Customer Reviews

That Faith, That Trust, That Love

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Jamellah Ellis has hit the ground running with her debut novel That Faith, That Trust, That Love. Her comfortable writing style will make you want to laugh, cry and call a friend to recommend that they read it, all at the same time.

Ellis deftly weaves together the stories of three generations of African-American women, each dealing with the same issues in their different ways. From Ma Grand's "never let 'em see you sweat" demeanor to Pam's "put on a happy face" attitude to Marley's determination to live life to the fullest but by her own rules, Ellis shows us that only God can bring true happiness, not the things we do or say to try and find it.

Unlike some "sistagirl" books on the market, Ellis' male characters are vivid and true to life, showing the good, the bad and the ugly. Her female supporting characters (Marley's sistergirls Ashley, Deanna and Lynne) are strong enough to each carry a book by themselves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I for one would love to see a sequel!

Jamellah Ellis has raised the bar on African-American Christian fiction with her powerful and poignant debut, That Faith, That Trust, That Love. This novel has it all: laugh-out-loud humor, gripping drama, familial struggles, true-to-life characters and situations, and prose that dances off the page and dares the reader not to take note. And all the while God and His Son Jesus Christ are glorified in the process. Hallelujah!

I am so proud of Jamellah that she is walking in her life's purpose and sharing her talent with the world. She is a literary icon in the making and That Faith, That Trust, That Love is the first of many novels to prove it. If you know like I know, you'll get this book quick, fast, and in a hurry. Don't block the blessing!

That Faith, That Trust, That Love by Jamellah Ellis is an excellent debut novel and a wonderful addition to the Christian Fiction genre.

Marley Shepherd appears to have it all...good looks, a wonderful fiancee, and a great job as an attorney at a prestigious law firm. So what's wrong with the scenario that follows? As the story opens, An extravagant party is being held to announce Marley's engagement to Gerrard Shore, the son of one of Atlanta's prominent African-American families. With more than 200 family and friends present to celebrate the occasion why does Marley feel unhappy? And, why, only two weeks after the engagement party, is the "happy" couple meeting with a relationship counselor to determine what's wrong with this relationship? (Hmm...sounds like disaster ready to happen. Run quick. Forget about marrying Gerrard Shore because he's not as perfect as he appears to be.) Feeling disillusioned and downcast, Marley seeks advice and solace from her mom, Pam and her grandmother, Ma Grand. Unfortunately when these two women aren't busy sparring with each other, they're embattled in their own bitter world of turmoil and are not the role models that one would seek when it comes to matters of the heart.

When Marley's family and friends suggest that Marley try attending church to strengthen her walk with God she initially shies away as she remembers the hypocrisy of the churches that she's attended in the past. It seemed that all of the churches that she visited previously were so busy being about everything except God and as such it had caused her to lose faith in the institution as a whole. So when Marley was invited by her secretary, Evelyn, to attend Gilead's Balm, a relatively small church,Marley was surprised when she found herself being inspired by the message and longing for a personal relationship with God.

Ellis shows that Marley will still encounter trials and tribulations, however her faith, trust and love in God will help her to walk by faith and not by sight when the storms of life come her way. As Marley begins and continues in a closer walk with God, and her spiritually increases, others are able to see the positive changes in Marley's life. Marley's faith and her trust in God will be tested immensely as she shares a life threatening situation with her mom and realizes that the only person she can truly rely on is God.

Jamellah Ellis has written an heart-warming and emotionally rich novel. It was compelling, engrossing and uplifting without being preachy. I enjoyed that the focus was on the Word of God versus just a sermon of a bunch of clichés which don't mean anything the moment the service is over. Ellis realistically portrayed real life folks, with real life situations making real life decisions. That Faith...is a refreshing change of pace and a reminder that no matter what happens in our life it is our faith, our trust and our love of God which will help us have victory in our lives. Ellis has written one of the best books I've read in the Christian Fiction genre. I wish Ms. Ellis many blessings in her future endeavors and look forward to future books from this talented author.

