I will admit that I didn't think this could live up to Redeeming Love. I am glad to say that I was mistaken. ( )

This one is a coming of age and coming to faith story. I read it a while back, but I remember that it is set in the 1950s – the golden age of Hollywood. Pastor Ezekiel Freeman finds an abandoned baby under a bridge in the small town of Haven - and it’s her story - Abra’s. She grows up in Haven and becomes a beautiful young lady - but due to abandonment issues, she is vulnerable and easily manipulated. She gets talked into going out to Hollywood to become a star. It’s a tough story because she goes through a lot in Hollywood that is pretty dark. If you read it, be prepared for that. Her closest friend, the pastor’s son Joshua, back in Haven knows and loves Abra for who she really is… beneath the Hollywood persona. Will she ever be able to make it back home? Will she learn that God loves her no matter what mistakes she has made and she can still go to Him? ( )

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FROM AMQAZON: To those who matter in 1950s Hollywood, Lena Scott is the hottest rising star to hit the silver screen since Marilyn Monroe. Few know her real name is Abra. Even fewer know the price she' s paid to finally feel like she' s somebody. To Pastor Ezekiel Freeman, Abra will always be the little girl who stole his heart the night he found her, a wailing newborn abandoned under a bridge on the outskirts of Haven.

Zeke and his son, Joshua - Abra' s closest friend - watch her grow into an exotic beauty. But Zeke knows the circumstances surrounding her birth etched scars deep in her heart, scars that leave her vulnerable to a fast-talking bad boy who proclaims his love and lures her to Tinseltown. Hollywood feels like a million miles from Haven, and naive Abra quickly learns what' s expected of an ambitious girl with stars in her eyes.

But fame comes at an awful price. She has burned every bridge to get exactly what she thought she wanted. Now, all she wants is a way back home. In this riveting and highly anticipated tale of temptation, grace, and unconditional love, New York Times best-selling author Francine Rivers delivers big-canvas storytelling at its very best. ( )

Rivers crafts a beautiful story of infatuation and rebellion, of love and loss, and of grace and redemption. Bridge to Haven gives us a glimpse into Hollywood and it's dark side. I was always invested in the story and rooting for the characters. However, Bridge to Haven contains quite a bit of mature content, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 16. I know that Francine Rivers is controversial in the Christian community for her sexual and mature content, and I wouldn't disagree with the controversy. I'm still trying to figure out where I stand on this. If you set that issue aside, Rivers is a truly brilliant author who writes compelling and realistic stories. ( )