“Forgiveness is an act of grace and a gift from God . . .”

The Rhythm of Fractured Grace by talented author Amanda Wen is the third book in her Sedgwick County Chronicles series. It is a poignant and heart-tugging story of forgiveness, healing, and God’s grace. The author handles the rather difficult subject matter with sensitivity and care. Filled with fractured characters in both timelines—current day Wichita and 1870s Kansas—this tale grabbed my attention from the first and wouldn’t let go until the end. Siobhan Walsh, a violin repairer, and Matt Buchanan, newly hired as a worship pastor were both engaging and interesting. As Siobhan works to repair Matt’s antique violin, their lives intersect in ways they’d never imagine.

“Maybe God hadn’t moved. Maybe Siobhan had.”

The author tied the two timelines together seamlessly with the back story of how the violin came to be in Matt’s possession.

The beautiful cover and perfect title combined to entice me to read this story, and I’m so glad I did. I know I’m in for a moving and inspirational tale when I read one of Amanda Wen’s books. I recommend this book to those who enjoy deeply moving and beautifully written dual timeline stories.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Kregel Publications through JustRead Tours. All opinions are my own.

I had so many emotions reading this book. Church hurt, physical and emotional pain, rude awakenings; it’s all there. And so is a grace that brings forgiveness and freedom. The characters jump off the page and become friends. The dual timeline is interwoven so beautifully you can’t wait to get back to the characters of the previous era and see how they all connect in the end. And be sure to read the author’s note at the end of the book. If I could give this one more than five stars I most certainly would.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

This story really hits your heart strings and I loved the storylines and characters. Matt has moved to a completely new state for a pastor position he couldn't pass up. He is lucky enough to reunite with a fatherlike mentor from his past who helped him get this new position at Pursuers. He has a badly damaged family violin that needs repair and quickly makes friends with the woman Siobhan at the local music shop. As the two slowly get to know each other, Matt's trust and belief in someone he has looked up to, and believed in is called into question until he starts seeing the signs for himself. One of the most hurtful things in life, is finding out someone is not who they made you believe they were and now Matt has to use his faith and trust in another to do the right thing so others cannot get hurt. Meanwhile Siobhan's faith and trust are also being tested while she repairs and researches the history of this mysterious violin. I really enjoyed the historical storyline that was woven throughout. As we are always reminded, God has a plan and often we forget that at times he has a lesson we need to learn on the way to where we need to be. I really loved this book and am looking forward to reading the others she has written. Thank you to the author, Netgalley and JustRead Book Tours for the complementary ebook and for being a part of the authors launch team. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

Excellent! What an impressive dual timeline story of healing, forgiveness, and God's grace. Forgiving on our own is often completely impossible for difficult or traumatic experiences. Only with God's help can we begin to forgive, heal, and move forward. The Rhythm of Fractured Grace (a perfect title by the way) tells us two stories of brokenness tied together by a damaged violin in need of repair. Both stories keep us turning pages to see how they turn out and how they are connected.

"Broken instruments need to remember what they are capable of, lest they forget their purpose in life and refuse to be fixed."

Siobhan Walsh is a young apprentice luthier at the local music shop, when Matt Buchanan brings in his grandmother’s broken violin. Matt is the new worship pastor at the huge church in town, where Siobhan has a painful past that has left her broken, closed off to dating, and floundering in her faith.

A massacre on the frontier has left Deborah Caldwell and her sister alive and scarred. They live with their father and it's just the three of them since her mother and siblings were killed in that attack. Years later, in 1876, Deborah never expects to be married until a widower asks for her hand in an arranged marriage. Levi Martinson and his tender heart help Deborah on her path of healing until a surprise twist puts her to the ultimate test.

Author Amanda Wen handles difficult topics with grace and sensitivity. Readers will walk this authentic path of forgiveness and healing with the characters. I'm telling you, I could not put it down.

I love how the history of the violin unfolds with the help of her research-loving half-sister Sloane. I enjoyed seeing Sloane and other characters from the books Roots of Wood and Stone, and The Songs That Could Have Been from the Sedgwick County Chronicles. This story can totally be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend the whole series!

I highly recommend The Rhythm of Fractured Grace by Amanda Wen. Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read an early e-copy. All opinions are my own.
I plan to purchase a copy for my keeper shelf with the rest of the series!

Please do read the authors notes and discover more about this story written from experience and history from her ancestors.

This will be one of the best books you'll read this year! Amanda Wen does it again in this third book of her Sedgwick County Chronicles series. There are two equally engaging storylines in different time periods that are beautifully woven together with the common theme of forgiveness. Wen delicately addresses difficult subjects with great care and empathy, while also including wit and romance for a completely captivating read.

A poignant, real-life, engaging story, set in two different timelines, about pain, anger, loss, grudges, forgiveness, and the power of God's love (and the love of a godly man) to help heal. Wen does an amazing job of capturing the settings and characters in both timelines, and of tying them together.

