1. Though My Heart Is Torn, Cadence of Grace Series #2
    Joanne Bischof
    Multnomah / 2013 / Trade Paperback
    Our Price$10.99 Retail Price$14.99 Save 27% ($4.00)
    4.7 out of 5 stars for Though My Heart Is Torn, Cadence of Grace Series #2. View reviews of this product. 43 Reviews
    Availability: Due in Shortly. Expected to ship on or about 04/01/24.
    Stock No: WW424235
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  1. Kathleen
    Missouri
    Age: Over 65
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Available for Pre-Order for April 2013 Release
    December 30, 2012
    Kathleen
    Missouri
    Age: Over 65
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Saturday, December 29, 2012

    Though My Heart Is Torn, ©2013 by Joanne Bischof author of Be Still My Soul

    The Cadence of Grace Series

    Book 1, Be Still My Soul, is now available.

    Book 2, Though My Heart Is Torn, will be available in April, 2013.

    Settling into a simple life in the majestic Blue Ridge mountains, Lonnie and Gideon O'Riley have finally found happiness after the rocky start to their marriage. The roguish bluegrass musician has fallen in love with his gentle wife and the God she serves, and Lonnie rests secure in his tenderness for her and their young son. Then a heartless ruse interrupts their peace, bringing them back to Rocky Knob--

    The life that called the forest home provided the song that set their feet in motion--birds chirped as they fluttered about, sending down a chorus of jumbled melodies and the breeze in the dried leaves overhead whispered faintly as it rippled through the branches. With the forest providing the music, Gideon lifted his face, wishing he know the words to the mysterious song. Though My Heart Is Torn, page 30

    Wait with hope for the Lord.

    Be strong, and let your heart be courageous.

    Yes, wait with hope for the Lord.

    Psalm 27:14

    And I'll praise You in this storm

    And I will lift my hands

    For You are who You are

    No matter where I am

    And every tear I've cried

    You hold in Your hand

    You never left my side

    And though my heart is torn

    I will praise You in this storm

    *[Chorus:] CASTING CROWNS lyrics are property and copyright of their owners.

    "Praise You In This Storm" lyrics provided for educational purposes and personal use only.

    September 1901

    Rocky Knob, Virginia

    Gideon's past calls him back. Sadness for both of them, and though longing for his wife and son, he must return. So beautifully written, you are transported to the depth of their hearts, as a current in a river turns.

    Joanne Bischof is such a fluid writer. You are there amid the birdsong, the anguished hearts, the need to go on. Understanding brings meaning to the unraveling, building strength in the least expected. Fear kept them captive; love releases them.

    Visualizing, I had some favorite descriptions as I began reading (italics mine):

    Prologue, page 1; ...the old man who was too short for his weight.

    Chapter 1, page 9; Untouched for nearly a year, the sun-rotted wood seemed to have become a part of the thick bark. Clouds challenged one another in front of the sun, dimming the orchard, cooling the air.

    He lifted the ladder over his head and settled it into place, cobwebs catching the light.

    Chapter 1, page 13; Jebediah worked silently, the man never needing to fill empty space with words. He'd been that way for as long as Gideon had known him--since the day Jebediah had rescued Lonnie from a life of sorrow; laying down the challenge that Gideon could be more than a man of anger. From that moment on, Jebediah had walked every day with him, through the struggles, through the blessings. All for Lonnie. She'd been worth every moment of it.

    Throughout the descriptions of narrative, it is like you are walking along with them. I felt this in the first book too. Both books could be read as a stand-alone, but you will want the background to see the change in characters. Life continues, as our own, and there is no sure thing of what is going to happen. Attitude plays a big part. Accepting or rejecting where we are.

    Thank you to the author, Joanne Bischof, for sending me the Advance Reading Copy. I look forward to reading the finished copy, but... this is wonderful the way it is, with a few edits here and there not disturbing the content. Very well written. I look forward to Book 3.
  2. Amy C
    VA
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Phenomenal
    May 14, 2013
    Amy C
    VA
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Doesn't get better than this!

    Joanne Bischof has moved up top my favorite authors list. Her style is like no other.

    Though My Heart Is Torn is a heartbreaking, tissue-getting story. Very well written. I felt like I was actually there with the characters and being part of the story. Such vivid descriptions.

    My favorite line was:

    "She had stitched her heart inside his chest pocket and didn't know how to break that thread."

    Oh my goodness! Where did I leave those tissues?

    My grandpa was from the area this book was set and I have to admire the research put into this story.

    If I could, I would give this book 100 stars!
  3. IrishGirlatHeart
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: male
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Oh, the emotions!
    December 2, 2016
    IrishGirlatHeart
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: male
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Oh, my! This book is very well titled. Lonnie and Gideon have learned to trust and love one another. They have a son. They are establishing a good life, until Gideon's past comes back to haunt them. Cassie a woman in his past claims they are still married. Their world crumbles.

