REDEEMING LOVE by Francine Rivers is a splendid retelling of the biblical story of Hosea. The author pens a heartbreaking romance between a prostitute and the upright and kind farmer who marries her. This story is a splendid piece of work exploring both physical love and a love of God and also functions as a reminder of God's unconditional love for his people.

Redeeming Love opens with the Gold Rush of 1850 and its rough-and-tumble atmosphere of greed and desire. Angel, a young, hardened prostitute sold into "the life" as a child, has no interest in God or religion. She has learned to distrust all men, who see her only as a way to satisfy their lust. Then she meets Michael Hosea, a devout Christian. Michael Hosea is told by God to marry this "soiled dove,". And he tnen tells Angels it is his mission to save her. After being badly beaten, Angel takes Michael up on his offer of marriage. And even though Michael has obeyed God's wishes for him to marry Angel, he still has his misgivings. But eventually, Angel learns not only to love Michael but to love God as well.

Francine Rivers and her husband, Rick, live in Northern California and enjoy the time spent with their three grown children and every opportunity to spoil their four grandchildren. She uses her writing to draw closer to the Lord, and that through her work she might worship and praise Jesus for all He has done and is doing in her life.

She says, “Writing Redeeming Love was a form of worship for me. Everything in it was a gift from the Lord: plot, characters, theme. None of it is mine to claim.”

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