Customer Reviews

Heartache & Sin

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Heartache & Sin by Charles Soto is a powerful, emotional tale of love, faith, family, and survival. This is fiction for the thinking reader that may have you revisiting your beliefs on abortion and perhaps questioning your opinions of organized religion.

Steven and Karen Wheaton live in small town North Dakota. They have a wholesome, happy, American lifestyle with a loving, passionate marriage and large Sunday dinners with family and friends on the farm. All that is missing is a family of their own. This is where the trouble begins--when Karen is diagnosed with diabetes and is strongly advised to not get pregnant. Karen dreams of becoming a mother and cannot come to terms with the thought of living her life without children.

Pastor Ryan McDonald runs the Church of Resurrection. Ryan has the knack for gaining peoples' trust through intimidation and trickery. He convinces his congregation that he is a Prophet and that he can end the drought that is crippling the community. Ryan exploits the naive and insecure, and when the rains come, his following strengthens. Karen is drawn to Ryan as she is desperate for any help with her health issues and is certain that through prayer and the pastor she will be cured.

Steven sees the pastor for what he truly is: a lying, deceitful, brainwashing psycho, who must control everything and everyone around him. When Karen learns she is expecting, Steven struggles with the thought of losing his wife if she attempts carrying the baby to term. Pastor Ryan convinces Karen to continue the pregnancy despite the serious health risk, and begins to use Karen to further his campaign against a local abortion clinic.

The ongoing battle for Karen between Stephen and Ryan kept the pages turning as I became invested and deeply concerned for both baby and mother and how it would play out.

Author Charles Soto has infused enough conflict, tension, fear, and suspense to keep readers riveted throughout the 510 pages. This is his first novel, however, he writes like a seasoned pro. His characters are well developed and believable. He descriptions are vivid; his dialogue authentic. This book is difficult to put down and will be long remembered after you turn the final page. Highly Recommended.

Reviewed by William Potter for Reader's Choice Book Reviews

Steven and Karen are ecstatic when they find out that are going to be parents. They believe in God and attend church on a regular basis and they have are firmly against abortion. They soon learn there is more to life than right and wrong. There is an in between. Karen is dying and the only thing that will help her survive is to do the one thing she actively protested.

Heartache and Sin is the type of book that touches you so deeply that you that it leaves a little piece of it with you. I doubt I will ever forget this book.

Charles is a very talented writer and I hope he has many more books in store.

I'll be honest, I wanted to read this book, but I was nervous. Now this is not to start an abortion debate, I am not going to preach to you why I feel the way I do, I will just say that I am ProLife. Knowing the book has an abortion theme and not knowing how it would end made me nervous about reading it.

Holy cow! Charles has this way of writing that just draws you in and through his words he is able to make you angry, sad, heart broken, I ran the gamut here. I was so mad at Pastor Ryan. He literally made me ill. I couldn't understand how this whole congregation couldn't see through him, but such is the cult mentality. My heart broke for Karen and Steve and her health problems, and without giving away the ending, I so wanted her baby to be ok. For her to be ok. For something to happen that would allow both to survive.

I hurt for Mary, the pastor's wife. This woman who is beaten down emotionally, physically. Yet she has no escape. None. She is held captive by her love for her children.

I just can't understand how people who read their bible, who believe in what it says, how they can be drawn in by a monster like this. In the beginning of the book, my stomach turned as I read during their prayer for rain service, praise is to you Pastor. We believe in you Pastor. Pardon me as shudder from anyone putting that kind of faith/belief into a man. The power that one person gets from that cult's fanaticism, the things they get away with, it's dangerous, as Charles proves very well in Heartache & Sin.

Steven. Poor Steven. As the pastor is trying to manipulate his wife away from him, he is trying so hard to show the man for what he truly is while trying not to upset his wife with his disbelief in the pastor and his plans. One wrong word and his frail wife, who is living with juvenile diabetes, will go rushing to live at the compound with the pastor and his fanatics, who care nothing for her health. They just want to use her to further there cause.

I want to tell you more, so much more, but if I did it would ruin everything, completely blow the ending for you, which left me in tears.

Charles is so good with his descriptions. You know how I love a good descriptive book. I love being able to see a room in my head as I'm reading and he took it there and beyond. He is amazingly talented with the written word!

I couldn't imagine being in Karen's shoes. Wanting this child so badly but knowing that carrying the baby to term could kill me. How heartbreaking would that be for any person?

Charles Soto told such a good story. One that makes you stop and think. One that I am very happy that I read.

In the back of Heartache & Sin was the beginning of his next book, Pride & A Prayer, which I cannot wait to get my hands on. Just the little tease that I read left me wanting more.

