The Easy Way Out

Friendship #2

by Staci Stallings

An alternate cover edition can be found here.

Landscape designer, Drew Easton thought he had met the perfect girl in Harmony Jordan, but then Harmony married Drew’s best friend and business partner, Aaron Foster. Trying to pick up the pieces of the failed relationship and go on with life, Drew is not prepared for the twists the road to true love is about to take. Will his heart still be in one piece at the end of this ride?

Charity Jordan has one feeling about her older sister. Hate. Never able to measure up, always second-choice, Charity’s life has been driven by one bad mistake after another. When Harmony’s ex begins showing up to landscape her parent’s yard, Charity has no intentions of being his second choice either. But when feelings start to change, will she be able to keep herself from once again taking The Easy Way Out…

Genres: Romance, Christian Fiction, Christian, Amazon, Ebooks, Contemporary, Christian Romance

427 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 27, 2013

About the author

A stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side, Staci Stallings has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. Staci touches the lives of people across the globe every week with her various Internet endeavors including:

Spirit Light Books–The Blog:
http://spiritlightbooks.wordpress.com/

Facebook Author Page at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spirit-...

Staci’s Ebook Romance Stories:
http://ebookromancestories.com/

Follow Staci on Twitter: @StaciStallings

Reviews

[Melody Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Sad and Angst-filled Book

I love Staci's books and the message they bring us, how they inspire and help us in our own walk with the Lord but....'The Easy Way Out' and 'Eternity' seemed to be a departure from her other books. I understand that she was showing us what God can do in the lives of ordinary people who have not committed themselves to God and their transformation when they do. 'The Easy Way Out' taught us many lessons and the growth of the characters was a great example.

The issues for me: This book dragged throughout and was torturous in its sadness and heartache. Four hundred and twenty-seven pages could have easily been condensed to a maximum of three-hundred or less because I feel there were chapters that did not move the story forward or add anything of importance. As a reader I like balance in my books and there was simply too much angst that made me uncomfortable and feeling unfulfilled at the end. Yes there was an HEA but the amount of angst overpowered everything else.

[pamela kroese · Rating 5 out of 5]

God Given!

It has been a while since I've read any Staci's books but each one touches me! While this is true The Easy Way Out enlightened me to the underlying issues i have struggled with all my life when it comes to trust or the belief in marriage! I'm sitting here stunned, feeling freer than I ever have & Praising God for finally in my mind-fifties being given a true view of my life! I knew God sent me to the desert of AZ to live to find who i finally am without all the responsibility of my family (sister, brother, parents, & nieces/nephews or work). He stripped away most of my belongings, money, & any people to call friends to finally make me begin to search out the door of why He created me! I still have a long way to go & need to watch for/learn my taking "my the Easy Way Out" !! Praise God for His Grace, Patience, & Long-Suffering, as well as, His Judgement & Correction in many forms while still Living Me! Thank you Staci for using your God Given talent to help so many strangers in ways you will never know!☺

[Toni Shiloh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Staci Stallings because she tackles the subjects that a lot of people don't. Not only that but her characters usually are ordinary people with ordinary jobs. It appeals to me and so did this read. It was true Staci Stallings and the read was enjoyable. My heart broke for Charity. I could identify with her and so it made it easier to cheer for her, despite the mistakes she made.

[Lynda Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story!

I've come to expect truly wonderful books from Staci Stallings and this one does not disappoint. Charity has a journey ahead of her and Drew helps her through. Definitely recommend this book.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forgiveness

I liked this book. We really truly must learn to forgive other but also learn to forgive ourselves. So often we are the ones holding ourself back because we won’t let ourself move past our past. Great reminder!

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun series with real life issues. Staci does a great job of bringing to life characters that you were not sure you liked in a previous book, and making you fall in love with them!
I especially liked how she brought to life the topic of DV as well as legalism with out of wedlock pregnancy.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish it. Made it about half way, but everything about this story was just frustrating. And the characters are immature and annoying.

[Lillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this was a stand-alone book, I think it would have been better if I had read the first book in the series. We know in this book that Drew's best friend married his ex-girlfriend, Charity's sister, but we don't know how that came about. Drew and Charity both had a lot of angst throughout the book; perhaps they could have developed their faith and resolved their issues sooner with a little less drama.

