Customer Reviews

No Greater Love (Extreme Devotion Series: South Africa #1)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

No Greater Love by Kathi Macias is the first book in the Extreme Devotion series about Christians around the world facing the ultimate test of faith. In 1989 South Africa is still under apartheid. No one knows that better than Chioma. Now a servant on the Vorster farm, she watched her parents slaughtered by the white authorities for insurrection, then her brother murdered by friends of the Vorster's son Andrew. She's tried to fight her feelings for Andrew, but his knowing blue eyes force her to see him as more than just the color of his skin. After yet another tragedy, Chioma lives on the run, hiding with rebel forces known as the ANC. Meanwhile, the Vorsters, Anana and Pieter are forced to reconcile their deep faith with apartheid and how it has affected their family. Macias does a wonderful job portraying the complicated emotions of the Vorsters as they struggle with their faith, as well as with Chioma's wavering loyalty. She puts the reader in the middle of a story that can have no happy ending, but forces us to sympathize with Chioma's suffering as well as the Vorster's confusion. Macias makes the characters come to life and refuses to take the easy way out. It's a powerful novel that will force readers to think deeply about what true faith looks like.

5 big stars goes to this book that is adventurous, touching, memorable, romantic, and a wee bit suspenseful - all at the same time! Told from several unique character's viewpoints, this story kept me turning the pages, wanting to learn more about Chioma's past and where her future was headed. Each chapter held a new piece to this special story of her hard, pain-filled life, and her journey toward salvation.

There were only two scenes that, depending on the age and maturity of the reader, might be considered unnecessary to the story or bothersome. After a couple are married, it has a scene the next morning where the reader is informed that they are not wearing clothes. And later on, a woman is accosted by three men while she is bathing herself and her infant son, though it never says if they saw her out of the water.

Besides these two mild parts, the book was amazing from beginning to end! I loved and enjoyed every moment. There were a few scenes that made me smile, while others made my heart ache for the characters suffering. A book like that is priceless! And to add to that, it also has a lot of history of how the times were while Nelson Mandela was in prison in the 1980s. I always enjoy learning new facts and information from history - and getting to learn it within a story is even better!!

If you've been looking for a book that won't quickly leave your thoughts or that will cause you to pick it up more than once to re-read those special scenes, then I highly recommend No Greater Love to be at the top of your list! ;-)

Kathi bravely tackles a tough subject, apartheid, in the first novel of her "Extreme Devotion Series." From the minute you turn the first page, you feel as though you're walking through the book, side by side with the characters. Be sure to set aside time because you won't want to put this book down!

I love suspense-filled fiction that keeps you turning pages. Kathi's book No Greater Love does that and more. Far from predictable, filled with heart-tugging action, it makes you feel as if you are there during the South African apartheid. Others have commented on the characters and the actual story, so I'll simply add that this novel will anger you when you experience injustice and deep-seated prejudice up close and personal. Yet it will amaze you again of the powerful, transforming love, grace, and forgiveness of God in the lives of people. Here, you truly see God at work and are reminded of what the words "love and sacrifice" really mean. Kathi's book is filled with romance, action, and gut-wrenching emotions--strong ingredients for a great fiction read.

Kathi Macias has written a haunting tale of life in South Africa during apartheid with her No Greater Love (Extreme Devotion) book.

Young, beautiful Chioma suffers through many losses and hardships. She is forced to make decisions that many of us cannot begin to imagine. Through Kathi's skilled writing I found myself empathizing with Chioma and her brother Masozi, her employers Anana and Pieter, and their son Andrew as they face heartrending decisions.

As the story unfolds, two books (a journal and the Bible) become instrumental in God's working in the hearts of those they come in contact with.

This is not a tale of easy answers. It is a tale of humans who live in a cruel world who are forced to make hard and often quick choices. The choices they make will alter their lives for eternity.

I'm not sure if Kathi is planning on a sequel to this story, but the possibilities for her to do so are strong. If she does, I will be excited to read the continuing story of God's working in the hearts of her characters.

Sometimes I just want a good story. One that draws me in, keeps me turning pages, makes me forget my own crazy life for a few hours, and especially one that takes me far, far away . . . to a place I've never been, but care about.

Kathi Macias delivered all of the above in her just-released novel, No Greater Love. She also plucked one of my heartstrings in her story of the clash of cultures in South Africa and the fight to end apartheid. Ever since reading James Michener's The Covenant, I've been drawn to stories centered on that theme.

No Greater Love's cover promises a story of "forbidden romance" and an "unlikely martyr." For me, the setting in South Africa offered that plot on a silver platter. As soon as we meet Andrew, the son of the Afrikaner landowner, and Chioma, the coloured (sic) teenage housemaid, the die is cast. Knowing how hot and high tempers and tensions can run in these situations, I wasn't surprised by the way the story unfolded in the first half of the book. What I didn't see coming, however, was how the prejudices and evils surrounding the ideology of apartheid would be redeemed. Actually, I was rooting for a different ending, but Kathi gives us the only one that really makes sense--the one that works. And I wasn't disappointed.

I found myself completely caught up in the powerful scenes featuring Themba and his band of rebels. Lots of great conflict going on there--power struggles between good and evil, love and hate, survival and sacrifice. I also really appreciated the natural way Kathi included a strong faith message. Some Christian fiction feels like the gospel is just thrown in--but in this story, it is a part of the lives of the characters. As their trials increase, they grow in their faith. Redemption comes through revelation, just as it does for the reader.

