Stay With Me Series by Carolyn Astfalk

COME BACK TO ME by Carolyn Astfalk (Stay With me #2)

Alan Reynolds slid into marriage. When his wife kicks him out, it looks as if he may slide out just as easily. Forced to bunk with his newlywed younger brother and his pregnant wife, Alan gets a firsthand look at a blissfully happy marriage while his wife rebuffs his attempts at a reunion.

Caught in the middle, Alan and his wife’s mutual friend Megan grows increasingly unhappy with her own empty relationships. If that weren’t enough, her newly sober brother has found happiness with Jesus, a goody-goody girlfriend, and a cockeyed cat.

When Alan and Megan hit rock bottom, will there be grace enough in their bankrupt lives to right their relationships and find purpose like their siblings have?

STAY WITH ME by Carolyn Astfalk (Stay With Me #1)

A sheltered young woman from a broken Fundamentalist family and a confident Catholic convert must negotiate the obstacles and temptations their relationship creates.

2016 IAN Finalist in Romance, Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval 2015

With her sister Abby’s encouragement, Rebecca has moved out of their overbearing father’s home. When a chance encounter with Chris ends with an invitation, Rebecca says yes. The authentic way Chris lives his life attracts Rebecca and garners her affection.

Chris loves Rebecca and her innocence, but he’s confounded by the emotional scars she bears from her parents and an attempted assault. Her father’s disdain for Chris’s faith and career only make matters worse.

With the counsel of their friend Father John, can Rebecca and Chris overcome every obstacle and bridge the deepening gulf between them and her dad? Or will a crucial lapse in judgment and its repercussion end their relationship?

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Reviews:

“This is a warning: the book you hold in your hand is compelling and well-written and you may find it, as I did, impossible to put down. It’s a romance that’s not trashy in any way, one that illustrates what a novel of this sort should inspire in its reader. When you’re finished, you’ll be a better person. (And probably a very tired one, because you’ll have stayed up all night to finish it.) You’ll also be sharing this book with every woman you know!” Sarah Reinhard, author and blogger at SnoringScholar.com

“A romance of rare quality. It takes you to the heart of passion, through various trials of a real life relationship, and into the power of sincere love. And it’s hilariously funny!”
A.K. Frailey, author, The Deliverance Trilogy

“… a beautiful Christian love story that will put a song in your heart. It will make you hungry for Rebecca’s bakery but also hungry for true love that can best be understood in light of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.”
Theresa Linden, author The Liberty Trilogy

“… a poignant and believable love story about two young adults from very different backgrounds. The characters are richly depicted and memorable, including the secondary characters. The story is sprinkled with humor and contains the perfect balance of reality and sweetness and her writing entertains while radiating substance and depth. Stay With Me is a journey of discovery, forgiveness, and redemption–a beautiful journey of two hearts that long to beat as one.”
Therese Heckenkamp, award-winning author, Frozen Footprints

“A tale packed with desire and determination, pain and longing, healing and hope, not to mention peopled with flesh-andblood characters who sweep the reader away into a world we all know with struggles so much like our own, Stay With Me delivers the very best of the inspirational romance genre. Highly recommended!”
Erin McCole Cupp, author, Don’t You Forget About Me

Excerpt

He raised his palms in a gesture of surrender, “Okay, okay. I love you whether you sing or not but I’d really like to hear you sing.”

Chris Reynolds made Rebecca want to sing, maybe like no one or no thing ever had before. She remembered singing praise songs as a little girl for the simple pleasure of singing and for the love of God. Chris made her want to sing like that again, out of sheer joy, but now singing was a sad reminder. A reminder that she didn’t measure up. That in her father’s eyes, the thing she did best was disappoint. That even when she hadn’t failed per se, her femininity – the very thing that Chris seemed to foster and treasure – caused sin and shame. She curled her toes and pulled her feet from his lap, hugging her knees to her chest.

“I’m sorry,” Chris said as he reached for her. “I pushed too hard.”

“You talked to Abby about it, didn’t you? My singing.” Oh, no. The tears. Where were the tears coming from? She had been a child. Why did it still hurt?