"the offering" by angela hunt

About the book: Seeking to supplement her soldier husband's income, Amanda Lisandra decides to become a gestational carrier. Though her mother and her in-laws don't understand her decision, her husband Gideon gives her his support. The money Mandy earns as a carrier will allow their musically gifted daughter to stay in her special private school, and it will also set them up financially so they can have more children once Gideon gets out of the military.

Mandy is matched up with a wealthy French couple and becomes pregnant with their baby. But just as Mandy is ready to give birth, her world is rocked to its core ... and she eventually begins to wonder if giving the child she carried to the French couple was the right decision.

My take: If you read the summary above, you'll notice it's pretty vague. That's because the back cover copy of the book gives away virtually everything except the final outcome of the novel, so I wrote my own summary. The back cover copy discloses major plot points that I wish I hadn't known prior to reading the book, as the element of surprise is completely eliminated. Now that my complaining is out of the way, let's get to the actual review!

Angela Hunt is an incredible writer whose books never fail to captivate me. That doesn't mean I always enjoy what I'm reading, but I'm totally engrossed in it. The Offering is quite different from the other books of Hunt's that I've read, the last two of which focused on middle-aged sisters. But I found this book to be just as believable and just as heart wrenching as those books were.

The Offering deals with a topic I was basically unfamiliar with prior to reading the novel—gestational surrogacy. Hunt does an excellent job of exploring this topic fully—the pros, the cons, and the moral dilemmas. And she does it by telling a compelling story of one family's journey with surrogacy, which takes a completely unexpected twist. (I'm dying to tell you about the twist, but it will be so much better if you just read the book for yourself!)

If I could change one thing about the book, it would be to speed things up a bit. The baby Mandy is carrying isn't born until nearly 2/3 of the way through the book. I would rather have spent more time with Mandy after the baby's birth, as that's when most of the important action happens.

I must also comment on my feelings for Mandy, who is not an incredibly likable main character. Throughout most of the book, I just wanted to tell Mandy to grow up. She kept patting herself on the back for doing this wonderful thing for the French couple, but she just seemed so selfish to me. I identified much more closely with the other women (her cousin Amelia, who struggled with infertility, and Simone, the woman Mandy carried the child for). This is probably because I have several friends and relatives who have struggled with infertility and/or the agony of adoption. As the story progressed, Mandy did grow up ... and she ended up making some very mature decisions. The change in Mandy from the book's beginning to end is remarkable—yet it's completely believable. I enjoyed discovering—along with Mandy—the events that made her the woman she was, and when she finally put everything together and understood what she needed to do, I wanted to stand up and cheer for her!

The Offering is a compelling novel that will force you to think. It will also make you cry. It's one of those books that will stick with you long after you've read the epilogue! 4-1/2 stars.

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Read my reviews of Hunt's The Fine Art of Insincerity, Five Miles South of Peculiar, and The Golden Cross.

About the author: With over four million copies of her books sold worldwide, Angela Hunt is the bestselling author of more than one hundred books, including The Nativity Story. Hunt is one of the most sought-after collaborators in the publishing industry. Her nonfiction book Don't Bet Against Me, written with Deanna Favre, spent several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Angela's novel The Note (with sales of over 141,000) was filmed as the Hallmark Channel's Christmas movie for 2007 and proved to be the highest rated television movie in the channel's history. Angela's novels have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry awards, including the RITA, the Christy Award, the ECPA Christian Book Award, and the Holt Medallion. She often travels to teach writing workshops at schools and writers' conferences, and she served as the keynote speaker at the 2008 American Christian Fiction Writers' national conference. She and her husband make their home in Florida with mastiffs. In 2001, one of her dogs was featured on Live with Regis and Kelly as the second-largest dog in America. Learn more about Angela at http://www.angelahuntbooks.com.

About the giveaway: Angela Hunt is celebrating the release of The Offering with a Nook HD Giveaway and an Author Chat Party on Facebook {6/5}.

  One winner will receive:

• A Nook HD
• The Offering by Angela Hunt 

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 4th. Winner will be announced at the "The Offering" Facebook Author Chat Party on June 5th. Connect with Angela for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Angela will also share an exclusive look at her next book and give away books and other fun prizes throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of The Offering and join Angela on the evening of June 5th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 5th!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."