Disclosure: I received this book to review. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Even in the moments of busy errands or frustrated sleeplessness, my children are best parts of my life.  Before my liver went defunct, we had our second child after years of trying to conceive.  Like many couples, we suffered a miscarriage in between the births of our two kids. Looking back on that heartbreaking event, I can’t imagine things being different. That experience meant that I was able to know my son; it’s not something I would change if given the chance.  My husband remarked to me that he would have liked to have a third child if we could have afforded it.  I was surprised by his statement because we’ve always wanted 2 kids.   Knowing that he enjoyed parenthood enough to want to do it again warmed my heart.  Sorry for the cliche, but it’s true.  Children are a gift from God.   So many children in this world are not cherished the way they deserve.  Even within my own extended family, I see children of relatives who are pushed aside or neglected in deference to cell phones, jobs, or boyfriends.  It makes me think back to a book I recently read, The Desire.

A few months ago I read my first book by Dan Walsh.  I liked his writing style; he doesn’t beat around the bush or pamper the reader with a lot of sweet nothings.  Walsh gets to the point.  In The Desire, I expected nothing less.  The cover of the book was a bit distracting because it gives the impression that Michele is this cozy shawl-wearing young woman.  I found her to be a bit prickly around the edges.  In my mind, I pictured the cover of The Desire to be a trash heap in Africa in the background with linked hands in the foreground.  Contrast, perhaps?

That doesn’t mean I didn’t like the story.  As the pages turned, I could see Michele growing in her faith.  She turned to God instead of the fertility tests and learned to lay her cares at His feet.  Just as Sarah laughed at God about having a baby in her barrenness, Michele learned that God doesn’t always do things on human time.  The side characters in this book were especially noteworthy. Christina, a young mom, just deserved a big fat hug.  Oh, and when you get to page 299— be ready for the chills to take over your whole body.  Hooray for God!