Finding Faith

by Melanie D. Snitker

Single mom Serenity Chandler is determined to do anything to provide better opportunities for her son, Gideon. Moving away from her family support system so Gideon can attend a special school seems like the right choice, even if it means her entire life is about to change.

The satisfaction of helping children and being a part of their lives is one reason Aaron Randall loves his job as a music therapist. When Hope Academy instills a dating policy, he doesn't give it a second thought. Until the new coworker who'd caught his attention turns out to be the parent of one of his students.

Any relationship between them will put his job at risk. The more time Aaron spends with Serenity and Gideon, the harder it is to ignore what they could have together. With Aaron's job and Gideon's education hanging in the balance, they'll have to rely on faith to find their way.

Finding Faith is the fourth book in the Love's Compass series.
It can be read on its own, although it does contain spoilers for the previous books.
This is a sweet, Christian romance novel.

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

223 pages, ebook

First published February 13, 2016

About the author

Melanie D. Snitker is a USA Today bestselling author who writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense. She and her husband live in Texas with their two children. They share their home with three dogs and a variety of small animals. In her spare time, Melanie enjoys photography, reading, training her dog, playing computer games, and hanging out with family and friends.

Reviews

[Coco.V]

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[Crystal Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Melanie weaves together a heartfelt tale with realistic characters who instantly become friends you root for from cover to cover. Her signature blend of family and tender romance turn the pages into a living room where you can pull up a chair and feel right at home. Top that with the affectionate story of a mother's sacrifice, courage, and love for her special needs son, and Finding Faith will be sure to win the hearts of Christian romance readers worldwide. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Rachel John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read any of the other books in this series, but this can definitely be a stand alone read. Serenity is a single mom of an autistic son and that part felt authentic. There was this immediate conflict between Serentity and Aaron's feelings for each other and their work policy against dating and it was fun watching that play out. This is a Christian romance which I enjoy, and it's very balanced in not being heavy-handed, but guiding the character's choices and attitudes.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable entry in this series. I liked the characters. But I found the mystery part of the story unlikely, as well as the policies and workings of the school administration and board. That said, I have enjoyed reading the positive messages in the stories and how they deal with real life topics such as autism. I appreciate that these have been available on Kindle Unlimited.

[Franky · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so much fun to have the Chandler family reunited in this book. Serenity and Aaron are a perfect pair and their relationship developed so naturally in this sweet romance. It will bring a smile to your face. It can be read without any of the others in the Love's Compass series, but you would thoroughly enjoy each book. I loved seeing the youngest Chandler branch out and make it on her own with her young son. It isn't at all easy for her, but she pushes on to make a better life for her child. Aaron is so sweet with Gideon, you can't help but love him too.

[Linda Rainey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Beautiful Story

What a beautiful story showing God's love and protection.
I loved the storyline,the vivid characters and the setting.
This book is recommended to those who love Christian romance.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't want to put this book down! It is a great single mom story. Serenity is a pick-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps single mom and does what is best for her son. There's a realistic romantic pull between Serenity and Aaron. Gideon is adorable and Serenity's family is wonderful. There is even a tiny thread of suspense in the story. If you like inspirational contemporary romance, I highly recommend this book. It is the fourth book in a series, but I didn't read the first three and thought it read just fine as a stand alone.

[Pumpkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, predictable, pleasant story. It's an easy read, and doesn't pretend to be anything more than what it is. Some nice characterisation - I particularly liked Gideon and the way the writer captured him.
I'll be reading more of Melanie D. Snitker's work.

[Betty Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Love

Wonderful, exciting story of nice people that care about each other. I loved reading about the trials of a single with an Autistic child. About the sacrifice to get him the best education and help she could. And an expecting new interest.

[Rinda Kuempel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love This Author!!

This series is fantastic! The characters become family in no time. The plots are varied and not predictable. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!!!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read very accurately for me. Quite enjoyable!

