Softly and Tenderly

Happily married and owner of two successful boutiques, Jade longs to begin a family with her husband, Max. But when she discovers that Max has an illegitimate son - who he wants her to help raise - Jade's life is turned upside down.
She flees to her childhood home, a rambling Iowa farmhouse, with enough room to breathe. There - while her mother's health grows fragile, and the tug of her first love grows stronger - Jade begins to question everything she thought she knew about family, love, and motherhood. In the wide-open landscape, Jade begins to see a future that doesn't rest on the power of her past, but in the goodness of God's tender mercies.
I didn't realize that Sara Evans, the country singer, wrote books. So, I was surprised when I saw that she had a book available for review on the Thomas Nelson site. Not knowing that Softly and Tenderly was actually a sequel to another book written by her, I went ahead and ordered it.
I found this book to be hard to get into. I think had I read the first book, this one would have resonated with me a little more. I liked the characters, and felt like she gave them depth of emotion, but thought the story could have been a bit more lively and engaging.
This book is classified as Christian Fiction, but is not overly religious so that anyone could pick it up and still find a positive message of Jesus throughout without the feeling of having been preached at.