The last couple of the circle of friends to be featured, Sylvia and Harry, are devastated to learn that Sylvia has found a lump in her breast. As they return from the mission fields of Nicarauga, the medical, emotional and relational developments change their lives (and those of the circle) forever.

All the other couples on the cul-de-sac reappear in this final installation. Kathy and Steve are struggling with their blended families and recently-released Mark. Brenda and David still homeschool and barely survive, financially. A surprise ending involves them. Tori and her husband are adjusting to their Downs baby and in each family, the advice and counsel of Sylvia makes life-changes -- all for the better.

I can guarantee that even though the other 3 books had their sad pages at times, this fourth book will have you with the tissues at hand REALLY, REALLY OFTEN. Read with caution if you are sentimental or sensitive.

Having read the other 3 books in this series, I was interested from the start. By the end of the book, I could not put it down and I was so emotionally involved I was in tears.

I decided to read this book simply because it introduces book two in the series which I was especially interested in! However, I became interested as I met the four families who live in an upper middle class cul-de-sac in eastern Tennessee. They are in various seasons in their lives.

The Dodds are a family with four children who are home-schooled and both parents stay and work at home full time. Although they seem to be the ideal, all American family, there are problems. She is a believer in God, he is not, due to emotional trauma he suffered as a child. At the heart of this book is the sudden illness of their 9 yr. old son. He ends up in the hospital awaiting a heart transplant and his Mom and Dad differ on how to best help him.

The Sullivans are a couple with two preschoolers in a family which consists of a hard working husband and a slim, fit, rather obsessive, frustrated writer-wife. She has read so many self-help books she is phobic. She keeps an impeccably clean house, but she hates her role as a stay at home, unfulfilled wife and mother. The last straw was when she SAW a bestseller book on the library shelf that contained the same plot as the book she was currently writing! In anger she destroyed her manuscript and declared she was finished with writing - forever.

The Flaherty family is headed by a single Mom who is a veterinarian. She has her hands full with three active, older kids, and a chip on her shoulder because she was dumped for a younger woman. Dating is completely awkward to her and she wonders if it is really worth it and feels like forgetting it. She has problems with the school's sex education classes and is willing to fight all the way to the school board. She is particularly upset with her inability to reach and control her 15 yr. old terribly rebellious daughter.

The Bryans are an older Christian couple whose children have all moved out. She is lonely and feels useless, he is a cardiac surgeon with a consuming call on his heart to missions. These two are a sort of surrogate Mom and Dad to the other couples in their area.

The book blends the lives of these four families in quite a remarkable way. While each family's life is intertwined and each has their own crises, the thing that pulls them together for a common purpose is the life threatening situation with 9 yr. old Joseph Dodd. Heart transplants aren't cheap, and even with insurance paying part of the bill, the Dodd family is staring at up to $35,000 out of pocket. They put their house up for sale. Not wanting to lose their good neighbors, the other families on the cul-de-sac work to raise the needed funds. This, along with the illness, changes their lives forever.

The saddest part of the book is when young Joseph goes into a coma just before he is given up for dead. No heart has been found, and he cannot last more that a few hours at the most. It is a dark, emotional and frightening night at the hospital. But, what eventually happens to the child is a surprise which makes the book worth the read. Changes occur in all the families, and decisions are cemented which will change their lives forever.

This is a contemporary, Christian fiction book about four families that could live in Any City, USA, and I recommend it highly.

I couldn't put this book down.This is the story of 4 women with very different lives who live in a cul-de-sac. The writing was so honest I felt like I knew these women. They all try to help when one of the children needs a heart transplant.This is not a sad or preachy book. It shows how faith works in peoples lives. I have also read their second book which I also highly recommend. I hope these authors are working on a third book.I'll be first in line to get it!

I absolutely loved this book. I was able to relate to each of the 4 main characters, and found it refreshing that they were all Christian women!
I loved to read about Brenda, the Home school mom, as I am also one.
I read 10 of the Left Behind books (LaHaye + Jenkins) and was familiar with the character jumping. I find myself preferring this style of writing.
I am sooo excited to read the other 3 books I have found in this series. I only hope they are filled with as much knowledge and enlightenment as the first.