[Michael Mcfarren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Autistic children can be a handful with out a strong support group. This story showed that family and friends fill in a lot but a budding romance completes the heart.

[Stephenee · Rating 5 out of 5]

* I received an ebook in exchange for an honest review. *

I have read all of the books in this series and I think that this is my absolute favorite one so far! I love that Gideon plays such a prevalent role in all of the books, but I was excited to finally get to his actual story (sort-of). Author Melanie D. Snitker writes sweet, family oriented, Christian Romance stories...they are stories that touch the readers heart while mentioning God, but not overwhelming the reader with scripture, beliefs or preaching. Her writing style is one that shows the true meaning of family, the bond that can be created between them and the overwhelming feeling of support and love. Her books make the reader feel happy in a calming way.

This is the story of Serenity and her son Gideon, who is autistic. In each of the books prior to this one we learn about Gideon and his mother, but this one focuses on them. The author does an amazing job with being respectful of children with disabilities and her research and respect jumps right off of the pages. She clearly wants to inform readers of what a life with a person with autism looks like and she shows this and the feelings that the family gets when they celebrate the minor milestones that occur. Serenity leaves all that she has known for a change to have Gideon attend a specialized school, but what she didn't expect was Aaron. Aaron isn't looking for a relationship, but he can't help it once he meets Serenity. Their relationship is rocky and they have some obstacles to overcome but love, family and belief in god helps to work out all obstacles.

This story is fast paced and gets the reader hooked from the very first page. The reader becomes invested in the characters, their lives and the obstacles and challenges that they face. This is a non-stop read that keeps the readers attention and never lets it go. The author makes sure that the reader can't stop reading because they have to know what happens next. This book plays with all of the readers emotions - they will laugh, cry, yell, and even scream at times, so be prepared for this gamut of emotions and have some tissues handy!

Make sure you add this and her previous books to your TBR list - you don't want to miss a minute of the Chandler family or Kitner!! I really hope that the author's next book is about Grams and Peter (hint, hint)! Enjoy this heartwarming family and their adventures!

***Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng ***

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Finding Faith' was a great find. The cover on this book intrigued me right from the beginning as it spoke to me of love that needed to be hidden, even though the characters were longing to be together. As I read of the courageous move that Serenity Chandler decided to make to open up avenues of learning for her son Gideon, who was dealing with autism, I was afraid for her as she was moving away from all the family support she and Gideon had in the past. However, God has a way of opening doors that we never imagined, and Serenity's move puts her in a whole different situation - calming, exciting, comforting and then terrifying. This is a well-written book with interesting, well-developed characters, great surprises, some mystery and a whole love of love and caring.

Thanks Melanie for a great read.

[Janice A. Agnew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such good reading

This was a very good book. It was not what I expected. But was better!. I have an autistic grandchild and this was so interesting to me. Such a good story line.

[Melissa Wardwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the support and encouragement that this little family received throughout the book. I kept thinking, "This is what it means to have family that is more than blood. It's all about who you surround yourself with." Serenity had that. No matter what trials came their way, they held on. They knew the value of what they had. When you have something so rare as what Serenity and "The Music Man", a.k.a. Aaron, had you hold on to it. That is called COMMITMENT and that is a commodity that is too rare to see nowadays.
This book shines a ray of hope in this dreary world and I thank you for sharing your talent with us.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. And it was worth it! ;) )