I would especially recommend this book to home schooling families as an introduction to the genre of historical fiction and the subject of apartheid. It is certainly appropriate for middle-grade and YA readers. Although promoted as a romance, the romantic elements are tasteful, and in reality, the story goes much deeper than what one would expect in that genre.

Wow, I don't know where to start. This is my first book of Kathi's so I had no idea what to expect. I just knew her books were awesome from the talk about them and I really wanted to read them all! And having just read "No Greater Love," I totally agree. We hear about Christians being murdered because of their faith, but reading the events in this book makes the situations come to life. Even though this book is fiction, the author enlightens us to what it means to be a martyr for Christ. Obviously there was an extreme amount of research by the author before this book was written. As well as research of each unique character and the rolls they play in the book. I loved Chioma, she had a loving and caring heart, even as she was trying to hate whites. And the author created a heartwarming love between Chioma and Andrew that will stay with you for a while.

This is a masterpiece by Kathi Macias! Her unique way of storytelling captures you from the very first pages, keeping you in suspense and the edge of your seat until the last page. The heart-wrenching hatred between the blacks and whites in the era was unbelievable. I agree with Jerry Jenkins, with Kathi's extreme knowledge of the subjects and the setting in the book, she gives you a feeling of being there, right in the middle of the scenes. I shed many tears, as well as wanted to pray for the characters, especially sweet Chioma!
As for recommending this book, it is a must read. Even if you don't like to read, you need to read this book. I urge you to run out and get this first book of the Extreme Devotion Series "No Greater Love," 3, Your life will never be the same after reading this book. If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. It is now on the very top of my `Best Reads' list.

I want to thank the author Kathi Macias for providing me a copy of this book to read and review. The opinions and the review are mine only. I was not expected or required to write a positive review.

Kathi writes about the difficulties of living in a time and place without luxuries(apartheid), such as freedom and liberty. Her example of faith based living comes to life in this book. She brings you into the character's circumstances and allows you to smell the air they breathe as you walk through the fire with them, side by side as they seek to find solutions, answers that will solve their problems.

You'll want to finish the book once you open the first pages. Find a cozy spot to read!

Wow, what a book, what a writer!
Maybe I could best describe the book by describing some of the personalities in the book.
First, there's Chioma, a 16-year-old black girl-woman in apartheid Africa, beset by grief for one dear one after another lost to her. Courageous, beautiful, sincere, angry--and seeking.
Then there's Andrew, the baas's son, attracted to this lovely black girl-woman against his own better judgment. Brought suddenly to honesty and adulthood by circumstances wildly out of his control.
Enter Themba--strong, attractive, domineering, and sometimes tender. Hating, killing, stealing, dedicated to the violent overthrow of the Afrikaners.
Emma--how does she enter into the picture? Faithful to her God, frightened of these violent intruders, yet able to offer love. Will she be able to win Chioma to a white man's God?
These characters were so real I could see them, hear them, even smell their fear and anger.
This book alternately invoked grief, hope, fear, joy. I found myself interwoven with the characters, living with them in their lives, occasionally wanting to scream out, "NO! Don't do that! Please, not that! Dear God, open their eyes!"

South Africa, 1989. Apartheid. One of the darkest moments in the history of humanity - the minority whites rule over the blacks and coloreds that make up the majority. Here lies the setting for Kathi Macias' novel No Greater Love, the first installment in her Extreme Devotion series.

Chioma, a servant for an Afrikaner family, finds herself struggling with her feelings for Andrew, the white son of the master of the farm. Andrew also tries to fight the feelings he feels growing inside himself for Chioma. Orphaned for four years when her parents, ANC supporters, were killed, Chioma has seen her share of tragedy and injustice. Chioma has suffered as a part of the system of Apartheid her entire life, and finds it impossible to trust any white man and - more so - their God. Andrew, living a life of privilege as the son of an Afrikan farmer, also tries to understand the meaning and scope of the Apartheid system his father holds allegiance to. Andrew and Chioma's lives become intertwined and tragedy surfaces yet again, making a martyr out of the most unlikely person. Chioma then finds herself torn between fighting for her cause and learning how to forgive.

In this story, Macias explores the depth of Apartheid and the effects this system of government had not only on the blacks and coloreds, but also on the whites that wielded power and control for decades. Throughout the story, the characters try to justify their actions and beliefs as they relate to those of the races opposite from their own. Introspection and circumstance even force some to question how God feels about the system of Apartheid that has come to be their culture and way of life.

In this truthful glimpse into a world so many still do not understand, God's love and forgiveness, as well as His desire for equality and love for all mankind, are illustrated even more beautifully than the pictures of the South African countryside painted in words by Macias. In a culture driven by evil, hate, and separation, Macias shows that God can break down barriers that man alone cannot.

I must admit that I ate up this story! My father traveled to South Africa as a missionary during the years of Apartheid, and I remember growing up hearing his stories of racial segregation that plagued this beautiful country for years. I also have a deep love for Africa as a continent, and pray daily for His word to be heard and believed by all who call Africa their home. For this reason, I have a special attachment to this novel. I had no idea how much I would enjoy this novel, but I can tell you honestly that it's one of the best stories and most well-written that I have read in a long time. I highly recommend you pick up this novel and discover for yourself not only what Apartheid meant to the people of South Africa, but what God's grace and power can do in the most impossible of events.


**Legal Necessities: I received this book for free from Kathi Macias.