Congratulations December 09 Third Place Winner! Counting the Cost

Title: Counting the Cost
Author: Liz Adair
Video Creator: Terry Gifford



Blurb:
Heck Benham understands life on his terms. He understands cattle. He understands hard work. He understands family values. But everything he holds sacred is about to be challenged when Mrs. Ruth Reynolds drives her way into Heck's life.

From the moment Heck and Ruth meet, the reader's own perception of right and wrong, good and evil will be questioned. In a uniquely objective portrayal, Ms. Adair lets the reader feel both the shame and the joy of choosing love and sacrifice over honor and social mores.

The characters are at times likable and other times disagreeable as they attempt to balance love and selflessness with the confusion of living under unfamiliar circumstances. But even the sometimes irritating choices the characters make cannot dispel the very real and powerful love between the characters.

This is the story of opposing fronts: man/woman, natural instinct/societal expectations, contrasting lifestyles, and joy/pain. At times the reader will find they are cheering for the triumphs of the characters, only to be swept away as they share in their pain of the characters. Ultimately, the reader will find themselves counting the cost they would pay to experience true and abiding love.