The Fragrance of Surrender

Souls of the Sea Book 1

By: April Geremia

Narrated by: Anna Crowe

Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

What would cause a woman to stand on the edge of a cliff deciding whether to slip over it or live another day?

How bad would it have to be?

And what if she couldn't turn to God because she believes he's the root of all her problems?

Set among the fragrant sweet smell of ripening orange tree blossoms, this emotional story is about a woman who battles God for the right to determine how things should be. Gabriella's life has been filled with tragedy, including the mystery of why her own parents disappeared one night, leaving her alone at a tender young age. Soon after her husband dies, she and her son move to her childhood home - a house on a cliff by the sea in a village that time has left behind. It's there that she and some local villagers begin the process of bringing her parent's old orange grove back to life.

As Gabriella begins to put together the pieces of why her parents abandoned her, she soon learns they were victims of powerful forces that threatened to tear apart the quiet little village by the sea. And that knowledge, along with all the other losses she's experienced, causes Gabriella to view God with great suspicion and fear. So when her young son experiences a dramatic conversion and begins to serve him, an all-out battle ensues.

During this time, Gabriella often feels called to the edge of the cliff, torn between letting herself slip over it and ending the pain, or fighting for a happiness she's not even sure exists. Will Gabriella continue to do battle with God? Or will she come to have faith in the God she blames for all the tragedies she's suffered?

And what role will her young son play in her decision?

This multi-layered novel considers questions like: What happens when God doesn't act like we think he should? And can someone who has experienced so much pain and disappointment ever really let go of the hurt?

©2015 Psalm 96:3 Press (P)2016 Psalm 96:3 Press

A Call to Jesus

What did you love best about The Fragrance of Surrender?

This was a hard one. I very much enjoyed the author's passion to spread the word of God via storytelling. I was unable to fully connect with the whole story due to the narration style.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Fragrance of Surrender?

I liked the visual of the cliff and Gabriela (before and after she has a change of heart)

What three words best describe Anna Crowe’s voice?

Waves...soft...LOUD...soft....LOUD...soft...LOUD

Ms. Crowe is wonderfully articulate. Unfortunately, the soft/loud rhythm took away from her performance. I had to remove my earbuds and put the audio on a player at a higher volume and further away from me.

Longer pauses between chapter title and story and at the end of each chapter would have been nice. Pauses when the scene changed would help the listener as well.

Any additional comments?

I received a copy via audiobook boom in exchange for an unbiased review.

Nice Story

A wonderful story of how God works in and around our lives. Although gabrella was very angry with God He did not give up on her. I like that so many lives were brought to Christ because of a terrible tradegy. this book allows the listener to learn that God loves us in spite of ourselves. I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review via audiobook boom. The narrator was soothing so this is not a book to listen to when you are almost asleep. Be wide awake and open for God's voice.

Very Moving!!

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book! The author did a beautiful job describing the characters, I not only could picture them in my mind but I also came to love them and care about what happened to each of them, I was actually quite sad that it came to an end. This story was a wonderful illustration of the love of our Lord who continues to care about us and reach out to us even when we're so bitter and hateful against him. It goes to show that only God can heal a wounded heart and restore our ability to love again. "This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com."

The Fragrance of Surrender

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

This book features a town in Mexico where a lot of people have disappeared and never were heard from again. A young boy finds God and begins evangelizing. His mother lost faith and is angry. There are many turns in the story. It did seem a bit forced in places.



The narration was well done.The characters were well portrayed.

Interesting

April Geremia writes this interesting but complex book. Soon after Gabriella's husband dies, she turns from God. But her son has an amazing conversion and starts spreading God's word with an evangelist. The Fragrance of Surrender leaves the reader with many questions about God, as seen through the eyes of Gabriella.

Anna Crowe's narration wasn't the best I've heard, but it was ok. The real distraction was the absence of pauses between sections of a chapter and the chapters themselves.

I was given this audio book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Good book but not quite believable

Would you listen to The Fragrance of Surrender again? Why?

No. There are only a few books I would consider reading or listening to more than once.

The narrator's voice was pleasant to listen to, but a little slow in my opinion. Sometimes the narrator was "spot on" with the hispanic accent and other times, not so much.

I liked the story and plot. I felt that it was not quite believable that a boy at age 10 could do and say what he did. He acted more like a 12-13 year old, in my opinion.

I'm afraid that the non-Christian may not finish the book, as the presentation of the gospel came so early and often in the plot; If the non-believer gets turned off by that; he/she might stop reading.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that the gospel was clearly explained, with repentance, salvation and forgiveness for anyone willing to follow Jesus.

I liked that the young boy Samuel's faith was key to many others coming to know Christ. That even a child can be used by God to bring others to Christ.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the Pastor risks his life to save Sammy in the storm, because I was afraid Sammy was dead.

Who was the most memorable character of The Fragrance of Surrender and why?

Samuel - he was amazing (maybe unbelievable so) in his articulation of the gospel even due to the fact that he had not been raised in a Christian home or church.

Any additional comments?

Keep up the good work!

Finding God and then share it.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Get to the plot quicker.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Concentrate on the corruption and the coyotes more.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Anna Crowe?

Yes, good cadence and diction.

Could you see The Fragrance of Surrender being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

TV series with Hispanic stars.

Any additional comments?

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom."

Fragrance of Surrender 💗

This is the kind of book that speaks to your heart and comforts your soul. There aren't many novels these days that have an engaging story with characters who are Christian that actually live their faith. I enjoyed the journey of the characters in life experiences. I especially liked how the story showed how most people deal with grief......they either run to God or away from Him. This novel has some mystery, a bit of suspense and even young love. It has a message that everyone should hear but unfortunately some will reject.

I thought the narration was good. I did, however, increase the speed to 1.25 and that worked great for me.

I would like to thank the author, narrator, or publisher for providing me this audiobook at no cost in exchange for my unbiased review courtesy of Audio book boom

We didn't want to turn it off

The plot is very engaging and clearly presents the gospel message. The reader makes it easy to follow. We didn't want to turn it off!