Love and the Silver Lining: A Tale of Redemption
Love and the Silver Lining by Tammy L. Gray
I laughed, I cried, I jumped up and down, I gasped, and I sighed contentedly. There might’ve been an occasional eye roll. 👀
Let’s start with, I was so eager to jump into the world of Tammy L. Gray’s writing again. This being the second book in the State of Grace series, I did and didn’t know what to expect. That was probably why I enjoyed it so thoroughly. AND! I adore how I get a good glimpse of future main characters within only the first novel! It’s amazing, trust me.💃🫶
I did know, in the sense of emotional impact, that I would be hooked, by whatever it was. The first book in this series, Love and a Little White Lie (see my review here), knocked me off my feet where I felt like I fell more in love with my LORD and Savior through it. Gray’s books seem to have these depths to them that simply sympathizes and relates with the reader on a whole other level. We’ll get into that :) 😌
I didn’t know, in the sense of emotional impact, that so many plot twists could exist in a Christian romance and self-discovery novel! I was quite shocked, but it added to my intrigue.🧐
Love and the Silver Lining held the premise of complete devastation, unto which the protagonist can see nothing but her own tears and shattered dreams, to where it turns out to be exactly where she needed to be for God to work (no wonder! God’s cool like that😎).
This beautiful, broken story resonates with those who saw their hopes a breath away, just out of their grasp, and watched them break and fly out the window with no possibility of reviving. Of those who are effortlessly cheerful on the outside, but inwardly afraid of letting go completely into the arms of our Heavenly Father. A fear that Darcy Malone, our main character, felt so intensely that she didn’t even realize it existed within her heart.
And then she’s forced to deal with it. Deal with her circumstances, deal with how things have changed, even though that is seemingly her worst enemy. And worse, her doubts about God, although understandable at some points, do not help her state. But what she won’t deal with only get neglected until her heart lays bare and the love of her life wants nothing to do with her…
✨HOWEVER✨
The book does not start, nor does it end with such thoughts. Tammy Gray is a queen when it comes to happy endings. Perfectly imperfect endings for beautifully flawed characters.💞
I loved the plot!! If that’s what you want to call it, because really, it all just molded into this incredible story of redemption, new beginnings, healthy changes, and happy-tears-inducing romance!
The way Gray used Darcy’s animal-loving personality with these troubled and forsaken dogs with worse pasts? Not only subtly and inspiringly symbolic, but adorable! 🐶
The luring way that the heart tugs at another soul that has been broken, despite 20 years of “friendship”, where two people had extremely different perspectives? Brilliant. 🤩
The power of older, wiser, more experienced mentors! This made for a heart-warming, refreshingly blunt, hilarious humor.
I was digging the unique angle Love and the Silver Lining had. The conflict of a best friend, the unexpected gentleness from a man who might just tilt Darcy’s well-constructed, non-romantic lifestyle. Hehe, you really must find out on your own! 🤭
~Alright, I’ll quit yapping~
Without further ado… *dramatic drumroll for no apparent reason* …The FUN part! ➰
🧑🏻🦱CHARACTERS👩🏻🦱 —don’t mind the emojis… I can never get them right—
Darcy Malone — wow. Just wow. I have so many (too many) thoughts about her. Both wonderful and slightly less wonderful. She’s gone through so much, I feel like I’ve lived all of her moments personally. She’s chill, she’s humorous, she’s got a brilliant personality. Once you get to know her in this novel, she’s wild and adventurous. Risky, lovable. And deserves nothing but the man Gray created for her. It’s SO GOOD. I only wish she relied on Jesus and gave Him a bit more credit for the things that happened to her that could’ve only happened by the good of her Savior. Otherwise… amazing. 🐶🛻🐾🥾
Bryson Katsaros — Dang, boy. It’s probably healthy to steer clear of the bad boys, but this one has promise. Something deeper. Something I enjoyed seeing unravel through and through. His emotional depth. His character depth. His ability to love so deeply it rattles your bones, and yet he can hide it from everyone all the time. I can’t say more without spoilers. GO READ it! 🛻🖤🎸🎵
Cameron Lee — Ok buddy, we gotta chat. He’s great, total green flags everywhere on the surface, but he needs to deal with his stuff. There’s such a thing as close friendship, but then there’s obsessive possessiveness of your bff. Girl bff. But I don’t think he gets it. Honestly, I like him, and I can’t wait to watch him grow into who God will make him (hint: third book!), I’m just a bit impatient when it comes to Cameron. Otherwise, great guy. 🫂🧑🦰🎼🎸
Zoe Katsaros — She’s got some growing to do. But she is more than meets the eye, and her growing friendship with Darcy has some comical moments and sweet moments. In the end, she’s still a flirt, but I love how both roommates encourage each other, thus finding a balance between their VERY different personalities! 🎀💄💐👗
Charlie — Oh my sweet soul. I loved him. He was heart-breakingly displayed, and yet, his story and the characters helped him heal, as much as Charlie ministered to the main characters in their story. And his matchmaking skills… on point for an old man. He’s amazing! ❣️
‼️There is so much more to be said. But so much I can’t put into words. You must find them yourself in this series‼️
✨QUOTES✨ —although not many, hehe, because some are just too good to spoil—
“So we’re good?”
