do not share the beliefs of a Christian faith or any faith, would still enjoy the story and appreciate its messages, For example, Laycock cleverly uses a reformed alcoholic turned Christian to advocate for prayer and asking for Jesus love and direction, This very likable character, a former Private Investigator, has settled in rural Manitoba and become a farmer himself, His likeability and ability to read people and to reach out in a comfortable way enables him to help others when they need it, in a loving and nonpreachy way.


I enjoyed the read and rated it/stars, primarily because I was looking for a bit more tension and mystery, After reflecting, I have decided to round up tobecause I found the story filled with wonderful characters and I really enjoyed being taken on a slow journey of a mystery that unlike many others, was not kinetic and stress producing, but rather languid and it seemed to feed my soul.
There were so many different loving relationships in the story and I enjoyed reading about each of them, As a characterdriven novel about people and relationships, A Tumbled Stone definitelystar worthy, This is a story that touches on so many issues of our society todayabusive parents, foster care that doesn't always work, teen pregnancy, abortion, and the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that young people often endure.
Author Marcia Laycock has been able to convey all of this in A Tumbled Stone but I would never label it as a book that depresses because, along with these relevant issues, we are offered a glimpse of the power of God's love and His unfailing Grace.
I loved the analogy of rough stones held in

our hands that are made smooth by the constant rubbing of our fingers, No matter how flawed we are and no matter how deep the ruts in our lives may be, we can be made smooth and perfect through the constant presence of God.
He knows each one of us and He holds each of our lives in His Hands! I appreciate that even as the author offers readers this assurance she is able to do it in a "nonpreachy" manner.
I recommend this A Tumbled Stone to anyone who enjoys stories with a message,

I received a complimentary ebook from the author and Book Club Network but I was not obligated to submit a review,
Andrea Calvert had to run away, She couldn't stay on the farm with her foster parents, shaming them before their neighbours and legalistic church, She couldn't face going to live with strangers in her condition, as her foster mother had arranged, But she couldn't face being pregnant and alone, She would have to take care of this in her own way, But when Andrea arrives at Evie's Rocky Road Diner, she sees an opportunity for work and decides to stay, Evie's gentle advice begins to change her heart, She shows her the stone tumbler set up in the basement of the diner and gives Andrea a stone pendant, saying, "God is always doing things in our lives, but it takes time.
He knows exactly when to take the pressure off or increase it, He knows just how much tumbling we need, " As she struggles to make decisions that will change her life, Andrea discovers her foster mother's diary and the wrenching story that reveals the deep reasons for the dysfunction in their family.
Meanwhile, a figure from Andrea's past has hired investigators to find her, Is Andrea's life at risk at Evie's Diner A Tumbled Stone is an unfolding story discovering the unconditional love of God, This is an amazing story of a Andrea, foster child who has always felt misplaced, She runs away from the lies and silence of her parents, into the arms of a gentle and loving woman, Evie gives Andrea a job and allows her to make informed choices regarding her unborn babys future,

This novel covers themes of fostering, adoption, teen pregnancy, abortion and infant death,

A Tumbled Stone is the sequel to One Smooth Stone, Marcia has written A Tumbled Stone so well that I didnt realise it was a sequel until I researched Marcia Lee Laycock after I read her book.


Thoughts while reading
Lies and silence are a hindrance and in no way help heal pain, The truth will set you free,

I highly recommend this book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it,
In A Tumbled Stone, author Marcia Lee Laycock placed me solidly into the shoes of young Andrea Calvert, whose dysfunctional foster parents barely acknowledge her existence, When Andreas unplanned pregnancy becomes obvious, her foster mother decides to send her away from their prairie farm to give birth and relinquish the child for adoption, all to prevent gossip and judgement from neighbors and the local church, where the pastor lives up to his name, Castor.
Unable to deal with the pervading sadness and a loveless future, Andrea flees to Regina, determined to end her pregnancy,
Evie, owner of the Regina diner where Andrea gets a job waitressing, creates stone jewelry as a hobby, I love her remarks to Andrea as she offers a stone pendant to the desperate young woman, “God is always doing things in our lives, but it takes time, He knows exactly when to take the pressure off or increase it, He knows just how much tumbling we need, ”
But how can Andrea trust a God who allowed so much pain and loneliness How could she believe in His love when no one else had ever loved her Wouldnt it be better to end the pregnancy than give birth to another unloved child
A Tumbled Stone is a tale of deep sorrows, hidden pasts, and fearfilled future, but through the “tumbling” of God, it is also a story of redeeming love and bright hope.

I love this novel and award it five, I bought A Tumbled Stone from the author all opinions are my own,
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