Category Archives: Stacy Hawkins Adams

Dreams That Won’t Let Go


Dreams That Won’t Let Go
by Stacy Hawkins Adams
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3268-4
January 2010; $12.99

I finished this book a few weeks ago but waited to post my blog entry during the tour dates. Indigo Burns is planning her wedding with fellow photographer and soul mate Max. Her life seems good, but, beneath the surface, there are familial problems lingering in her life. These problems are stewing, simmering, waiting to erupt because these complications have been around for several years! Indigo’s brother Ruben is back in town with his blind wife and young son. Indigo’s parents hover over Ruben, ignoring her and her other sibling. Ruben’s recent move has caused both happiness and sadness within the Burns family and it takes pastoral intervention for the parents to see the errors they’ve made in raising their children/grandchildren.

Indigo and her siblings lost their parents in an auto accident years ago, which caused a lot of disharmony in their family. They were raised by their grandparents, and the grandparents did not always make the best decisions about the upbringing of their grandchildren.

I think a lot of people can relate to this novel because it deals with issues that most of us face within our own families. The book also stresses that we need to lean on God in order to overcome the problems that may cause a burden between ourselves and our siblings and parents.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

ESSENCE BESTSELLING AUTHOR RELEASES NEW BOOK:
Sometimes you have to come home to discover who you are…

Essence bestselling author Stacy Hawkins Adams
releases the final book in her popular Jubilant Soul series: Dreams That Won’t Let Go.

Readers have followed along with the Burns family of Jubilant, Texas as they’ve experienced heartaches, celebrated new faced life-changing choices and learned how far faith can carry them through it all.

Now in Dreams That Won’t Let Go, everything seems to be going along perfectly for Indigo Burns: Her wedding preparations to the man of her dreams are under way and her career as a photographer is a success. Even her family seems to be doing better than ever—all except her brother Reuben who no one has seen in years. But that’s about to change, because Reuben has decided to move back home to Jubilant, bringing with him all his unspoken secrets and upsetting all of Indigo’s best-laid plans.

As the family struggles to deal with the pain of the past and find healing, Dreams That Won’t Let Go illustrates that despite what has happened in our lives, there is always a second chance where love conquers all.

Stacy Hawkins Adams is a writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the author of several novels, including the Essence bestseller The Someday List and Worth a Thousand Words. All of Stacy’s novels have been bestsellers in Black Expressions Book Club.

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

Worth A Thousand Words by Stacy Hawkins Adams

Paperback: 268 pages
Publisher: Revell (July 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800732677
ISBN-13: 978-0800732677
Worth A Thousand Words by Stacy Hawkins Adams
From Amazon.com
From the Back Cover
Her future was just coming into focus. But what will she do when everything becomes a blur? Indigo Burns’s life is going according to plan. She possesses the ambition and talent to be a professional photographer, and she thanks God for all the blessings that surround her. Now, all at once, Indigo’s family life, love life, and hopes for success have flipped upside down. Indigo loves the Lord, but can she trust him to work his plan in her life? Worth a Thousand Words dramatically explores the tough decisions one woman must make in the world of love, relationships, and career. Will Indigo find the courage to face her own truths–and accept those being harbored by the people she loves most? Either way, she risks losing everything she’s ever wanted.

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Indigo is stunned when Brian, her boyfriend of four years, proposes to her, wanting to rush into marriage. Although she accepts his offer, she wonders how she can juggle earning her graduate photography degree along with planning a rushed marriage.

During Indigo’s photography internship, she finds she has a medical issue that interfere’s with her picture-taking. She struggles to accept her diagnoses, wondering if this will affect her long-term health.

While Brian is at Officer Candidate School for the military, he’s forced to deal with a skeleton in his closet. He hopes his rushed marriage to Indigo will help to cure him of the dangerous desire with which he continues to struggle.

Meanwhile, Indigo’s younger sister struggles with her own issues as she tries to pursue her dream career in modeling.

This book deals with some tough issues that you don’t see often in Christian fiction: homosexuality, bulimia, and vision medical issues.

I found the book intriguing and I would be interested in reading more books in the Jubilant Series.

I reviewed the first book of this series here.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Someday List by Stacy Hawkins Adams


The Someday List by Stacy Hawkins Adams

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Revell (January 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800732669
ISBN-13: 978-0800732660

From Amazon.com
From the Back Cover
What do you do when you realize you’re not who you want to be? Rachelle Covington has it all. A fabulous home, a handsome and successful husband, two beautiful children, and a place in the upper crust that’s quite comfortable. But life is not all it’s cracked up to be, and Rachelle finds herself yearning for more. When her husband goes away on a business trip and the kids are sent off to the grandparents for a month, Rachelle heads back to Jubilant, Texas, to visit family and reconnect with her past, her purpose, and herself. But when a blast from the past shows up, Rachelle must confront feelings she thought she’d long buried. Will she give up everything to recover what could have been? Or will she find a reason to plan for the future? Fresh, sincere, and full of hope, The Someday List is an honest look at what makes us who we are. Stacy Hawkins Adams is an Essence bestselling author whose books illuminate the themes of faith, forgiveness, and women’s friendships. She is the author of Speak to My Heart, Nothing but the Right Thing, and Watercolored Pearls. Adams is also a freelance journalist and inspirational speaker, and devotes considerable time to child advocacy issues. She and her family live in Virginia.

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This novel was about facing the demons from your past while trying to reconcile and solve your current problems. Rachelle Covington lives a priviledged life. She has all sorts of material possessions, including a lovely home. However, her marriage to a handsome surgeon is not a happy one. Rachelle has not been satisfied with her life with Gabe for a long time and she longs for a change – she no longer wants to be a housewife and would like to be a practicing optomotrist again.

However, a dying friend encourages Rachelle to make a list of all of the things she’d like to accomplish. Rachelle struggles to make her list, wondering what she really wants out of her life.

When her kids are sent away to stay with grandparents and her husband goes away on a missionary trip, Rachelle returns to her hometown and is faced with her first love. Temptation haunts her since she’s struggling with an unhappy marriage.

The Someday List addresses lots of issues, including alcoholism and spousal unfaithfulness. This book teaches us how to embrace life, and learn to lean on God, especially since we never know how long we will be allowed to live on this earth.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Nothing But The Right Thing

I just finished this book this morning and it’s fantastic! I had the pleasure of meeting Stacy Hawkins Adams, the author of Nothing But The Right Thing, at the 2006 Faith-Based Literary Arts Weekend. She can sure write a story that will stay with me for a long time. Erika has been abused by her husband, Elliott, for the last four years. This is a story about her struggles in dealing with abuse.

Meanwhile, Serena, Ericka’s best friend, along with her husband Micah, are dealing with fertility issues.

This story shows how we need to lean on God and trust in Him while dealing with our issues.

This is the first book I’ve ever read by Ms. Adams, but I do plan on reading more in the future.

Until next time,
Cecelia Dowdy
www.ceceliadowdy.com
www.blackchristianfiction.com