Christian romance, Religious romance
Date Published: February 8, 2022
Publisher: Clay Bridges Press
Victory can only come by letting go
It is with a life centered on our Lord that we can be Healed through the Power of Love. Amidst the trials, tribulations, and storms we experience with family, relationships, and friends, the Lord guides us if we surrender to His will, His purpose, and His plan for our lives.
Yasmin is estranged from her family and has a secret she has vowed to never reveal. With her heart scarred and filled with remorse and fear, she finds trusting, letting go, forgiving, and accepting the Lord's will a challenge. Orlando's life is mundane until Yasmin returns. His goal becomes helping Yasmin, convincing her to love and be loved, showing her how to be happy, and persuading her to overlook her past. Neither Yasmin nor Orlando can obtain victory without letting the Lord take control of their lives.
Excerpt:
Orlando blocked a right punch and
then pranced back with his fists lifted. Raul lunged toward him. Orlando ducked
and landed a right on Raul’s jaw. He watched Raul stumble back, regain his
balance, and spring up.
“Don’t hold back because I won’t.”
Raul gestured with his hand for Orlando to move forward.
“Stop!” Yasmin ran between them.
“If you don’t control her, I will,”
Raul promised. “By hitting her?” Orlando demanded sarcastically. “Only cowards
hit women.” Grabbing Yasmin’s arm, Orlando blocked her path by standing in
front of her. “Stay out of the way, or you’ll get hurt,” he yelled, frustrated
by her senseless attempts to stop them.
Horrified, Yasmin watched them
prance around the living room as if they were in a boxing ring, swinging at
each other, ducking, blocking, and landing punches. She gasped aloud as Raul
crashed into the love seat, blood trickling from a cut on his lip.
“Enough!” she screamed at the top
of her lungs. Standing between them again, she extended her arms to keep them
apart.
“It wasn’t just gossip. Ma, Maria,
Luisa, and Isabel were right,” Raul accused as he stood up, glaring at Yasmin
and then at Orlando. “I never suspected it, although I should have known.
That’s why you defended her all the time.”
“Wrong,” Orlando clarified. Taking
hold of Yasmin’s wrist, he pulled her toward him and stepped in front of her.
“Yeah,” Raul scoffed, lifting his fists. “You took advantage of our friendship
and got involved with my sister, knowing I wouldn’t approve.”
“No.” Yasmin attempted to get in
between them again. Orlando gestured with his arm for her to move back.
“You’re here,” Raul stressed.
“You’re a hypocrite, a traitor.” Prancing forward, Raul landed a right on the
side of Orlando’s face.
“No!” Yasmin shouted, horrified.
Her gaze fixed on the trickle of blood trailing from Orlando’s eyebrow to his
chin and then onto his white T-shirt.
“Relax, Yaz. I’m all right,”
Orlando said, realizing it was a futile attempt to calm her down. She looked so
distraught that he feared she would have a nervous breakdown.
“Yaz?” Raul repeated with disgust.
“You have pet names for each other?” He bolted toward Orlando, punching him
repeatedly.
“Stop! Stop!” Yasmin cried out as
they fought. Her heart was beating so fast she was breathless. She felt
lightheaded—faint.
“Let’s finish this outside,”
Orlando said, heading toward the door. Yasmin watched, terrified, as Raul
hastened after him.
“No, no, no!” she yelled
repeatedly. The room swirled around her, and she felt as if she were floating
before darkness engulfed her.
Orlando stopped abruptly when he
heard her frantic screams. Turning swiftly, he saw her collapse. He darted back
and lifted up her limp body.
“Satisfied, Raul?” he asked, laying
her gently on the couch.
“Should we take her to the
hospital?” Raul squatted down beside him.
“If she doesn’t come to.” Propping
a pillow under her head, Orlando gestured toward the bathroom. “Get the alcohol
from the medicine chest.”
“You would know where everything
is,” Raul complained.
“Isn’t her health what you should
be concerned about?” Orlando asked, sickened by Raul’s lack of sensitivity.
“I’m not a hypocrite like you.”
“You don’t care what happens to
Yasmin, but you’re fighting me because you think I took advantage of her?”
“You betrayed my trust. You knew I
never wanted any friend of mine messing with my sisters.”
“Are you going to get the alcohol?”
He shot him a stern glance.
“Yaz,” Orlando knelt before her,
patting her face gently. “Can you hear me?” A horrible thought occurred to him
as he took the cap off and placed the alcohol bottle under her nose, moving it
from side to side. Carmen would have a heart attack for sure if she heard
Yasmin was admitted to the hospital.
About the Author
Rosanna Almonte worked more than than 30 years in education, teaching in early childhood and elementary schools and serving as a staff developer and coach. She is now retired and loves writing, music, and travel. She is a member of a Christian church where she is actively involved in a women's network, the Intercession team, and as a co-leader of a women's life group. she was born in the Dominican Republic and lives with her family in New York City.
Contact Links
Purchase Links
No comments:
Post a Comment