All That Was Promised

All That Was Promised
Vickie Hall

From the back of the book:
Ben's expression registered his surprisse. "You're a minister?" he asked, curiously. Richard cleared his throat as a telling grin tweisted his mouth. "Aye, that I am."
Ben nodded and smiled.
Leah returned to the compact parlor and gave the missionary a scant glance. "Do you find that amusin', Mr. Lachlan?"
"No, not at all," he replied sincerely. "People from all walks of life recognize the truth of the gospel."
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An encounter with a Mormon missionary and his unusual message of a "restored gospel" leaves Richard Kenyon, a young Methodist minister, questioning his life's work when he cannot deny a growing testimony of this peculiar American religion. But Richard soon finds himself struggling to recognize the promised blessings of the gospel when violent persecution shakes the fledgling Church in Wales.
Told with passion and heart, All That Was Promised is a riveting tale of the challenges early Welsh Church members faced. This stunning debut by Vickie Hall is guaranteed to uplift and inspire long after the story ends.
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My thoughts:
All That Was Promised is a quick read. I enjoyed the time I spent with the Kenyon family as they learn about the gospel and then find their way in a community that is not welcoming of this strange, new religion, especially when one of their favorite ministers embraces and joins.

While I enjoyed this story, I do have one issue with the book and I am not sure it is even something Vickie Hall could change if she wanted to- the length of the book.  In this genre of book, publishers like to see a certain length of book, which gives an author a limited amount of space to develop characters and tell their story. I would have liked to have had more time with the characters as they learn and change their life viewpoints. I would have liked to see more of their struggles with change as they explore their own hearts. But I do understand the space limitations of spending the time I would like on each character and the thoughts and feelings that lead them to their own individual results- both the good and the tragic. And there is both in this book.

 If you enjoy LDS historical fiction, you will enjoy this story.

Here is the purchase link for the novel

Here is the author’s site: http://www.vickiehall.com/

Here is the author’s blog: http://www.authorvickiehall.blogspot.com/

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Indeed