Both Siobhan in current-day Wichita and Elizabeth in 1870s Kansas have been "fractured" in more than just body, and it takes real struggles, tenacity, and forgiveness for both to work toward healing.

I was drawn in from the beginning, and the story never let go. Wen helped me feel the pain, loss, forgiveness, and joy right alongside every character. Highly, highly recommended.

What a privilege to read and review Amanda Wen's upcoming release. I loved the author's first two books in the Sedgewick Chronicles series, and this one was no exception. Ms. Wen tackled a difficult subject but balanced the negative side of what can happen in a church with a heavy dose of God's grace and truth.

The melding of two different timelines tied together by a violin in need of repair painted a heart-wrenching story of excruciating pain, loss, and grief but shined a spotlight on the power of true forgiveness and how unconditional love can help heal a wounded heart.

I highly recommend all three books in this series!

Thank you to the author and publisher for an advance e-copy of the book. I wasn't required to provide a review, and all thoughts are my own.

This was a beautiful tale of the healing power of love and of forgiveness. This is the 3rd book in the Sedgwick County Chronicles. Though the story itself can easily stand alone, there are some spoilers for books 1 & 2 in this story, so I would recommend reading the series in order if you plan to read them all (and I would heartily recommend all 3!). This book follows Siobhan Walsh in the modern timeline, whose half-sister Sloane was the main character in book 1. Siobhan, who has been deeply wounded by the church, finds herself drawn to the new worship pastor in town when he brings his grandmother's broken violin into the repair shop where Siobhan works. The history of the violin itself is also part of the story, which dates back to a family 150 years earlier and an attack that fractured not only the violin, but also the family at that time. This story speaks to the stories of pain and brokenness, anger with God and the healing power of forgiveness.

This story is mostly character driven, but there was enough of a plot-line to keep me steadily turning pages. I enjoyed delving deep into the lives of the characters and watching their growth and healing process. They were easy to like and relate to. I appreciated how God used the people around both Siobhan in the modern timeline (including Matt, her boss Ian, Sloane and her mom) and Deborah in the past timeline (including Levi, her friend Annabelle, her sister Elizabeth and her dad) to help both of these women to heal from their past hurts. Healing is a communal process and this book showed that full well. I loved how the past and present timelines wove together seamlessly to tell one big story and how the violin was both a part of both stories, but also had some healing of its own - and how the instrument became different/better after its repairs, making an apt comparison to the key members of the story. There was definitely some romance in both story lines, but the romance was not the main point - the healing of the relationship with God was. But I loved how the author used the love of a good man to aid in that process for both women as well. As you might be able to tell from the content of my review, this story was very "faith-heavy", but it was not preachy at all. I loved how the Grace of God was shown in the themes of love and forgiveness. All in all, this book gave me all the feels, and was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend to fans of all genres of Christian fiction. Special thanks to the author and publisher for an advance e-copy of this novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

“Broken instruments need to remember what they’re capable of,” he always said, “lest they forget their purpose in life and refuse to be fixed.”

_________

Siobhan Walsh is a young apprentice luthier at a quiet music shop when she meets Matt Buchanan who brings in his grandmother’s broken antique violin. The instrument is probably beyond repair but it’s sentimental to Matt and so Siobhan agrees to take the intricate project on. Thus begins a friendship between Siobhan and newcomer to town, Matt.

As their friendship grows, Siobhan learns Matt is the new worship pastor at the mega church in town and Matt learns Siobhan has been majorly scarred by the church in the past which has left Siobhan closed off and trying her best to bury her pain. Soon, they will both discover their pasts and future intertwine in the most dark and mysterious way. Can their new friendship endure the newfound secrets that have come to light? Will Matt and Siobhan have to end their relationship before they even got to explore what could have possibly been?

Deborah Caldwell lives in the early 1900’s on the frontier and lives with her sister and father ever since her mother and siblings were killed in a massacre. Even though her sister and Deborah are survivors, they bare an ugly scar atop their heads from the attack, a reminder everyday what was taken away from them. Deborah is given away in an arranged marriage to widow Levi Martinson and his tender ways start to help Deborah refocus on living again and her new family. However, when Levi’s brother comes to town, secrets come to light that rock Deborah’s world and send her into darkness once again. Can Deborah ever find peace again, knowing what she does about her new family?

Amanda Wen seamlessly weaves the present with the past into a captivating and powerful story. The characters in both settings have been victims of terrible crimes and are broken and struggling with their faith when we meet them in the story. Both women are given new opportunities for reconciliation and redemption but it isn’t easy, each one has a hard road to overcome to see their full worth in Jesus’ eyes. Grace, faith, forgiveness, and second chances are huge themes in this story. I love the countless analogies of a broken instrument being pieced back together to make joyful music to the Lord.

Content: sexual abuse within church, abuse of power and position. (I just want to note that the author did a phenomenal job tenderly and delicately addressing this issue in the church. This kind of story line really needed to be shared and acknowledged.) no language, closed door.

Thank you to to @netgalley @authoramandawen & @kregelpublications for this advanced readers copy!