Believe it or not, I had a hard time getting my hands on a copy of Jamellah Ellis' That Faith, That Trust, That Love. I had been hearing a lot of buzz about it for some time now, and once I got to read it for myself, I understand why everyone is talking about this book!

Ms. Ellis is a gifted writer whose carefully-crafted characters come to life in her debut novel. At the heart of the story is Marley Shepherd, a young woman who seems to have it all -- a great career, a beautiful home, and a rich, handsome fiance. However, within the first few pages of the novel, it is painfully obvious that something is missing. From page one, I could easily identify with Marley, and quickly felt connected to the character. I laughed and cried with Marley as she faced various situations; she was just that real to me.

That Faith, That Trust, That Love is filled with rich dialogue and description, making it easy for the reader to envision the characters and their interaction with each other. I'm so used to reading novels that are chock full of stilted dialogue that it was refreshing to read the colorful and realistic exchanges between the characters Ms. Ellis created. Moreover, Ms. Ellis does a fine job of giving the reader a glimpse of where this all takes place. I was so enraptured with her vivid descriptions that I all but forgot that I was in the hair salon and not in Atlanta!

What made this book truly worth the read were the profound lessons that Marley, her mother Pam, and grandmother Ma Grand all faced. Each in her own way came to realize that they could not make it without God in their lives. While That Faith, That Trust, That Love is clearly Christian fiction, Ms. Ellis doesn't shove the Gospel down the reader's throat. In fact, she presents the book from a nonbeliever's point of view. It wasn't that Marley didn't believe in God, but that she didn't believe that she needed to have a closer relationship with Him until she realized that she couldn't solve her problems on her own.

In That Faith, That Trust, That Love, Ms. Ellis delves into some deep topics -- trust, infidelity, rejection, mother-daughter relationships and even cancer -- and it's almost impossible to read this book and not see yourself in the characters' situations. Even if you do not identify with Marley, perhaps you may identify with one of the other characters, each one well-developed and written from a different perspective.

While this book has a serious message, it is full of colorful and hilarious moments, too. I laughed almost uncontrollably while reading about the ghetto-fabulous wedding that Marley attended with girlfriends Ashley and Deanna! However, it was Ma Grand's no-holds-barred, quick-witted commentary that was absolutely humorous. If she wasn't fussing or snapping at Marley and Pam, she had some sage advice and words of wisdom.

If there were a 10-star rating on Amazon.com, it would not be enough for this book. This was undoubtedly the best book I have read in quite some time. The writing, the characters, and most importantly, the message, makes this book one of the best books in the Christian fiction genre today.

I just can't say enough about this book! Read it for yourself. Trust me, you will be glad you did!

Three generations of Shepherd women, Marley, her mother Pam and her grandmother, Ma Grand, find out the real deal about faith, trust and love in Jamellah Ellis' first Christian fiction novel, That Faith, That Trust, That Love. None of the Shepherd women were very religious so for them to develop a relationship with God was a learning process.

Faith: All the Shepherd women went to church at some time in their life, but none really had experienced a relationship with God. Marley did not like going to church, found it to be pretentious, until she visited Gilead's Balm Church. The message Marley heard that Sunday was directed at her and she gave her life over to God.

Trust: In order to be in a relationship, you have to trust the other person. In your relationship with God, you have to trust that His word is true and if He promised you He would bless you, He will do it. Pam found this to be true as she battled a serious illness.

Love: The Shepherd women loved each other, but did not know how to show this love. Ma Grand did not display affection to her daughter, which made her feel unloved, and since she did not have a positive mothering example, Pam's relationship with Marley suffered. Marley thought herself in love with Gerrard, her ex-fiance, was able to discover true love once she met Lazarus.

This novel will make you think about putting your problems in God's hands and leaving them there. Marley saw her problematic situations change for the better; Pam experienced the healing virtues of God and Ma Grand learned it is okay to show love and affection to those close to her. I appreciated the author's practicality in writing about how the characters made progressive changes and mistakes in their Christian walk. There were good secondary characters that enhanced the main characters. I think people who enjoy Christian novels will enjoy this realistic rendition of newfound Christianity.

