Refining Fires: A Christian Romance Novel [Paperback]

Erin Rainwater (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1926712455 | ISBN-13: 978-1926712451 | Publication Date: July 9, 2010

A disfigured veteran. / A ruined nurse. / A tormented child. / A kept woman. / Strangers whose paths cross, bringing redemption into each other's lives in ways none of them could have predicted. / Her career in ruins, a desperate nurse answers an ad to care for a disabled veteran. / Disfigured in the war, the antisocial businessman can't get his mind off the nurse he had tossed out of his home. / A young child who never leaves the confines of her mountain home must make a treacherous journey alone to save her mother's life. / A woman kept by men all her life learns through an old love that she has been kept all along by Someone else. / Three parts. One touching story.

Product Details

• Paperback: 194 pages
• Publisher: Torn Veil Books (July 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1926712455
• ISBN-13: 978-1926712451
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #481,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A Pennsylvania native, Erin now lives in Colorado. As an Army nurse during the Vietnam War, she cared for the bodies and spirits of soldiers and veterans, including repatriated prisoners of war. Her military experience has helped in writing parts of her novels. In addition to writing, she serves as a nurse in the National Disaster Medical System, and has deployed to disaster areas around the country. One of her favorite pastimes is volunteering at the USO. Erin has been married for three and a half decades (to the same sweetheart), has four children and the four most adorable grandchildren on the planet.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Inspirational Book Guaranteed to Touch Your Heart, August 16, 2010

By 

Christian Romance Reader - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Refining Fires: A Christian Romance Novel (Paperback)

In "Refining Fires," author Erin Rainwater breathes new life into Christian fiction with her wit, humor and intelligent expositional style. This book departs from traditional romance storytelling in a unique and charming way. It's definitely an investment of time and money well spent. Cheers to new Christian romance publisher, Torn Veil Books, for seeing the value of these three separate yet seamlessly interwoven stories tied together with the timeless threads of faith, hope and love.

I personally dislike reviews of books where major plot points are divulged, inadvertently or not. However, it's not giving away anything to say that main characters in the first story, Peter and Clare, leap off the page and into the heart and mind of the reader. The characters are sharp and smart, the dialogue sparkling. The action never lags in this Beauty and the Beast story, the longest of the three, with a disfigured post-Korean War hero and the disgraced, desperate woman who applies for the position as his nurse. Peter's irascible and bull-headed, and he's met his match with sassy Clare. She's just what the doctor ordered for his heart as well as his physical frailties, if only he'd let down his guard long enough to admit it. The humor in the story is infectious and welcome, and the secondary characters add dimension and are well-drawn.

In the second story, you'll cheer as young Susannah makes a treacherous journey alone to find help in order to save her mother in spite of a considerable handicap and impossible odds. You'll be touched by the unbreakable bond of love between a mother and child. In the third story, a woman who has always depended on her beauty and charm discovers the greatest love of all from a surprising source. Peter and Clare make appearances in these last two stories in unique ways, and it's truly like revisiting old friends.

So many Christian books focus on the angst and drama in life. "Refining Fires" offers the perfect balance of elements for anyone seeking a great read. Erin Rainwater doesn't shy away from the message of God's love and the hope He offers. This book will resonate in your heart long after you finish the last page...and leave you wanting more. I wholeheartedly recommend it, and can't wait for her next book!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A surprise inside!, October 31, 2010

By 

Christine Posti (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Refining Fires: A Christian Romance Novel (Paperback)

Until last week, I had never read a historial novel. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I read any kind of fiction book, much less a Christian romance. My reading tends to come from the 'business' and 'Christian' and 'self-improvement' sections of the bookstore.

But, through an odd coincidence, I happened to order "Refining Fires." And I am glad I did. Ironically, last night, I saw Clint Eastwood's new movie "Hereafter," and if you have seen or read about that movie, you know how three lives ended up neatly intersecting at the end. "Refining Fires" was similar in that author wrote stories about four lives (in three sections of the book), then converged them at the end. And not to spoil Clint's movie, but I have to tell you, the ending to "Refining Fires" was a lot more satisfying than that of "Hereafter"!!

So, whether or not you are an avid reader of historical, Christian, fiction books, I think you can count on this book as one you'll enjoy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are Some Wounds too Deep to Heal?, October 8, 2010

By 

Patti Shene (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Refining Fires: A Christian Romance Novel (Paperback)

Sometimes, a person has been wounded so badly that they build a wall to keep everyone out. That's when God often sends someone with the strength to scale that wall. In her book, Refining Fires, Erin Rainwater pairs two such characters. Resistance reigns and sparks fly until it seems there is no hope for a resolution.

The author draws on her own experiences as a nurse who served during the Viet Nam War and cared for wounded soldiers to create this tale. She has crafted a story that speaks to the physical and emotional scars of one such injured veteran and the woman who dares to reach out to him with compassion, mercy, and love.

The second phase of this three part story tells of a young girl with a physical handicap who confronts her uncertainty and fear to save the life of her mother.

The satisfying conclusion of the book tells the sad story of a young woman who has a bruised and battered heart. She finds a healing balm to soothe her broken spirit.

Erin Rainwater cleverly weaves three stories into one with characters that face real life weaknesses and overcome them with strength that comes from the most unexpected place.