Mike (The Circle of Friends, Book 4) [Kindle Edition]

L. Diane Wolfe (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"(The) series deals with the real issues facing today's society. It's refreshing how the author kept it real!" -- Darlene Wofford, author of `Edgewise'

"MIKE is an engaging story of friendship, love and overcoming guilt caused by past mistakes." -- Susan Eileen Walker, author of `The Secret of the Dance'

Product Description

A prisoner of guilt for so long…

Mike Taylor is the epitome of stability. His family is proud of his academic and athletic achievements at Georgia Tech, and despite the temptations of college life, he has maintained his moral standards.

Yet beneath the peaceful surface, Mike is consumed with guilt, fearing condemnation and rejection. A former girlfriend’s abortion and the intense love he feels for his roommate’s wife constantly remind Mike of his failures. Unable to forget and full of shame, he refuses to forgive himself.

When Danielle enters his life, he realizes he can no longer hide the past. Will she be able to reach him or is Mike past the point of redemption?

Described as “encouragement personified”, Wolfe’s five-book Southern-based series portrays love and friendship overcoming all obstacles. Known as “Spunk On A Stick” to her fans, Wolfe is also a professional speaker. Originally from Oregon, she now resides in North Carolina. “With a positive attitude, any goal can be achieved!”

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 415 KB
• Publisher: Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. (October 6, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003DKJ9JM
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,884 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

L. Diane Wolfe
Professional Speaker & Author

www.spunkonastick.net
www.thecircleoffriends.net
http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com

Known as "Spunk On A Stick," Wolfe is a member of the National Speakers Association. "Overcoming Obstacles With SPUNK! The Keys to Leadership & Goal-Setting", ties all of her goal-setting and leadership seminar's information together into one complete, enthusiastic package. Her YA series, The Circle of Friends, features morally grounded, positive stories that appeal to both teens and concerned parents. Ten years associating with a motivation training system and experience as a foster parent gave her the in-depth knowledge of relationships, personality traits and success principles. Wolfe travels extensively for media interviews and speaking engagements, maintains a dozen websites & blogs, manages an online writer's group, and contributes to several other sites and newsletters.

"With a positive attitude, any goal can be achieved!"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars engaging read, May 24, 2007

By 

Kerri (Greenville, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mike (The Circle of Friends, Book 4) (Paperback)

The latest installment of The Circle of Friends series, Mike, is an emotionally charged story about the destructive effect that guilt can play upon a person's life. The main character, a Christian, maintains a morally grounded persona on the outside. Inside, he battles a secret love / lust for Sarah ( Sarah: The Circle of Friends, Book II ), his best friend's wife, while also harboring a shameful secret from his past. Painfully aware of his sins, his guilt threatens to tear his faith apart and prevents him from letting people into his life. When he graduates from college and moves to a new state, he is forced to make new friends. Soon after his arrival he falls for Danielle, a young woman who befriends him, and he has to find a way to make peace with himself and with God. In the meantime, Mike worries that the close friendships he formed with his best friends and roommates from college, Sarah and Matt, will dissolve due to the differences in their new lives.

This book deals with the topic of Christian sin and guilt without being preachy - something that can be very difficult to do. Mike is a regular person, as full of faults as anyone else, that puts himself to such high moral standards that any transgressions make him feel like a failure. It demonstrates the importance of forgiveness - both from God, and from oneself - as well as the impact a supportive community (especially friends) can have on one's life.

5.0 out of 5 stars Flamingnet.com Top Choice Book-how friends should be, March 2, 2010

By 

Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews "FLAMINGNET COM" (Baltimore, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mike (The Circle of Friends, Book 4) (Paperback)

Mike Taylor has the most amazing friends in the world.

Mike, one of the starters for the Georgia Tech Football

team, had a hard time getting through is young life. With

an unexpected pregnancy during his high school years, he

has felt a lot of guilt and pain prior to entering

college. He has decided, life is just hard. Finally,

after graduation, he is able to get away from his love of

his best friend's wife by moving to Albuquerque, New

Mexico to start a new life. While there, within no time,

he meets Danielle. She is an angel. God helps him discover

that in Danielle he has found his own wife. Then after

finding his little sister is going through the same

problem he went through in high school, he finds that he

is able to help get her through it. He provides her with

encouraging words that come from experience. Then when

finances are low, something unexpected happens again. Why

now? He experiences so much guilt and confusion. While

taking a trip to visit his best friends, the guilt finally

goes away. God found Mike and Danielle a way to make

everything turn out right.

This is an amazing story that shows how friends should

really be. It leaves you curious and makes you predict. I loved it

because I had an idea on what I wanted to happen and all of the predictions

were right. You feel like you're really a part of his life

and just want to give Mike all the answers.

Reviewed by a young adult student reviewer

Flamingnet Book Reviews

Teen books reviewed by teen reviewers

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, February 13, 2010

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mike (The Circle of Friends, Book 4) (Paperback)

Mike's just finished college and has managed to stick to his moral values. As a result, he believes that is the reason he has been given a great job at Sandia Labs in New Mexico.

When he gets there, he meets Danielle and starts falling head-over-heels for her. His past, however, still haunts him, and he worries that a mistake he made in high school that led to his ex-girlfriend getting an abortion will affect his new relationship. He also worries that his feelings for his former roommate's wife might affect his ability to form a lasting relationship.

Will Mike find the power within to forgive himself for his past mistakes? Will Danielle be understanding when she finds out the truth?

A moving, heartwarming story about forgiveness, friendship, and love. Although the plot has a fairly slow pace, the author does a great job of keeping the reader's attention. Her portrayal of the characters and their inner struggles is also well done.

Readers who need an uplifting story or who like Christian fiction, clean romances, and books about people finding their inner strengths will all enjoy reading this book.

Reviewed by: Kira M