Jeanette
APOOO BookClub

This book couldn't have come at a better time in my life! Talk about God being right on time...He has used Jamellah in a MIGHTY way. I only hope that others will be brave enough to explore the questions, emotions, & reflections that Marney's or any of the characters' story stirs up. I smiled out loud, laughed out loud, and cried out loud with a convicted soul at reading this profound story; I couldn't put the book down & literally finished it in less than 24 hours! Jamillah has revealed God's availability to everyone in a REAL and "regular" way; you don't have to move to feel His presence as you become a part of this beautiful story. You will be truly Blessed if you take the time to read it!

This story was absolutely breathtaking. The author penned this novel with a feather from angels wings. What makes a novel fall under the Christian category? Is it the omission of sex or the string of invectives? I don't know the difference, but I do know a good book when I read one and this was definitely one of them.

The main character Marley is a bright and charming person. She has two very strong women in her life who are very different, but share the same purpose and that is to make sure that their daughter has a better life than the one that they endured.

Marley is engaged to a man that can offer her everything that she could ever want and need except for his time and undivided attention. When Marley makes it a point for she and Gerrard to see a counselor and curtail the issues that threaten to ail their future marriage he brushes it off as frivolous. Several incidents occur forcing Marley to take a long, strong hard look at exactly what she's getting herself into. Does she give up a man that some women would die for? After all he comes from a wealthy family, he's gainfully employed, good looking and smart. Does she take that leap of faith and possibly end up like her mother, without a man? It's a decision that never comes easy to one. That is unless you allow God into your life to help guide you. Man should never walk alone in darkness. Bring God along with you as your guide and that goes for every situation, which Marley comes to realize.

Marley's mother, Pam is going through some issues and tries to handle things on her own, but realizes that it's okay to lean on family. Ma Grand can be stubborn and downright cruel with her tongue-lashings, but she means well. She's from ole' school and simply doesn't know how to express herself any other way. The word "affection" is just not listed in her vocabulary.

The one thing that all three women learn is that no matter how bad a situation gets you have to and should always put your trust in God. The ending is touching and as you read you will learn a few things that you can hold onto if you ever find yourself in a time of need.

This was an excellent read and I highly recommend it to any and everyone.

"That Faith, That Trust, That Love" was ALL THAT... encouraging readers to increase your faith by trusting God to receive true love (of yourself and others)! I enjoyed reading this book because of its simplistic way of unraveling drama and smoothing it out with the peace of God.

At first, "That Faith..." appears to read like most fiction novels. However, you will sense the anointing as you read further. The author creatively takes you deeper (not just into the story but deeper into yourself). I was moved to tears of joy, pain, sorrow, and more joy!!

The characters are so real and down to earth (except the socialites:-) Ma Grand was truly grand with her hilariously cantankerous self! I especially loved the way Marley was transformed when she accepted Christ into her life. The author permits you to take an enjoyable walk of faith with Marley as she grows and shares with others.

I highlighted and bookmarked many pages because this was definitely an enjoyable and inspiring read!

New author Jamellah Ellis has written a heartwarming and uplifting Christian tale. Marley Shephard is a young beautiful woman who appears to be living on top of the world. She has a loving and supportive circle of family and friends. She is engaged to a handsome man. And she has a wonderful job. So, you wonder what could be missing from her life. GOD is missing. Marley has put God on the back burner. The day Marley opens her life and heart to God everything changes for the better. She is able to face life challenges head on because God is walking with her. With God all things are possible.

This novel comes highly recommended. Best Wishes and God's Blessings to Jamellah.

Oh, I loved this book. There are some powerful women in this book. I especially related to the story of Pam's challenge with breast cancer. Grand Ma is everyone's grandmother. If you like Christian fiction, this is the book for you, you will not be disappointed. This book will make you re-evaluate your relationship with Jesus Christ!