I got this book from the library and then almost didn't read it. I generally love Barabara O'Neal's books, but I wasn't sure about this one, because of the religious connections. It starts out with a couple engaged to be married, Elsa and Joaquin. When he breaks the engagement to become a priest, I immediately thought "Thornbirds", one of my least favorite books of all time, and almost quit reading right there, but I kept on and I'm glad I did. There was a lot more to this book. Elsa is a lapsed catholic, who becomes a minister in a less conservative church and the story is about her crisis of faith (actually several crises throughout her life - told in flashbacks) and how she deals with it. Included are several smaller stories, Elsa's sister, Tamsin and Tamsin's daughter Alexa, and Alexa's fiancee, Carlos and of course Joaquin, and a community garden, and a soup kitchen attached to the catholic church, and quilting, and dogs, and gangbangers. All of these blend together to tell this really rich, really descriptive story of family, friends and community which was really good and a really enjoyable read.