Review: A Prayer Heeded (Samreen Ahsan)

The tumultuous relationship between Adam Gibson and Rania Ahmed had been heading for happily ever after at the end of the first book in A Prayer Series, but jealousy, insecurity, and mistrust threw everything into chaos, possibly ending everything they had built. Putting the pieces of their relationship back together will be anything but simple as secrets surface and lives are threatened.

Having been left on such a cliffhanger at the end of book one, I was glad to get back to Adam and Rania's story. The emotional upheaval I experienced in the first book was certainly continued through this one. Emotions are running even higher as Adam desperately tries to figure out how to make up for what he did and regain Rania's trust. Things are no better for Rania as she fights to overcome her past and figure out how to move on with her life and protect Adam when there are forces in her life that refuse to let her escape their grasp.

The supernatural, or spiritual, elements hinted at in the first book were brought into the spotlight in this book. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the truth behind Rania's dark past and the forces trying to control her future. I was very interested as I learned more about the traditional beliefs in jinns and other spirits. It was one of the bigger pulls of the story, learning more about the spirits Rania was caught up with. I was glad to see the glimpses in the first book panned out and were incorporated in the story more centrally.

The romance elements were well done, as I had come to expect from the first book. Readers are definitely in for an emotional and steamy journey as they follow these two. Even when the couple became more intimate, it was handled in a way that felt quite respectful of their relationship. As in the first book, there was a good deal of explicit language, but other than that, I really only had one issue with the overall story. That was that once some of the actions of certain characters were explained, I had a difficult time accepting them because their initial reactions had been so convincing. I felt a little misled when the truth was revealed, but even that was not enough to keep me from enjoying the story. Overall, it was a very captivating story or love and life and what it means to sacrifice for the people you care about.

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Review: A Silent Prayer (Samreen Ahsan)

On the surface, it seems as though Adam and Rania have led very different lives. Adam is a wealthy, womanizing billionaire with every possession he could ever need. Rania is a graphic designer who secludes herself from others, men especially, as much as possible. The truth is, the are both hiding difficult pasts that have scarred them and left them nearly incapable of a normal relationship. The question is whether they can heal each other, or if the will only tear each other apart even more.

While on the surface this may sound like a standard romance novel, readers will be surprised by the depth of the story and characters. I had a little difficulty getting into the story at the very beginning, but as I read into the next few chapters and discovered two very complex, very flawed and broken characters, I couldn't help but keep reading. There is much more to this story than might first appear.

The overall story was well crafted. It is not only a romantic journey between two people who seem almost determined to prove they should not be together. It is a spiritual journey as well. Adam, a professed atheist, sees little in his past to be grateful for, yet Rania manages to show him the blessings he has been given through her faithful example. I enjoyed learning about the Muslim beliefs regarding angels and satans (or jinns). It was explained in a way that helped readers see Rania's point of view and the reasons behind her choices. There is also a mystical spiritual element to this story, portrayed in a series on strange events that happened between Adam and Rania. These are not explained in this book, but I look forward to learning more about them in the sequel.

The characters themselves are the biggest draw to this story. At times, they are both frustrating to read about, particularly Adam, but they are realistic portrayals of people who have lived difficult lives and no longer understand how to trust and put asides their fears. While Adam bears the brunt of undesirable characteristics, I certainly did not feel as though Rania was a perfect, either. There were times when she behaved foolishly, in ways that hurt Adam deeply. Adam's character is extremely volatile. He is very possessive and struggles to control this impulse. There are times when he borders on unlikable as a character, but then he would turn around and win over both the reader and Rania.

When I began reading this book, I did not realize there was a sequel, which was my own fault. I became frustrated at times that the characters weren't progressing as much as I expected, but once I realized that they had a whole second book to work out there remaining issues, I was okay with how the story had progressed. The end of this book does have a quite abrupt ending, so readers will want to grab a copy of the sequel, "A Prayer Heeded," right away. This book does contain strong language, which some readers may not be comfortable with.

You can get your copy of "A Silent Prayer" here:

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