I am so glad I read this book! My heart went out to these characters, my stomach was in turmoil waiting to see what Pastor Ryan would do next. I've wanted to yell at TV shows before, but never have I wanted to yell out to people in a book before and I wanted to shake them, scream at them, tell them to open up their eyes and see what they were getting themselves into.

Heartache and Sin by Charles Soto

Karen and Steven Wheaton are married and Karen cannot have children because of her diabetes and this is heartache for Karen as a Christian woman. Karen's mother has died from diabetes thus leaving no living relatives for her in her life with Steven but Steven's family. Steven has two brothers his younger brother is called "Spider" and he smokes and doesn't like the Christian church rules and is more of a rebel. Spider's real name is (Todd) at birth but he prefers "spider."

Pastor Ryan McDonald is the pastor of the "Church of Resurrection" a new church in North Dakota and he is married to Mary and they have two sons Joshua and Jonas.

The story tells of the worst drought in a long time and Pastor McDonald preaches on page 11, "Lambs looking for guidance."

The Stevens' family attends the Catholic Church in town and that is all they know. Thus, the story unfolds as the two pastors (McDonalds and Fr. Francis) attend dinner together. Steven Wheaton does not like the new pastor or church and his messages he preaches. He and believes there is deceit in what he says. The problem is that his wife Karen adores the new pastor and his ways of preaching. Steven is determined to get to the bottom of the lies and deceit of the new pastor. He then attends the church with his wife Karen to investigate (privately) to be able to get to the bottom of his beliefs. As they attend the events and the church he finds out that it is more of a "compound or cult" than a "church." On a personal note: This reminded me of the "Waco, TX" massacre. What Steven finds out is that the Pastor is beating and abusing his wife Mary and privately tries to help Mary.

What I love is the battle of The Catholic ways vs. The "other" ways of the new church -this is a cult." I learned that the cult is one to deceive in many ways to gather dysfunctional families or anyone with low self esteem to be "followers" of the Head Pastor. It's like they all have to do exactly what "he" wants or be "punished." Jesus does not preach or say such words. I could not put this book down as I was enticed to see what would unfold in the next chapter. I especially loved this quote, "Page 42, "I see ya brought your bible, it `as a part of my body."

@ 2011 Written by Jackie Paulson requested by Author

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At first glance, I thought Heartache and Sin was going to be a Steel Magnolias type of story. However, it is much more than that. Heartache and Sin is as different from my usual reads as salt is from sugar. Charles Soto writes with the most unique style of writing I have ever read. His writing style took some getting used to---for the first 100 pages I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the book because I was having trouble adjusting. I'll quote two passages to show you:

"Back at the compound of The Church of Resurrection, the Pastor's influence continues to grow. Like a weed corrodes the earth, indulging the sun for its own greedy existence, the Pastor too controls his fate, induling in the same kind of greed that deceit thrives on. Knowing with all he consumes, these lies that encompass his thoughts will only promise him more power in an already thoughtless mind. A mind of no conscience in depth with his lure of the meek and their weak-hearted mentality, for his promise of heaven that his hell can never bring, only entraps his disciples further into this oblivious abomination."

"How time can torture those who pursue it, for in the dire consequences of Steven's reflections came the ill-tainted confusions that blanket his soul. Harboring the smothering reminders of how strong the Pastor's influences are. The deep, dark secrets that he holds in his lies, and as Steven craves to set them all free, he can't help but to feel it's all a rapacious cycle that will never end."

See what I mean? This is the kind of writing that I think intellectual types thrive on. I can just picture a group of college students sitting at Starbucks drinking coffee and discussing this book. As I read Heartache and Sin, I found myself wishing I had someone to discuss it with. It is a very emotional and thought-provoking read.

Heartache and Sin surprised me. The plot had some major twists that I didn't expect and I loved the ending. A perfect Stephenie Meyer-ending would not have suited this book---Charles Soto finishes the book with a totally appropriate and realistic ending. I don't think I would have been satisfied had it ended any other way.

I thought that the story would focus on Karen (the diabetic) but the main character was Steven. I really liked Steven. I liked the way he thinks and I liked how loyal and steadfast he is. It's not often that I identify with a male protagonist the way I did with Steven.

Heartache and Sin was a challenging read. I love a challenge, and sometimes I like feeling like I've accomplished something when I finish a book. Mindless escapism books get old after a while, so this was a good diversion for me.

Just One Gripe:

The writing, at times, feels as heavy as your grandmother's poundcake. You will feel like you just finished a SAT review course after reading this one. But, don't let that stop you from reading---it's worth it.

The Best Thing About This Book:

The plot surprised me, which is a rare and exciting thing.

Appropriate for a younger audience:

No.