BLIND TRUST by Terri Blackstock was (I'm sorry to say) a major disappointment for me. Too many lose ends and at times even the flow was a bit rough and uneven. It just didn't flow too well with me. Sorry to say I couldn't finish this book.

Terri Blackstock penned another winner with "Blind Trust," Page after page of this well written thriller draws and keeps you in the midst of a battle against the forces of evil. A gut-wrenching narrative that has you wondering just who are the good guys and who can you trust. A fabulous example of learning to 'let go and let God.' If you haven't read any of Terri Blackstock's novels buy one today and you will soon be a Blackstock fan.
Beverly J Scott author of Righteous Revenge

Wonderful book in a great series. A must read with the other books in this series. Will enjoy other books by Terri Blackstock as well such as Emerald Windows, Broken Wings, etc.

this book starts off really fast then gets slow,then slower,and even slower .okay i read a 560 page in three days and i read this book in a month.the only reason i liked it was it pulled its self out at the end .i wish the whole book could have been like the end ,but it wasn't.i do have a newpoint 911 series which i hope to be much better .so lets just say i won't read the 2 one just to wait to be entertained by the end .

This is the first book that I've read by Terri Blackstock, and I can promise you it won't be the last. This book was filled with action and suspense. It was quite amazing the way she made the entire story come together. The characters were great and the dialogue was superb. This book was so suspenseful, it made me feel like I was actually at Cape Refuge.

This a great Christian suspense novel. I recommend it to anyone who's looking for a good christian read. It will knock your socks off! I can't wait to read the second installment of the series.

I'd never read any of Terri Blackstock's books previously and but am a big fan of mystery novels. Based on the fact she'd previously written romance novels, I went in with low expectations but really enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and entertaining. I loved how that many of the characters while Christians were flawed, making mistakes and behaving like "real" people.

This book was a wonderful testament to the mother-daughter relationship. How sad it is that we take our Moms for granted and it is only in crisis that we see the light. Maybe this book will help to mend those relationships before a crisis occurs! Loved It!!!

Maggie arranges for her and her two grown daughters to spend an uninterrupted week together at the beach, not realizing that they will want to spend all of their time on the phone and computer. Finally she is forced to tell the truth: she has cancer, and thinks that her time left is very limited. They try to spend the rest of the week enjoying and appreciating each other before it's too late. I recently heard Blackstock in a radio interview say that a novella can be read in one sittting, and you will certainly be able to do that with Seaside because you will want to know how it ends. Although I like Blackstock's mystery/thrillers better than Seaside, I did find this book very thought-provoking and enjoyed reading it.

I have read alot of Terri Blackstock books and this one was good as well.

This short novel just doesn't work, in my opinion. The character development is sorely lacking, and the plot is predictable and kind of hokey. Blackstock has also written a similar book for teens, called "The Gifted Sophomores".

I was expecting better from Terri Blackstock. I absolutely loved her book "The Covenant Child" and I highly recommend it (see my review of that book for more info).

Perhaps the short novel isn't something that every good author can pull off. If you're interested in an excellent short novel, check out "A Choice to Cherish" by Alan Maki, "The Touch" by Patricia Hickman, or "Lullaby" by Jane Orcutt.

You might want to check out my other reviews of Christian books and music.

I really enjoy reading Terri Blackstock's books and The Gifted was no let down. It is fast pased and a quick read. The supernatural setting is a great way of portraying the use of spiritual gifts.

When an earthquake crumbles a school building trapping three unfriends together, Miracles abound. While trapped under rubble three people are drawn together for comfort and support. Each sustains an injury, still they rejoice when they realize they will be rescued. Over night the three are Healed and God blesses them with gifts that they don't appreciate at first. Written for the young adult set, "The Gifted" is well crafted and timely. Blackstock presents her readers with writing that provokes thought long after the book is finished.
Beverly J Scott author of Righteous Revenge