Grace in the Shadows (Grace #2): Australian contemporary Christian fiction

The most inspirational fiction book I’ve read in recent years… nothing challenges a person to live every day for Jesus more than a story like Esther’s told here in this book. This book will challenge you to the core. Is your life really meaningful? Esther presses in to find what will bring rich meaning to a life that is numbered in days. Beautifully told, this story will bring you to tears. Tears of sadness, tears of joy.

4.5 stars for this second book in the Grace series by Christine Dillon. While you could probably read this one as a stand-alone as they give enough details from the first book to give you the basis, I would strongly recommend reading these in order. In the first book, we're introduced to Esther, whose father is the pastor of a growing mega-church. Her cancer diagnosis turns her world upside-down and through it, she discovers who Jesus really is. In this second book, her faith is growing and she is evangelizing more. We are also introduced to a new character, Rachel, whose connection to Esther comes as a surprise. Rachel has been running from God her whole life. This book had the same spiritual depth as the first book did and had me crying, especially towards the end. I struggled with some of the evangelizing as the story-telling felt a bit stilted at times and Esther's original response to Rachel seemed fairly out of character for her. She eventually came around, but her frustration, while a very "human" response, seemed out of character for the Esther I came to know both in the first book and the first part of this one. Overall, though, still an excellent book about deepening and sharing one's faith. I would recommend this one to those who enjoy inspirational women's fiction and those who enjoy fiction that convicts and strengthens faith. I look forward to how the rest of this series will go!

This is the second book in the series and if it were possible, I would say that I loved it more than the first. It has all the things that I loved about the first book, it was practical, encouraging, thought-provoking and well written. A book that I would recommend to anyone who asks me what they should read next. The book follows two women, Esther (from book 1) and Rachel. Neither of their lives have been perfect but they have persevered and continue to grow throughout the novel. Am looking forward to the next one in the series.