    All our actions, whether good or bad, have consequences. Unfortunately, Gideon's choices have devastating consequences for he and his family. Though the situation was not completely of his doing, it leaves its own devastation. Lonnie and Gideon's pain and struggles tug at the heart and leaves the reader wondering how their hearts will mend.

    I really struggled with Cassie. So much heartache could have been eliminated had she herself made better choices. Further proof, that our actions have consequences, not only for ourselves but also for others in our lives.

    Yet through all the heartache, grace abounds. Grace shines through in this book, giving hope for the future.

    I struggle a bit with this review, only because I don't want to give too much away. I highly recommend this book/series.
  4. Judy K Burgi
    Kendallville, IN
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    My Emotions Were In Turmoil!
    December 19, 2013
    Judy K Burgi
    Kendallville, IN
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Though My Heart Is Torn, is the second book in this series. It continues with the main characters Gideon and Lonnie. Hang on folks, you are in for a roller coaster ride with your emotions.

    I can't believe how many tears I shed over this book. It is only a fictional story I told myself but yet I was drawn in and made part of Gideon and Lonnie's life. How hard it was for me to sit on the sidelines and not be able to voice my opinion! The story wasn't going my way and I am ashamed to say I cried bitter tears over it, I fretted over it, and I put the book down. I was drained! Yet, the story drew me back and I picked the book back up and finished reading the book.

    The author knows just how far to push your emotions and she did a great job in making that happen. I dare anyone to read this book and not tear up or down right sob!

    Book three, My Hope Is Found, beacons me. Will I dive right in or give myself an emotional break? I don't have a clue!

    I urge everyone reading this review to pick up all three books in this series. Be Still My Soul, Though My Heart Is Torn, and My Hope Is Found. I highly recommend it!

    Thank you author Joanne Bischof for a fantastic story!
  5. An Old Fashioned Girl
    Minnesota
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Bittersweet - a hard story, but very good
    November 18, 2013
    An Old Fashioned Girl
    Minnesota
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Joanne Bischof's Cadence of Grace trilogy is the three-part story of Gideon O'Riley and his wife Lonnie in the early 20th century Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. In part two, Though My Heart is Torn, Gideon and Lonnie have finally reached a place of mutual love and respect in their marriage, though some hurts run deep and are still healing. When Lonnie receives a deceptive letter from her father calling them back to Rocky Knob, they hurry back, only to find themselves trapped - by Gideon's first and, unbeknownst to him, still current wife, Cassie Allan. Because Cassie had failed to turn in the papers filing for divorce after their exceedingly brief and secret marriage, they are technically still married, a fact which places a horrid stain on the Allan family honor. Lest he be hunted down and murdered by Cassie's rage-filled brothers, Gideon must leave the woman and son he loves and return to the deceitful woman he now even more despises. How can one survive having one's family forcibly split, never to be together again? Is it even possible to learn to care for the one responsible for this tragedy?

    Like in so many trilogies, one cannot just read this (the second) book. The first of the series was suitably conclusive to stand on its own, and if one had to, one could skip it and start reading the second (though this novel is so much richer having read the first). But if there were not a book to follow, it would be terribly unsatisfying. Does it end horribly? No, but it is clearly not the whole story. Do not read this without the intent of reading the final book in the series.

    This is a hard novel to read - I cannot imagine the pain to have one's husband ripped away to be someone else's wife, or how one can move on from there. Somewhere in the back of the mind would always be the hope that he would return. Having a child who cannot grow up to know his father - not because the man is dead or because he wants to live without his son - is incomprehensible. And as for Gideon - now he is married to a woman whose actions repulse him. How can he treat her the way a husband should his wife without bitterness tainting every action? And for Cassie, now that she has the man she wanted, how can she live with the pain of being unwanted and unloved, when nothing she does can please him? None of the three are in an enviable position.

    I wanted Gideon to stay in love with Lonnie, to keep Cassie forever at arms length. I wanted Lonnie to forever be in love with Gideon so that she would never consider another man. But . . . do not covet your neighbor's wife (or in this case, husband). Since Lonnie can't have Gideon anymore - since he is another woman's husband - she should make an effort to cut ties and not come between them. Gideon has a wife - he should not commit adultery by forever wanting another. And when it comes down to it, God hates divorce. It seems an impossible situation.

    How can such a situation come to be? When people are not following God, there are major consequences. Gideon had been a selfish youth, taking what pleased him and discarding it when done. Cassie was no better - she had an equal part in their sin. It is well after the fact, but their sin comes to light, and there are consequences, even though Gideon is now following the Lord. Just because God forgives one's sins does not mean one is exempt from taking responsibility for them on Earth. Unfortunately, sometimes the innocent must suffer for it when one does.

    I am glad that Bischof does not take the easy way out with this novel - and she clearly had the opportunity. Instead, it is well thought out; not completely satisfying, but I don't think there is a solution that could be anything but bittersweet. 4.5 stars
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