Mac

Sisters by Design, Book 1

By: Sharon Srock

Narrated by: Becky Doughty

Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

After separating herself from the oppressive cult where she was raised, Mackenzie Soeurs has two dreams: to give her son Riley a better life than she had, and to live in peace, as far from the harsh God of her past as she can get. At least that was the plan until her son got hauled to jail for theft and she lost the mother she never truly understood. In the darkest moments of her life, Mac finds herself surrounded by a group of Christian women she can't understand and a handsome man willing to take her son under his wing.

Dane Cooper, Garfield's former bad boy and groom left at the altar, can't deny his initial attraction to Mackenzie. Neither can he resist the urge from God to mentor her delinquent son. How can he guard his battered heart and still give Riley the same second chance he was given?

When Jesse, Charley, Randy, and Alex signed up for Mac's first fitness class, they were looking for someone to whip them into physical shape. What they found was a woman bound by a cruel history, suffering through a tragic present, and in desperate need of a friend...or four.

©2016 Sharon Srock (P)2017 Sharon Srock

Wonderful book

Wonderful book about conquering adversity and the power of faith and friendship. Also, a little romance thrown in.

Beautiful story

What a wonderful story of how Gods word can be misrepresented and the damage that can cause! I loved seeing the grow in Mac just from having a few people demonstrate Gods love and praying for her.

Very Good Book!

Loved it! Even cried sometimes,story so real.Mac had some struggles...with her son...Relearning to get close to God...Her New "Friends...Sisters"!Very anxious had to finish it.Great ending!

Informative Christian Conversion/Romance

Maggie was raised in a cult based on a skewed, harsh form of Christianity. So when she escaped she was revolted by new acquaintances with open Protestant Christianity. Yet, facing too many crises occurring and without many of the tools to handle them in her new environment of freedom, a number of acquaintances step in to hold her up. This book demonstrates how loving Christians can be instruments in the God’s hands. It also shows insights into cult mind control. Worth a read.

Great story

I loved the story line and the message it sends to others. Hope for more of this subject.

Wonderful Story

I loved this story!! Mac, short for Mackenzie, has escaped the cult group known as The Body. She is now an independent business owner responsible for her son and mother. However acclimating to the outside world is a challenge. Her son Riley appears to be in trouble at every turn. Her mother is extremely unhappy and has no hesitation letting Mac know. What Mac needs is friends and a new understanding of Christ's love. In this wonderful story of forgiveness, faith and understanding Sharon's Srock has again helped me gain a closer walk with Christ. Friendship, family and church is what this book is about. I love how Srock uses scriptures to help someone understand a situation. I wish I had her ability to apply scriptures to everyday life. It seems so simple. Srock's stories are almost as good as a devotional! Again I did not enjoy the narrator. Her reading has a strange lilt that sounds automatic and robotic.

Pleasantly surprised

The summary seemed interesting, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. I discovered a wonderful story which shows the loving, caring, and forgiving God. It also showed the dangers of ignoring the Bible and creating a warped religion based on hate and and dominance over certain people.
It was interesting following Mac and her discovery of the Bible and that God truly loved the world when He sent his only Son to teach us, heal us, and reverse death! Most of all, Christ allied Himself to be killed and to take on all the sins of us Humans. And most important to rise on the third day!
The book also had laugh out loud moments of comic relief.
I highly recommend this book!

Beautifully narrated, indeed

Great story. And what a range of voices/tones for the different characters the narrator presents us with. I do have well over a dozen audiobooks read by Becky and love (!) listening to her - over and over again. I might be biased but here’s another truly a delightful performance - of a truly beautifully!!!!!! written story.

Mac totally has to reinvent her life

Fun book about Mac, her teenage son Riley and their escape from a very strict religious cult after the death of her husband. They move to Garfield on a whim along with her very antagonist mom. She goes to school and opens a nail salon and exercise gym. She’s juggling everything and all is going well except Riley who’s struggling with school and friends. She meets the local handyman and his sister and her friends. Everything with Riley goes south in one week and these new friends in her life help her overcome all. Her beliefs about God and the Bible are heavily tainted and skewed by the cult she grew up in and she’s promised herself she will never get involved with religion or God or the Bible again. Between her new friends and experiences and discovering a very different God than she was raised with, Mac can truly live again. Oh and there’s that handsome handyman causing heart thumps and goosebumps. Very much a Christian theme and lots of Bible references but it was to counter all the misinformation she had lived with her whole life.

Enjoyable

I loved listening to this book and learning all that Mac had to go through and how she learned to trust. She had really been through a lot and when those around her needed to help her out with all that came at her, she had to choose what what needed and not necessarily what she felt comfortable with. I really loved seeing how she grew as a person.