Title: Keeping the Faith
Series: Faithfully Yours, Book 3
Author: A.M. Leibowitz
Publisher: Supposed Crimes
Cover Artist: Stacy O’Steen
Release Date: November 1, 2017
Romance Genre(s): Contemporary, M/M
Words: 84,000
About the Book
Blurb
It’s been three years since Micah’s spouse,
Cat, passed away at the age of thirty-six. In the process of cleaning his
house, Micah discovers a series of letters Cat hid before he died, in which he
made one request: that Micah empty his life of Cat as a way of moving on. Micah
has been able to work through his sorrow, but he’s unable to fulfill Cat’s last
wish. He can’t see a way past his loneliness despite all the caring people
around him.
Enter two new friendships.
Jude, Micah’s vivacious new coworker, brings joy back into his life. But she
has a big secret about her family, and the truth will rock Micah’s
understanding of who she is. Chris, the new minister at Cat’s former church,
intrigues Micah. Unlike Jude, Chris is an open book, from his musings on
theology to his work as a trans advocate and activist. His gentle manner and
deep faith become safe space for Micah to open up about his loss.
Through them, Micah becomes
involved with the town’s new community center, where he offers a creative
writing class. Using Cat’s detailed letters, he fictionalizes their love story
to share with his students. In doing so, he at last begins to sort through his
complicated grief. Micah learns he doesn’t have to erase his life with Cat in
order to make new memories. He may even be falling for Chris, despite their
vastly different spiritual views. With a little help from family and friends,
Micah will need to open his heart to love again.
Excerpt
After
flipping through an album of Cat’s early childhood, Micah put that in the
growing pile next to him and lifted out the letters.
These
were different. They were written more recently. Micah went through the
envelopes, his mouth dropping open in surprise. Cat had written them all during
the time after he’d become ill. He’d known then he was dying; it had been his
choice not to take drastic measures to alter the course of his long illness. It
had taken five months almost to the day for him to finally acquiesce to the
effects of multiple organ failure on his body. The final month had been agony,
and Cat hadn’t been lucid enough in that time to compose any more letters. The
last one was dated about five weeks before he died.
The
only thing left in the trunk was the small box. Micah took it out and examined
it. The box was metal and had a lock, but there was no key. Micah searched the
bottom of the now-empty trunk, but there was nothing inside. He shook the box
and heard the items rattle. There might be a way to pick the lock, but he
wasn’t any kind of expert.
Micah
opened the first letter. Inside, he found the key to the lock box and a folded
piece of paper. He withdrew both and set the key on top of the box. Slowly, he
unfolded the letter and read the greeting. He only got as far as Dearest Micah when he let the paper
fall from his fingers. His immediate urge was to shove it back into the
envelope and never open it again nor any of the others.
His
head swam; he wasn’t ready for this. What secrets was Cat going to reveal in
death that he hadn’t shared in life? It was as though Cat spoke his name right
from the page, and it tore open the wound of his death. Micah’s eyes burned as
he struggled to hold back an ocean of raw grief. Unable to continue for the
moment, Micah let it take him, covering his face and sobbing.
It
took a moment for him to realize that something was nudging him, and he fought
to regain control. Opening his eyes, he found Thomas in his lap, trying to
press close to Micah’s chest. Thomas’ head rubbed under Micah’s chin, and the
cat purred. The rumbles soothed Micah, and his crying slowed. He took a deep
breath.
He could do this.
He could read Cat’s letters and not fall apart. Cat had trusted him to do so
eventually, and Thomas was here to comfort him. Micah wiped his eyes and nose
and picked the letter up again.
Buy Links
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords | KoboAbout A.M. Leibowitz
Author Bio
A.M. Leibowitz is a queer spouse, parent, feminist, and book-lover falling somewhere on the Geek-Nerd Spectrum. They keep warm through the long, cold western New York winters by writing about life, relationships, hope, and happy-for-now endings. Their published fiction includes several novels as well as a number of short works, and their stories have been included in multiple anthologies. In between noveling and editing, they blog coffee-fueled, quirky commentary on faith, culture, writing, books, and their family.
Connect with A.M. Leibowitz
Website | Facebook | Facebook Author Page | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google PlusGiveaway
To celebrate the latest release from A.M. Leibowitz, 3 lucky entrants will win an eBook bundle of all four titles in the Faithfully Yours series, which includes the following:- Passing on Faith
- Walking by Faith
- Leaps of Faith
- Keeping the Faith
Tour Stops
November 1:Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Drops of Ink
Stories that Make You Smile
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Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews
November 3:
Happily Ever Chapter
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Boys on the Brink
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