Light of the Heart by Regina Andrews

Light of the Heart by Regina Andrews is a beautiful book inside and out, published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. March 1, 2011. It's Sterling Lakes Book One, and I look forward to the other novels in the series.

Cascade Preston is a stained-glass artist who struggles to overcome an awful childhood and trust in men. She doesn't want anything to do with the town she grew up in when she's sought to complete the stained-glass project to remodel an old church in Sterling Lakes. Cascade encounters the project manager, Dan McQuay, and though she's attracted and single, she turns down the job and makes up her mind to forget his blue eyes until the ladies at the prison where she volunteers make her think twice. They throw a guilt trip on her, and she ends up wanting to do the windows for the church when she visits the site and thinks they've gotten another artist.

The beauty of this book is in the method the author uses to convey God's light in the heart and entwine it with the light that filters through stained glass windows in a church. Dan McQuay makes it his business to not get involved until he's entwined in the rays of light Cascade throws his way and he opens his heart to God's light. When they both open their hearts to the stained-glass window project, God works in both.

At first Cascade has to face her fear of Dan's leaving like usual when he completes a job. Then, she's offered a big contract and must go to New York if she wants to follow her dreams. Will she marry Dan or follow her dreams and be the one who does the leaving? She feels like she's sold her soul when she flies to New York and signs that big contract. She must search her conflicted heart, and she's so confused she doesn't know what is the right thing to do. Can she face living in Sterling Lakes again, the town she grew up in and hates? Is it possible for God to change her heart about Sterling Lakes and the people who live there, if she lets the light filter in through those stained glass windows? Can she trust Dan not to leave her?

I bought this book and read it on my Nook and loved it. It's available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com for only $4.79, or from the publisher at http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/StoreFront.bok. Click on the orange Desert Breeze Square to the right and go see what a beautiful book it is for yourself. Also, read more about the book and the author at the site.

If you want to read a beautiful book with a filtered-light story, this is the one. And you won't want to miss what happens when Cascade must face her fear of the water when the canoe tips over during a sudden storm.