[Pattisue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding hope in a hopeless world, Charity is the “family screw-up.” She can’t seem to do anything right and is forever compared to her sister Harmony, by her family, her friends, and herself. A high school dropout, she works a dead-end job and lives with her parents. Drew Easton has his own regrets and failures. Brought together by her sister and his best friend, they are attracted to each other like moths to a flame. Stallings has an uncanny ability to delve into a myriad of emotions and draw them out, turn them over and examine them. In this story she explores feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy, judgment and forgiveness. These characters are not perfect, they are flawed and fallible. There are several scenes of drinking and drunkenness, adultery, smoking, etc. It is not pretty but it is real and pivotal to the storyline. This is truly just the beginning of Charity and Drew’s story. The best part of their lives is yet to come. Another wonderfully, thought provoking book by Staci Stallings.

[Joleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drew and Charity just want this wedding to be over so they can get out of there. No...not their own wedding, but it's the marriage of Drew's best friend to the woman Drew loves, who is also Charity's sister.
A friendship is established from their mutual unhappiness, but it has ups and downs, and ups and downs, and ups and downs, and.... well, you get it.
Personally I don't like either one of them most of the time through the book. Charity can be self absorbed and needy, and Drew can be a real butt head, walking out in her at critical moments in her life. Their lack of honesty with each other is astounding. Ugh.
That, added to the fact that this was easily 100 pages longer than it should have been made it a book I would not recommend.
Good morals is a redeeming factor, so it went from 2 stars to 3 stars.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Eternity so I was happy to jump at the chance to read this sequel. Staci builds the characters so well that you can actually feel what the characters are feeling. This was a roller coaster of emotions. Anyone who has made a bad decision (and who hasn't?) will identify with the fears, self-depreciation and finally, the strength Charity shows as she is growing up and taking charge of her own life. You'll find yourself cheering her on as she is making some hard decisions and trying to find the right path. Although this book can stand alone, I would highly recommend reading Eternity first, and then spending some more time with some awesome people in this book. I was given a copy of this book for my honest review.

[Elizabeth Fiscus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartfelt read full of emotion

Drew and Charity are two imperfect people who have had more than their fair share of struggles in their lives. Even their relationship is a roller coaster of difficulties. Thanks to their promise to each other to never taking the easy way out, they learn that with God's help and trust in each other, they can move past the negatives and truly live their lives in happiness.

[Lindsey Stirling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not usually the sort of book I would read but I started it and ended up just wanting to know what was going to happen (even though the ending was very easily predictable). I was pleasantly surprised that between the start and finish there were events that took me by surprise so it was not quite as formulaic as I had thought it would be. It was well written and I liked that it had Christian elements to it without being 'in your face' about it.

[Carol and Gary Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent but frustrating book. Nothing came easily to these characters but the author skillfully kept the plot moving. I enjoyed the trials that the lead characters went through. The religious angle was a central piece but was kept until later in the story to appear, a wise device I feel.

[Mary Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful book to learn from.

I love this story because it touched on so many areas we all know and struggle with in our lives. It could be friends or family that we know or coworkers who struggle with self doubt or selfish anger or anger towards other. We all can learn something from this story.

[Barbara C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seriously?

Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't! We get into trouble because of bad choices, listen to the wrong people, go to the wrong places, attend the socials...the list is long. When we put God back in first place it's not always easy, but it sure gets done right! Chose this book, then decide which path you will chose. Game on!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four and a Half Stars!
A novel full of lessons on life, choices, standing firm, persevering, sacrifice, faith and love! This is the second book I have read by Stallings, Book 1 in this series being my first, but I plan on reading more!

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thankfully, God did finally show up in this book, a little past the halfway mark. Because of that, this was a much better book than the first one in the series, but still wasn't as good as I know the author can do.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Way Out

Great book. I think that Stacy Stallings is a terrific writer, and she keeps her readers interest regardless of the subject. I would recommend her books to any of my friends and fellow readers.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will honestly say that where this novel is not a typical romance novel, I don't know if I would classify it as a Christian romance either. I think it is a good in-between, not really one, but not the other either. A decent read with a good concept.

[Mandi Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

It was long book but enjoyable. Watching the characters grow was entertaining. I enjoyed the book. A very emotional story.

[Betty J. Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written!

Really enjoyed reading this book. Looking forward to reading more from this excellent author. She brings you right into the story.

[Alysia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some pretty heavy topics. There was also an implied sex scene that made me uncomfortable. Overall message of forgiveness and change was good though.