Road to Freedom by Leigh Lincoln Blog Tour

About the Book

Book:  Road to Freedom

Author: Leigh Lincoln

Genre: Christian Literary Transformational Fiction

Release date: October 16, 2020

A marriage which shouldn’t be. The path to forgiveness begins in unlikely places. And love can bloom among the thorns.
Immigrant Francisco has escaped the cruelty of Cuba, but has been a man without a true home. Now terminal cancer has driven him into the arms of Stacy.
Traveling half-way around the world together, they each have a journey to take. Francisco confronts his past. While Stacy tries to open her heart after a devastating first marriage. Both pushing each other in ways they are unwilling to accept.
Can he make amends and say he’s sorry for his wrongs? Can she learn to let go and be free to love again? 

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My Review

This novel exploring the journey from guilt to freedom is unlike anything I've read before. It starts out with an odd scene, an attempted kiss on Stacy from Francisco, a man fifteen years her senior. Tongue licking lips, trying to force her mouth open, then touching her chin and cheek. “It felt like slime was about to drip off my face. … Ick and double ick.” (Loc 27/2727)

With that almost repulsive opening, Lincoln takes us on a journey of an unlikely marriage and revisiting places to confront and heal from past events. We become aware of Francisco's story as he and Stacy travel. He opens up his life and reveals his secrets and the hurt he has caused.

I had some trouble liking the characters. Francisco is rough and angry. He's not a Christian and does some swearing. He's not a nice fellow. Granted, he has a ton of hurt and guilt weighing him down, but he is just not likable. And Stacy seems to make a really rash decision. Her subsequent devotion to Francisco seemed unrealistic.

I found the Spanish Francisco spoke to be disrupting. I don't know Spanish so I just skipped over those parts. It was odd, however, that when Francisco talked to Carlos and Sofia, the entire conversation obviously in Spanish, Lincoln translates it into English for us. The inconsistency in the portrayal of language was disconcerting.

The story contained in this novel has great potential as an account of finding freedom through revisiting past decisions and the people involved. There is a bit of a gospel message included near the end.

My rating: 3/5 stars.

 

About the Author

Leigh has spent the better part of the last thirty years involved in homeless and poverty advocacy in one way or another. Her first novel – Road Home – was born out of this work. She wanted to make people think about their lives and how they live. But most importantly, about how they treat others and how they want to be treated. Her second novel – Road to Freedom – looks at how our lives don’t always follow the path we choose. But yet somehow we must pick up the broken pieces and move on. How we grow and where our strength comes from is what’s most important. These two novels form the basis for her series – Broken Roads. Each shows how life is raw, painful and often leads us on journeys we never expected or imagined. While each book doesn’t seem to relate, the final book in the series will connect the dots of how these characters have touched the lives of each other in ways they never knew. Keep watching for updates on when new books will come out!

Leigh loves to travel, paint and hike. You never know where she’ll end up next, for she’s on her own journey of discovery.

More from Leigh

I wrote this book as my pandemic project – with all this time on my hands I needed something to do. No traveling, no meeting new people, no leaving my house, no, no, no. Fine, I thought to myself, I’ll sit at my computer and remember people I’ve met on my journeys, places I’ve been, things I’ve seen, foods I’ve savored. And then cram them all into a book. For those of you who want to be adventurous, I’ve learned how to make paella. It works best in a heavy skillet on a gas stove, but a non-stick pan or an electric stove will work as well. Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup stock, 1/8 cup olive oil, 1/4 large onion finely chopped, 1 clove fresh garlic minced, 1/3 cup tomato sauce, handful of fresh peas, 3/4 cup pearl or valencia rice, 1 large bay leaf, 1 cup meat (chicken, Spanish chorizo or seafood – or go crazy and do a mix of meats), salt, pepper and saffron to taste. Instructions: Saute onions, garlic, bay leaf in olive oil until soft. Add rice, continue to saute for 3-5 minutes until rice is a golden brown. Add about a 1/4 cup of stock, tomato sauce, peas, and spices. If you are using chicken add it at this point. Cook on low or medium low, shaking the pan from time to time, making sure the rice ends up level. Slowly pour about 1/4 cup of stock evenly around the pan every 5-10 minutes. Do not allow it to come to a boil, do not stir and do not cover. When the rice is almost tender, add Spanish chorizo or seafood if that’s your meat of choice. I often serve paella with fresh bread, a bowl of olive oil to dip the bread in and a few slices of lemon if people want some tang added to their paella.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 15

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 16

Debbie's Dusty Deliberations, May 17

Texas Book-aholic, May 18

Inklings and notions, May 19

For Him and My Family, May 20

deb's Book Review, May 21

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 22

Because I said so -- and other adventures in Parenting, May 23

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 24

HappyWhenReading, May 24

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 25

Jodie Wolfe - Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, May 26 (Author Interview)

Pause for Tales, May 27

Through the Fire Blogs, May 28 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 28

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review. The rest of the copy of this post was provided by Celebrate Lit.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)