B. Roman's Blog: Inspiration From Unexpected Sources - Posts Tagged "marriage"

Eve Gaal opens her novel with a tribute to Woman’s power, and notes that hers came through her religious faith and literature. What follows is a thoughtfully written, and sometimes ironically humorous, glimpse into the trials and travails of marriage, parenting, and the evils of human sex trafficking. Her faith runs like a golden thread through the story but is never heavy handed or preachy. Instead, it acts as a solid foundation for her heroine, Penny’s, bravery and sure-footedness.
Life, as in a casino, is a game of chance. Why are some of us fortunate and others experience loss, sometimes devastatingly so. But what keeps people coming back for more - to a shaky relationship or to a slot machine? Hope. And Faith. In this continuation of Lost Compass Love Book One, “Penniless Hearts,” Penny & John, married in Hawaii now living in California, are suffering the blows of the recession, which is driving a wedge between them. Jobless, (she a newspaper writer and he a contractor) and potentially homeless, Penny reluctantly agrees to move with John to Las Vegas for new work opportunities. To add to their troubles, their adult daughter Lani is dealing with a broken heart, but they must leave her behind to live with John’s aging spinster sister. A bizarre stroke of fate in the form of a huge sum of money left to her by a shady criminal from her past, who has met a grisly end, changes Penny’s outlook. It could be financial freedom. But, feeling that its dirty money, she keeps the windfall a secret from John, lest he go berserk. She first needs to figure out how to tell him and how to use the money wisely.
On the dark, lonely desert road to Vegas, Penny & John’s imaginations run to wild, hazardous, deathly scenarios but their “rescue” by 2 strange men inadvertently leads them into a vicious sex slavery operation hidden behind a famous artist’s reputation. Initially, the men, pretending generosity, exploit Penny’s artistic talents and consign her to paint murals in what is to be a posh Vegas “spa.” Penny soon learns it is a front for a bordello that will employ European sex slaves.
All the seemingly innocuous decisions we make can pull us towards peril, defying every instinct that says run like hell in the other direction. But soon Penny finds herself, John, Lani, and some innocent young women at the mercy of a crew of murderous gangsters. Like a first responder running towards danger instead of away from it, Penny devises a courageous plan, with the help of good friends and that huge sum of money, to thwart the villains and bring them down. Though John’s moods and loyalties at times swing like a pendulum, and their marriage and family bonds are tested beyond what most people can endure, his love and admiration for Penny transcends their Job-like challenges. And without giving anything away, fortune smiles on them. After all, fortune favors the brave.
Gaal tackles serious issues - the sex slave trade, and the seamy side of Vegas - with honesty and well-researched facts and details. At the heart of her story is the desire to bring to light the nefarious exploitation of women who are vulnerable and have nowhere to turn and no one to save them. She has been hurt in her own life, and her understanding of the pain and sorrow that are suffered by those who feel powerless is her Muse.