Book Description Continued:

On the verge of running away to keep Kendra, a new friend offers Rachel an opportunity she can’t refuse. Brandon Barlow has long admired Rachel. When her world begins to fall apart, he feels led to help. A marriage of convenience would enable him to provide Rachel and Kendra with a stable place to live, proper health insurance, and a viable shot at staying together. Once Rachel gained full custody of her niece, they can annul the marriage. His plan provides the perfect solution until Brandon realizes he’s fallen in love with Rachel. Through love and patience, can he help Rachel realize that, even when she experiences storms in her life, she’s never alone?

Children Left to Their Only Resource – Themselves

Unlike Rachel, I didn’t grow up moving from one foster home to the next. There were times, however, when I didn’t think that was a bad idea. My parents worked at the store six days a week. On Sunday, we went to church then out to lunch. Sometimes we drove all the way to Des Moines to eat. By the time we came home, it was time to do homework and prepare for the coming week.

For the most part, I was raised by housekeepers. They were wonderful women, but it wasn’t quite the same as having someone there to love you when you got hurt or became afraid of the dangers that most children never face. My abuse and torment came on the nights my mother headed off for choir practice at the church or to one of her club meetings.

Meet Melanie D. Snitker

Literature Helps Us Define Who We Are

When I first began to read Calming the Storm, I released how much like the main character I was in my twenties. I’d put up a solid brick wall that refused to allow anyone to get close to me. The abuse of my childhood taught me one thing: You can’t trust anyone, especially those who are supposed to love and protect you.

Unlike Rachel, I did have a solid foundation in the church.

Melanie D. Snitker has written a beautiful story that every young woman who ever felt alone and unloved should read.

My thoughts on Calming the Storm:

The beauty of this book is the realization that my life mirrored Rachel’s so closely. Like Rachel, I felt alone and responsible for far too much in life. Unlike Rachel, I did have some people in my life who cared. This deeply moving story about a young woman torn by the loss of a sister and left to care for her young daughter without the benefit of a childhood filled with love and answers is believable for those of us who have been there. How can one nurture and protect a child when no one has ever done that for them? I knew the answer and Rachel grew to find the answer. The message of faith appears throughout the story. God will lead us to the answers when we open our hearts and let him in.

Sometimes God calms the storm,

Other times He calms His child.

Calming the Storm – Impressive Reviews

Calming the Storm has an impressive number of reviews (85) at 4.6 Stars. Here are some quotes from those reviews: