The Color of Light

Emilie Richards' “Goddesses Anonymous” series has finally gotten around to highlighting Reverend Analiese Wagner, who has provided wise counsel and support to the characters from the previous three books. Richards, who is married to a minister, creates a memorable story that is very spiritual without moving into the “inspirational fiction” category.

Two simultaneous events create havoc in Reverend Ana's already hectic life. She finds a homeless family, the Fowlers, camping out in the church, and Isaiah, the Catholic priest she has loved silently for years, reappears in her life, wrestling with the final vows he has not yet taken.

Ana has seemed almost too perfect to be true in the previous Goddesses books, so it's almost a relief to learn that she has problematic relationships with her family, chronic issues with food, and frustrating run-ins with her church's leadership. Her efforts to help the Fowlers, especially their 14 year old daughter Shiloh, are controversial, and she has to deal with some congregants who don't think the church has any business sheltering them and others who try to help in a way that destroys the family's pride. There are no miracle solutions, but a strong sense of hope at the story's conclusion.

Ana's relationship with Isaiah is an unusual love triangle, with God in the middle. Without going into spoiler territory, I will say that this is not The Thorn Birds, with a priest doing Very Wrong Things. But Ana and Isaiah have to decide separately and together how they can love each other without completely sacrificing their respective callings, and frankly at times the relationship is more theological than romantic.

Shiloh's story is also realistically portrayed, as she gradually changes from the wary, scrappy de facto head of the family to a teenager who can rely on her parents and Ana when a trauma occurs late in the book.

The other goddesses, notably Harmony from One Mountain Away and Cristy from Somewhere Between Luck and Trust, welcome Shiloh and her family, and I suspect readers will be slightly lost if they haven't read the previous books, although Richards does provide some backstory. There are several goddesses who haven't yet had their chance to be front and center, so I hope Richards is planning more books in this deeply satisfying series.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.