Sabrina

I just finished reading the book Sabrina, by Christian author Lori Wick. Set in the times of the Wild West, in Token Creek, Montana Territory, and Denver, Colorado in 1880, this book kept my attention. It is the second book in the Big Sky Dreams series, the first being Cassidy, which I am currently reading. I suppose I should have read that book first, since it is the first in the series, but oh, well. The book Sabrina is about a lonely young woman of about the age of 18. With no parents, she and her sister turned to prostitution for their wages. A police officer sees her at the scene of a death, and takes her under his wing. He brings her home to his wife, who takes pity on her. Astounded by their kindness to her, Sabrina Matthews begins to see God's love in their care for her. She starts reading the Bible they lend to her, and soon becomes eager for God's love. But how?, she wonders, studying the verses in the Bible, how can this holy God love me after all I have done? With some help from the police officer, Danny, and his wife, Callie, Sabrina finally understands that God loves everyone, no matter what, and she gives her life to him. However, just because she has left her past behind does not mean the men that paid her for her favors will. They continue to find her when she leaves the protection of Danny and Callie's house. Finally, Sabrina is forced to move, and with help from Danny and Callie, she chooses Token Creek, Montana Territory. It is a small town in the wide open.
When Sabrina arrives, she is instantly welcomed into the home of Jeanette and her friends and family. However, the uncomfortable resemblance of Jeanette's home to that of her sister, who abandoned her on the streets and lied to a rich young man to marry him disturbs Sabrina. Not wanting to trespass on Jeanette's kindness, and also partially due to the house, Sabrina begins a search for a home of her own. She finds an apartment in the rough side of town, but takes it anyways. She moves in quickly, but her beauty unfortunately draws the attention of many men with bad intentions. She tells them off, and meets new friends of better minds, such as Cassidy and Trace, Brad and Meg, and the town pastor, Rylan Jarvik. With their help, she gets acquainted with the town. Also, she takes pity on prostitutes like she was once, and befriends them, hoping to save them. One prostitute, Eliza, has a baby, and is being beaten when Sabrina steps in a joins in the fight, saving Eliza and her baby, Mirabel. Sadly, Mirabel dies of fever despite prayers. Sabrina is devastated, but comforted by Rylan. With his help, she learns to care for herself better in the rough part of town and works on helping another prostitute, Crystal. Just when she thinks she is safe, the man that was beating Eliza comes after Eliza goes to her family, and when Sabrina won't tell him where Eliza is, he beats her unconscious. After spending time recovering, Sabrina finds a new home with Rylan, whom she marries. At first, she is worried he won't have her because of her past, but he forgives all of it, and asks her to marry him.
I enjoyed this book a lot! It was well written. It's overall message was one of belonging, knowing that God forgives pasts and so do people who care about you. I found the story touching, so I would recommend it to any readers. It had a strong message of leaving pasts, however dirty they may be, and trusting God and moving on. I loved it!