[Krista Noorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Faith is such a wonderful story. Serenity, the mother of a non-verbal autistic child, is such a great character, doing everything she can to give him the best life, including moving to a new town so he can attend a wonderful school that works wonders for kids like her son. The friendship she develops with Aaron, a teacher at her son's school, is so sweet. I loved their relationship, trying to do the right thing to follow the rules of the school despite their feelings for each other. And it's so fun to spend time with the Chandler family. As always, Grams is my favorite. She cracks me up. I'm giving this book a great big 5 stars for all of these reasons and for a heartwarming moment with her son that made me cry.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't mean to read this book before #3 in the series, but I "took a peek" and couldn't put it down, since it was about Serenity and Gideon, two of my favorites from #1. I cheered Serenity's courage in choosing to move to a new place in order to find a better education for her autistic son. I fell in love with the new male protagonist, Austin, who has his own past tragedies and hasn't let them break him. This reader burned through the pages hoping these two wonderful people would be able to overcome the obstacles to their happiness. I recommend this for fans of inspirational clean romance.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serenity and Gideon, her son with autism, move from Kitner to an area outside of Dallas for Gideon to be able to attend Hope Academy. She meets people and makes many friends when she becomes employed at the school. One special person is the Music Man, music therapy teacher at the school. They form a special bond which eventually causes problems because of the policies at the school.
However, with a little faith and a lot of support things take a different turn.
I love this author's writing! She is one of my favorites! Looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the characters. The plot was great. The story well written. I just didn't care for all the mentions of "the heat from his hand" or "he longed to find out if her hair was as silky as it looked" etc. I felt that this book had more of that sort of thing than the other books of Melanie Snitker, and I was disappointed. I think it could have been just as good, or better, without all of that. But that is my opinion.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Single mom, Autistic son, Music therapy

I enjoyed the story for the most part. It was great when Gideon was accepted into a Special school, especially with a scholarship. The parts of story I had trouble with were what Gideon did at school besides music & how he always seemed so happy. Aaron had a strong faith, I was glad they were able to share & use their faith to overcome challenges.

[Barbara Olaewe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story

Melanie really captured the soul of a single mom. Every decision made is reflected about how it will affect that child. In this case a special needs child. This story was very well written. The characters are believable. The subtle twists are not predictable. But they are not so intense where you can't read this and relax! This was a nice weekend read. I highly recommend this book.

[S.M. Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very sweet story - nice characters & a very believable story. There was one scene toward the end that I found a bit unrealistic, but hey, it's a novel so who cares, right? The writing was good as well--not as fast paced as I generally prefer, but not bad.

If you like sweet contemporary Christian fiction, I'm sure you will like this one too. 4 stars for its genre.

[Jan Mcleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story about Serenity and Aaron. Both work at Hope Academy, and despite a stupid no dating policy by the egotistical head of the school, find love.
The story is well told with a good plot and strong characters, love and support from her family, faith,
and love.
This has been truly a wonderful series. One more book to go, and I will look forward to more from this author.

[Rita Dilda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding courage in Lives’s Storms

I loved the characters. Aaron & Serendipity and Gideon are each unique and have issues to overcome. The talents that were in them waiting to be recognized. There are fears to overcome and with help of family friends and God. I can’t wait to read the next book. Good, clean, intriguing.

[Sonnetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute love story!

Gideon will continue to step your heart. The main characters interaction with each other are great. It is so nice an encouraging to read about families working together during the old and bad times. Serenity and Aaron's story will resonate with people. How far will you or love? Who will you ultimately trust?

[Sue Ferryman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth Reading

This is a believable story about a single mom with a non verbal six year old son. The mom was in high school when her baby was born. The father left town & was never part of the child's life. A story about talented teachers creating a living environment in a special needs school. A strong faith woven through the storyline.

[Sylvia Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Faith Love and God's Hands

What a wonderful different story,.Hope for an un Wed 18 year old with an Autistic son and such love from her family, loved everyone in the story but the head of the school, funny, sad,finding forever love, job losses, ,wonderful story for everyone to live learn to trust God and hold on to your belief. Highly recommend it

[Lillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate that the young autistic boy is such an important part of the story and the sacrifices his mother makes to give him the best opportunities possible. Although this is part of a series, I didn't feel like I missed anything necessary for the story by not having read the earlier installments. The characters were likable and believable, and their faith was a key ingredient.

[Marida Gaye Volstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love's Compass series

Just finished the whole series. Loved it! I'm hoping we'll get more stories of the Chandler family and their friends. The story lines were captivating and original and left me wanting to know more about all the characters.