Score:

Characters: 4/5

Plot: 4/5

Setting/Imagery: 3/5

Originality: 4/5

Ending: 4/5

Total Score: 19/25; 4 stars

See more of my reviews on my blog: [...]

About the Book:

Karen and Steven live comfortably in the western frontier on a farm that Steven and his brothers tend for their late father. They are fortunate enough to live near Steven's large, loving family and eat dinner together every Sunday. Their lifestyle seems wholly and gratifyingly American, but Karen has diabetes and is strongly discouraged from bearing children for the serious threats her sickness could have on herself and a baby. Karen has the hardest time in the world accepting this, no matter what you tell her she can't stop hoping for it. She walks into her home and imagines toys littered about the place, she hears the sounds of childish laughter; her heart cannot make peace with her forbidden dreams. It is because of this that Karen turns to a radical, cult-like church and the teachings of "The Pastor." Steven hates the man, and sees him for the malicious, deceitful slime that he is (and I was surprised at exactly how malicious, deceitful, and slimy). The Pastor, as he's infamously called, plays the perfect hand in front of his followers, never slipping up. He sings his praises about a coming rain during a long drought, and the rain not only reinforces his congregations' loyalty and belief in him, but it also brings in a slew of new "disciples" as Steven struggles between containing his ire for the man and his cause and making Karen happy. Because Karen is only happy if she is involved with the church. And when she discovers, after a graphic scene of intercourse (that a lot of Catherine Anderson fans will devour) that she is pregnant, Karen cannot see how the baby is anything but a blessing from God. With the Pastor urging her to keep the baby and her husband and doctor trying to inform her just how serious her pregnancy is, Karen causes a lot of heartache and worry for her husband. Steven is trapped between the influence the Pastor has over Karen and the truth Steven knows through the Pastor's battered wife, Mary. The big question seems to be, how will this baby effect Karen's health and will they survive it?

My Review:

I really appreciated Soto's flair for the dramatic; the intensity of his plot was constructed well. The Pastor is one of those remarkably evil characters that could rank right up there with Heath Ledger's The Joker, he's THAT crazy and memorable. Although, you may not want to remember the Pastor (for the same reasons why you might not want to just randomly reminisce about Heath's Joker) because the man is nothing if not creepy. But he's supposed to be because he's the villain, so that's okay. I also felt incredibly warm for Steven, the poor, poor husband in all this drama. He is irrevocably loyal to Karen and just wants to see her happy, especially with the trials of her diabetes. I commend his love for her. However, I had some serious issues with Karen. She made for some serious drama, and would definitely heighten debates if you were to read this story for a book club. I felt like Karen was more loyal to the Pastor than she was to her own husband. I appreciated that she wanted the church to be such an integral part of her life, but sometimes I felt like she put the Pastor's wants before Steven's (she even told the Pastor about her pregnancy BEFORE she told Steven - I was shocked!). And I was kind of bothered by the fact that she had such a problem coming to terms with the fact that having a baby would cause her body more harm than good, and felt that she could have at least asked God to direct her heart towards His will instead of insistently disregarding her health. And when she was pregnant, even though she was advised by her doctor not to attend an abortion protest, she insisted on going anyway, even though her doctor told her that she really needed to take it easy because of her high-risk pregnancy. I felt like she had more concern for other people's babies than her own, and she seemed to brush aside everyone's concerns and opinions unless they correlated with her own.

I was somewhat put off by the ending. I thought it ventured along the lines of being too dramatic, and I felt enormously sorry for Karen. Even though I had qualms with her in the beginning, I felt she deserved a fate much better than the one she was dealt for all the craziness the church put her through.

All in all, the book was intense and wild, and I thought it discussed something very important in today's society, but for me the execution was a little off, mostly right there at the end. By the end of the book, I wasn't entirely sure what message Soto was trying to convey or if he was just trying to send readers on a roller coaster ride (which he did). People who love the thrill and drive of twists and turns in a plot will enjoy this book, but I was looking for something a little deeper than what I found. But that's not to say he didn't write something riveting and gripping. It really just depends on your taste. Soto wrote very thought-provoking scenes. There wasn't a time in the book when I wasn't debating about one thing or another that he wrote in comparison to my own life or asking myself what I would've done in the same situation. If I knew getting pregnant could risk my life and my baby's would I still want to get pregnant? If I did get pregnant with such a high-risk case would I be able to slow myself down and follow doctor's orders? In a situation like Karen's, would I actually feel more comfortable telling someone else I was pregnant first before the father of my child? And what does it mean about our relationships with the people we love that we allow ourselves to become vulnerable to such a brainwashing community? Would that mean my priorities were mixed up, or my family's priorities? All very serious questions that deserve to be looked into.