Review: The One Who Rocked Away

Review: The One Who Rocked Away - Prodigals #1

The One Who Rocked Away book cover on blue background

The One Who Rocked Away by Joanna Alonzo explores the stories of believers who grew up in the church, fell away, and have come back again. After reading King of the Crown Imperials and being blown away by it, I was definitely keen to read another book by such a talented author.

Book Synopsis

SERENE

If she loses herself loving him, is it love at all?

Growing up with Nolan, Serene Sinclair stands witness to the rise and fall of his faith. When his talent shoots them both to fame, Serene’s love for him makes her stay. However, as he drifts further from the faith and pulls her along with him, Serene has to ask herself if he is worth losing it all.

NOLAN

He gains it all to lose it all, so he can find his way back to love.

Nolan Stone was born for the stage. Judged and rejected by the church, the only reason he has to keep the faith is Serene. When she abandons him, his faith goes with her. When circumstances intertwine their lives back together, he wrestles with the urge to be someone he’s not just to get her back.

Will they get past the question standing as a hurdle between their love: Is he using God to get to her or is God using her to get to him?

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

This series has long been on my TBR, and I'm grateful that I finally had the opportunity to read the first Prodigals book. This is definitely more on the grittier side of Christian fiction and does not shy away from referencing sin. Told using a series of flashbacks, readers are able to better understand the decisions made by Nolan Stone and Serene Sinclair in this rock star romance. The scenes are raw, and the emotions conveyed are effective at showing just how much love can bless and hurt. There were multiple chapters where my heart went out to Serene and her struggle in handing everything over to God, including her relationship with Nolan.

I would say that based on the writing and the gripping depth of the story expressed by the author, it is certainly a five-star read. I only struggled a little bit because I’m more sensitive to reading accounts of sexual sin, but for anyone else, I can easily see how this is a top-notch book that explores forgiveness and God’s perfect timing in a delicate manner. I appreciate that sin is not glorified in this book as Joanna Alonzo does an excellent job of showing the ramifications of this behaviour and the effects it can have on others. Readers wanting more of an edge to their books that are more realistic and redemptive will find it here.

Book Summary

Format of book: 📱
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommendation: 👍

Comments

Life Up North

I'm going to go against my previous posts about keeping my opinions to myself on things outside of faith and reading by sharing some of my recent experiences instead. I figure that if we read fiction to broaden our understanding of other perspectives that it might be worthwhile for me to share how things have been for me as a non-representative Canadian (I'm not speaking for anyone else here!) 😄 I'll be honest in that it's been tough in the last few weeks and months. I've done my best to keep up my optimism and more importantly, my hope in Christ, Who is unchanging and steadfast. Rulers come and go, nations evolve and change, and politics can swing back and forth, but God is immutable and sovereign over all things. That being said, recent geopolitical factors have resulted in an emotional toll on me and a lot of the people I interact with in my life. While I am grateful that I can place my burdens at the foot of the cross, I recognize that others in my life have va...

Review: Married Before Christmas

It's always a treat to read a Christmas book that can whisk you away into the holiday season no matter what time of year it is (spring counts, right?) 😊 Married Before Christmas by Hannah Foster is one such book, and it's one that I would recommend adding if you're already compiling Christmas books to read! Book Synopsis While Heather MacLinn is still reeling from the unexpected death of her uncle, she discovers he’s left behind a will with some very not so twenty-first-century-like stipulations. If she’s to inherit the home she was raised in since she was twelve then she needs to be married by the end of the year. However, her uncle’s unplanned death doesn’t leave her with much time as Christmas is only just around the corner. On top of grieving her uncle’s death, and searching for a husband, Heather’s mortal enemy Jed Canopy returns to her life to wreak more havoc. Or at least that’s what she thinks. But can Jed be an unexpected friend when unknown relatives start br...

The Rise and Fall

I've shared before that being on Threads has been an interesting experience. It's certainly helpful in better understanding book trends as a whole, but a lot of the controversies I read about about are—in a word—awful. Awful for readers and authors alike, which is somehow a unique shared experience. I suppose that with symbiosis, when one falters, it affects the other. I'm likely not alone in my observation that there appears to be a lot more authors who are caught in the crosshairs of being popular one day and then being cancelled the next day. It's an interesting phenomenon where, with shared accountability, there is an increased demand that authors get things right, which I can't fault or disagree with. However, the speed at which the tides turn amazes me where people will spend a lot of time and resources on a particular author, only to "dump" them as soon as there is a hint (or more, way more) of controversy. I'm not questioning whether it's l...