A FIRM PLACE TO STAND

by

LORI ALTEBAUMER

Genre: Christian / Romantic Suspense

Independently published

Date of Publication: January 25, 2020

Number of Pages: 321

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She’s either being stalked or losing her mind.

A job at a camp in the rustic and often rugged landscape of West Texas offers Maribel Montgomery a chance to escape both, especially if she makes sure no one knows she’s there. But when the body of a woman washes up in the river on her first morning, her hopes of a safe place to start over are swept away.

The suspicion that she’s being watched follows her to her new home, and Maribel is forced to take a stand or keep running. Does she have the courage to face the danger stirring at the Pool of Siloam Camp? If she doesn’t, another girl might die. If she tries and fails, it could be her.

Circumstances force her into the acquaintance of Conner Pierce—a man with secrets of his own. Can Maribel risk working with him in order to save the next victim and find a missing girl? Or is he the killer?

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I don’t even know where to start with this book and how much I enjoyed it and the message.  I highlighted so many passages because they spoke to me.  This book is more than faith, suspense, or trust. It is the culmination of so many different aspects, thoughts, beliefs, and actions of the various characters.  Let’s just start with how the book starts:

“Journalists traveled light – especially the unemployed ones running from a tsunami of poor choices. Of course, she wasn’t exactly running since she had nowhere else to go.”

“Somewhat telling that at age twenty-six everything Maribel owned had fit into the back of a car.” 

 

Maribel is a lost soul whether she realizes it or not.  She doesn’t believe she is worthy of love or anything else all because of some bad journalistic moves on her part.  But perhaps this new job at the Pool of Siloam camp will be her salvation, or at least give her a place to sort out her life.  But everything is not as it seems as we travel the pages of this novel and follow Maribel’s journey.  I felt for Maribel because she beat herself up over an event that was not her fault (especially near the end as we really learn the truth about the events) and her lack of faith in herself.  She also didn’t believe that she was worthy of God’s love and forgiveness which is the furthest thing from the truth.  Her time in this small Texas town and interactions slowly lead her down a new path to forgiveness and as the title states, A Firm Place to Stand.

I really felt the passion that Mack and Conner had for God and forgiveness and their calling to bring Maribel back into the fold.  They have a long hard road ahead of them because Maribel carries a lot of guilt and emotional baggage that tends to get in the way of her life.  But these new friends in her life can see past her baggage and despair and continue trying to bring her around to a more positive light.

Outside of the religious/belief aspect is the suspense/mystery portion.  Why was Maribel brought to this sleepy little town in Texas?  What happened to the missing camp counselor and camper?  Who is trying to harm Maribel and why?  All of these questions kept me hooked on the story and trying to figure out who had ulterior motives.  There are some red herrings and not everything as it appears, but closer to the end of the book I had a feeling about a few characters and their motives, and I wasn’t far off base.  While the “why” surprised me, it was somewhat obvious to me that these character(s) were up to no good.

There were multiple minor characters that also drew me into the story including Peg, who brought her here for research and a family history project; Rock Griger, the town sheriff, that just didn’t seem on the up and up; Daylee, one of the campers that had been abandoned by her family.  The supporting characters had depth and I felt they were an integral part of the whole story.

Here are some of my favorite lines in the book (and there were quite a few)

“By the time she returned, the sun would be up, baking everything with the unrelenting heat of Texas in July.”

“The determination to stop giving herself away piece by broken piece was strong but she also knew her weaknesses.”

“Order and control eliminated chaos. Order and control took away the anxiety laden sleepless nights. Order and control equaled safe right?”

“Maribel may not have as many Texas generations behind her name, but it only took one to understand the character of those who did. A character she admired and respected.”

“How would it feel to have that strong a connection to something, roots running that deep? A simpler, purer life perhaps. A life without regrets.”

“Everything about the woman picked at the stitching holding Maribel’s heart together. Eventually she might find a loose thread and Maribel would be unraveled.”

“Peg wasn’t picking at the loose strings of Maribel’s heart.  She had simply cut her anchor line and tossed it overboard, instead of being anchored in place, Maribel sensed release.”

“She reminded Maribe of a giant metal clip trying to hold her pieces together.”

“Something – or someone – spoke to her in the soft rustle of the breeze, like a breath whispering truth in her ear. You are enough.”

“The notes didn’t just silence the night. they silenced the noise in her head and the chaos in her heart, demanding she be still.”

“Maribel felt more broken and vulnerable than ever before. The protective shell she worked to build crumbled around her. After everything she told herself, she knew what she had wanted wasn’t possible.”

I was inspired by this book and it had me looking deeper within myself and was I enough?

We give this book 5 paws up.

A life-long Texan, Lori lives in a small community not far from the rugged West Texas landscape she loves to write about. The mother of now-grown twins, she has learned that the secret to survival is a well-developed sense of humor and an active prayer life. After years spent working in the insurance business, Lori now uses her time to educate, inspire, encourage, and entertain through the written word.

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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

THREE WINNERS: 

1ST PRIZE

Signed Copy of A Firm Place to Stand + $25 Gift Card to the Texas Indie Bookstore of Choice

2ND PRIZE: Signed Copy of A Firm Place to Stand

3RD PRIZE: eBook of A Firm Place to Stand

APRIL 30-MAY 10, 2020

(US ONLY)

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