Book Review of 'The Rhythm of Fractured Grace' by Amanda Wen

Happy Wednesday Bookworms!

Welcome to another wonderful Wednesday! I hope you all have been having a great week so far. The crazy days continue in our house but I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Today I am featuring a novel by a new-to-me author that has thoroughly impressed me. I am a sucker for a good dual timeline and this novel tells quite the tale! I hope you enjoy my thoughts on The Rhythm of Fractured Grace and don't forget to scroll down to the bottom of this post and enter the amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours!

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for The Rhythm of Fractured Grace by Amanda Wen hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Rhythm of Fractured Grace

Series: Sedgwick County Chronicles #3

Author: Amanda Wen

Publisher: Kregel Publications

Release Date: February 20, 2024

Genre: Christian Split Time Romantic Women's Fiction

Is Siobhan too far gone to respond to the song of a God who's calling her back to him?

When a new customer brings a badly damaged violin into Siobhan Walsh's shop, it is exactly the sort of challenge she craves. The man who brought it in is not. He's too close to the painful past that left her heart and her faith in shambles.

Matt Buchanan has had a rough start as the new worship pastor. A car accident on his way into town left him with a nearly totaled truck, and an heirloom violin in pieces. When he takes it to a repair shop, he's fascinated with the restoration process--and with the edgy, closed-off woman doing the work. As their friendship deepens and turns into more, they both discover secrets that force them to face past wounds. And the history of the violin reveals more about their current problems than they could have ever expected.

On the nineteenth-century frontier, a gruesome tomahawk attack wiped out most of Deborah Caldwell's family. Her greatest solace after the tragedy is the music from her father's prized violin. Given her horrendous scars, she'd resigned herself to a spinster's life. But Levi Martinson's gentle love starts to chip away at her hardened heart, until devastating details about the attack are revealed, putting their love--and Deborah's shaky faith--to the ultimate test.

Full of forgiveness and the message that no one is too damaged for God's healing touch, the final book in the split-time Sedgwick County Chronicles will thrill fans of Rachel Hauck, Lisa Wingate, and Kristy Cambron.

My Review

A luthier spiritually damaged at the hands of a man of the cloth with a nefarious appetite, and a pioneer woman that was physically and emotionally damaged after a savage attack took half her family, and permanently disfigured her, brought together by one special violin.

The connection of past and present by a single instrument is especially powerful for me. Music is something that has been threaded throughout my family for generations, with some instruments being passed down from one generation to another, and I’ve often wondered what their stories were before they ended up here with us.

Forgiveness can be so incredibly hard, and the bigger the transgressions the harder it is for us to forgive. The prayer to have the strength to forgive is something that hit me so deep while I was reading this novel. Seeing a characters vulnerability, especially when you can empathize, is very powerful and tethered me to this novel on a profound level.

The writing is passionate and deep, getting into the depths of these characters. The situations are not ideal, and I’m sure the subject matter itself can be triggering for some, but the road to forgiveness is compelling and gives so much hope. Though there were moments that hit a distressing place in my heart, it opened up an inner dialogue within myself about areas in my own self where I could be harboring unforgiveness from hurtful things in my past.

This is the first novel that I’ve read by this author, but it certainly won’t be my last. Powerful writing, memorable characters, and the influence of a single instrument makes this a must read.

My Rating: ★★★★★

More Books in Series

About the Author

Amanda Wen is a Selah Award–winning, Parable best-selling author of inspirational romance and split-time women’s fiction, including Roots of Wood and Stone and The Songs That Could Have Been, and a professional musician. Wen currently lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband and three children.

Connect with Amanda by visiting amandawen.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of the book, a mug, chai mix, and a kitsugi heart necklace!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight February 21, 2024 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on February 28, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!