From Publishers Weekly
The recent penchant for pairing prolific Christian novelists with well-known CBA nonfiction authors is cause for skepticism, and justifiably so in this first collaboration between Smalley, an author and speaker on family relationships, and novelist Kingsbury. "Good-looking" Indiana University professor Tim Jacobs has found his stereotypical midlife affair with his "achingly beautiful" student Angela Manning more than a passing distraction. His "gorgeous" wife, Kari, who models in her spare time, discovers the affair just as she finds she is pregnant. Even as Kari refuses to grant Tim a divorce, she learns that her high school sweetheart, football star and "hunk" Ryan Taylor, is still single and interested in picking up their romance where they left off. Tim hits the bottle, and things look grim for the couple. Not surprisingly, counseling plays a large role in the work Kari and Tim do to try and salvage their marriage. There is a fairly shameless plug for Smalley's Relationship Center in Branson, Mo., when Kari and Tim's pastor suggests they travel to a two-day "Marriage Intensive Seminar" in the Ozarks. (Readers are also invited to contact the center.) Minus the heavy doses of counseling references and descriptions of the characters' surpassing gorgeousness, Kingsbury's writing is much improved from Halfway to Forever. While she laudably avoids a neat wrapup, it's likely because there are six more books to come in the series. This novel functions largely as an encouraging self-help book rather than as a solid contribution to inspirational fiction.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Laura Baxter Jacobs has a fulfilling relationship with the Lord, an exciting life of modeling and volunteer work, and a wonderful marriage. Then an anonymous phone call reveals her husband's infidelity, turning her world upside down. Laura prays and forgives Tim, deciding to use this break as a springboard to rebuild their marriage. Tim, however, wants a divorce. The reappearance of an old boyfriend and the constant harp+ing of Laura's sisters to divorce Tim also upset her, but Laura plans to stick with her decision to love her husband and win him back with a little help from God. In the first of a five-book series, Smalley (Love Is a Decision) and Kingsbury (When Joy Came To Stay) explore tough and touchy issues facing today's Christians. While the novel's conclusion is unsurprising and Dee Henderson's O'Malley series (see above) is stronger on issues of individual faith, fans of inspirational fiction will still enjoy this. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
When Laura Baxter Jacobs finds out that her husband is involved in an adulterous relationship and wants a divorce, she decides she will love him and remain faithful to her marriage at all costs. This book shows how God can redeem seemingly hopeless relationships, and it illustrates one of Gary Smalley's key messages: Love is a decision. Redemption is the first book in the five-book Redemption series that Gary and Karen will write about the Baxter family--their fears and desires, their strengths and weaknesses, their losses and victories. Each book will explore key relationship themes as well as the larger theme of redemption, both in characters' spiritual lives and in their relationships. Each book includes study questions for individual and small-group use as well as a "teaser" chapter of the next book in the series.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When Laura Baxter Jacobs finds out that her husband is involved in an adulterous relationship and wants a divorce, she decides she will love him and remain faithful to her marriage at all costs. This book shows how God can redeem seemingly hopeless relationships, and it illustrates one of Gary Smalley's key messages: Love is a decision.

SYNOPSIS

When Kari Baxter Jacobs finds out that her husband is involved in an adulterous relationship and wants a divorce, she decides she will love him and remain faithful to her marriage at all costs. This book shows how God can redeem seemingly hopeless relationships, and it illustrates one of Gary Smalley's key messages: Love is a decision.

Redemption is the first book in the five-book Redemption series that Gary and Karen will write about the Baxter family--their fears and desires, their strengths and weaknesses, their losses and victories. Each book will explore key relationship themes as well as the larger theme of redemption, both in characters' spiritual lives and in their relationships. Each book includes study questions for individual and small-group use as well as a "teaser" chapter of the next book in the series.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The recent penchant for pairing prolific Christian novelists with well-known CBA nonfiction authors is cause for skepticism, and justifiably so in this first collaboration between Smalley, an author and speaker on family relationships, and novelist Kingsbury. "Good-looking" Indiana University professor Tim Jacobs has found his stereotypical midlife affair with his "achingly beautiful" student Angela Manning more than a passing distraction. His "gorgeous" wife, Kari, who models in her spare time, discovers the affair just as she finds she is pregnant. Even as Kari refuses to grant Tim a divorce, she learns that her high school sweetheart, football star and "hunk" Ryan Taylor, is still single and interested in picking up their romance where they left off. Tim hits the bottle, and things look grim for the couple. Not surprisingly, counseling plays a large role in the work Kari and Tim do to try and salvage their marriage. There is a fairly shameless plug for Smalley's Relationship Center in Branson, Mo., when Kari and Tim's pastor suggests they travel to a two-day "Marriage Intensive Seminar" in the Ozarks. (Readers are also invited to contact the center.) Minus the heavy doses of counseling references and descriptions of the characters' surpassing gorgeousness, Kingsbury's writing is much improved from Halfway to Forever. While she laudably avoids a neat wrapup, it's likely because there are six more books to come in the series. This novel functions largely as an encouraging self-help book rather than as a solid contribution to inspirational fiction. (July) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal