One young man is about to discover the true cost of independence
For years, Doug Anderson has been drifting slowly but steadily away from both his family and his faith. His parents have been trying to reach him before he falls too far. His friend Christina hopes what she is seeing online isn't true. But sometimes you have to hit bottom before you're ready to grow up.
Just as things begin to settle down a bit, Doug's life takes a turn that requires every bit of faith and patience for both his family and Christina—whose growing feelings for Doug, a man who writes her off as not worth his time, keep her off balance. Will Doug's crisis finally clear his vision and help him focus on what he has right in front of him?
When I read The Desire last fall, one of the more intriguing aspects of the plot was the friendship-and-potentially-more between Christina and Doug. So when I realized that The Legacy would tell Doug's story, I couldn't wait to dive in.
I definitely enjoyed Christina's part of the story the most; even though her background is about as far from mine as you could possibly get, I related to some of her relationship struggles and appreciated her journey to finding love.
The Doug story did strike me as a bit convenient—what I mean by that is he very quickly turned his life around following a pivotal event, and the resolution with Christina came about almost too easily and neatly. So much time was spent setting up Doug's downward spiral that his redemption came at the very end of the novel—I would have preferred to spend more time with "new" Doug, and I really would have liked to see more of the romance with Christina. Still, though, I did enjoy his story.
I also have to mention that the spiritual lessons in this novel seem much less forced than they did in The Desire. Conversations about faith flow naturally and seem like they belong in the plot, rather than being forced in. This is a major improvement over the last novel.
The Legacy provides a satisfying conclusion to Doug and Christina's story, and it also wraps up Allan and Michele's story, which was the focus of The Desire. Overall, I really enjoyed this look in on the Anderson family and felt it was a fitting conclusion to the series. 4 stars.
Note: While this is book four in the Restoration Series, it could be read as a stand alone.
Buy the book.
Read my review of The Desire (4 stars).
Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of many books, including The Dance, The Promise, and The Desire with Gary Smalley. He has won three Carol Awards, and three of his novels were finalists for RT Book Reviews Inspirational Book of the Year. He lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel.
Gary Smalley is one of the country's best-known authors and speakers on family relationships and has appeared on national television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, and TODAY, as well as numerous national radio programs. He is the bestselling and award-winning author or coauthor of many books, including the Baxter Family Redemption series with Karen Kingsbury. Gary and his wife, Norma, have been married for 50 years and live in Missouri.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads program. 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."
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