“Not quite,” I say with an air of jest so he knows I’m kidding. “I have more questions.”
“That wasn’t enough?” He groans. “What is it with women and their need to make men suffer?”
“How am I making you suffer?”
“I’m trapped in this truck, sharing feelings and regrets. You might as well be pulling out my fingernails.”
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“I mean, what is the point of working and straining to hear God's will when in the end I'm just as lost as if I'd never tried in the first place?”
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“I just feel like a fool for playing by the rules my entire life with nothing to show for it.”
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“Are you asking me if being a rebel worked in my favor, or are you mad you could not bribe God with your good behavior?”
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“Forgiveness is expected between old friends, grace given without the need for apologies. It's the backbone of relationships.”
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“All this time I thought God had forgotten me. That He had left me purposeless and broken. But He was here the whole time, and like Louie, I just had to find my way home.”
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“We can't spend our whole lives worrying about how some random person perceives us.”
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“These tears fall for the first man I ever loved.”
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He sighs. “I did it because I’m selfish.”
My voice feels weak. “How is that selfish?”
He detangles his hand and gently brushes a wisp of hair from my cheek. “The fact that you don’t know the answer to that is exactly why I have no business being here right now.”
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‼️Note: there were so many good quotes, lots more that I was tempted to add than I expected! Oh well, guess you’ll have to read the series to be enlightened! 😇
⚠️CONTENT⚠️ — (side note: please let me know if there are minor things I don’t touch on! Content is important to me, and I’d love to help my reviews to hopefully clear things up for people!)
🌶️Spice/sexual/innuendo — Nothing uncomfortable. No spice. Intense tension, all clean. The characters experience unknown, unexpected love, that leads to a few kisses, non-to-semi described. Sensual feelings—none explicit or gross—such as: the desire to be touching (not inappropriately), sweet desire to be near or kissing. More details: while tipsy*, FMC starts playing with MMC’s hand and arm, but he stops her. Very appropriate and gentlemanly. Also, in one of the kissing scenes, they are laying on the grass, bodies are entangled but no innuendo and NO explicit content, implied or otherwise.
🤬Language — Absolutely none! It is a strong Christian romance. No profanity, no swearing/cursing. Nothing else.
🏳️🌈LGBTQ — Absolutely none. Again, Christian.
✝️Religion/Spirituality — Lots of talk about God, the LORD. The church. Biblical symbolism and inspiration. But I always like to say: Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship. And that is how this book is written!
*Other — There is one bar scene, because Darcy goes to see a concert there. She ends up drinking a few too many strong drinks, and is hit on by a seemingly “ok” man (not graphic or inappropriate), is “saved” and driven back to her place without any symptoms outside of a loose tongue and dizziness. Also, a mild hangover the next day.
‼️Note: This book, depending on who reads it, may seem to go slightly further than your typical Christian romance, due to its emotional and intellectual depth. Nothing more than my content warnings, just a note that says this is not a light book. It is not dark, but it is deep in a meaningful way. Both characters share stories about their childhood experiences, and their families’ are not perfect. However, it turns the story into a beautiful moment.
✈️🗺️🥾🐶🐾🦴🎀💄🎸🎵🖤🎠👗💐✝️💔❤️🩹
Well, why are you still here? 🤔 Go read this! 📚 (Just kidding!! Thank you for sticking with me!! Very loyal of you 🫶)
*moment for the drop-dead GORGEOUS covers of all three State of Grace novels*🤩😍
Until next time! Please don’t hesitate to comment on this review! Thanks so much!
Happy Reading!!✝️📚☕️❤️
📱Check out Tammy L. Gray’s social media and website where you can find her books:
@tlgraybooks
#loveandthesilverlining
#stateofgraceseries
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” ~Ephesians 2:8-9
*Photo taken by blog creator*
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