Celebrating Love by Marianne Evans

Marianne Evans

I’m an unapologetic royal watcher.  I’m also an ever-hopeful believer in fairytales. By that, I don’t mean I hold to unrealistic expectations in perfection – but I do believe in the power of love to overcome daunting odds. I suppose that’s the reason why my genre of choice, as an author and reader, is romance.

So, join me for a few moments at the just-celebrated wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (now TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex!). The fascinator's, the dresses, the pomp and pageantry, the stunning wedding gown and sparkling tiara! In a blink I was swept into the world of Windsor. The day just sparkled with sunshine and blue skies.

Then came Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon about the transformative power of love.

His words, to my mind, put the ‘Royal’ in this historic event. They got me thinking about the nuances of love, the struggles of love, the victory of love over daunting odds.

Let me share some of the quotes from this amazing, passionate sermon. Truth resonates, so does a level of encouragement I latched on to immediately.

‘We must discover the power of love. The redemptive power of love. When we do that, we will make the whole world a new world.’

‘There’s power in love. Don’t underestimate it. Don’t over-sentimentalize it. Just know it. There’s power in love.’

‘There’s power in love to lift up and liberate when nothing else will. There’s power in love to show us the way to live.’

‘Imagine our homes and families when love is the way. Imagine our neighborhoods and communities when love is the way. Imagine our governments and countries when love is the way. Imagine our world when love is the way.’

I realize anew, after watching a royal wedding that took me to church, the reasons why I gravitate toward books based on the discovery of love. The stories, the truth of love's power, calls me. Love celebrates the best of who we are and what we can become.

Could anything be more encouraging as we go about our writing journey?

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Amy Monarch is a tireless volunteer at the Dupont Rescue and Recovery Center, an establishment for the destitute founded by her mother. There, Amy has kept her identity a carefully guarded secret. She is actually Princess Amelia Marguerite Louise DeLaGrande of Remeth. Working at Dupont offers the opportunity to serve in blessed disguise.

Fresh into a promising career in commercial real estate brokerage, Patrick Sawyer returns to the picturesque isle of Remeth intending to reconnect with his collegiate study abroad friends and figure out ‘what’s next’ in his life. Since his father’s passing, the world he knows leaves him uninspired. He volunteers at Dupont during his visit, and becomes enchanted by Amy.

But Amelia is trapped within a silken web. When she reveals who she is, Patrick pulls back. He’s not interested in royalty—at all—but how can she ever break free? How can she find a way to service and God’s plan for her life? Most of all, how can she reconcile the call she feels toward a remarkable man who may be ‘common,’ yet is ‘uncommon’ when it comes to matters of the heart?

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Marianne Evans is an award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create. Readers laude her work as “Riveting,” “Realistic and true to heart,” “Compelling.”

Her Christian fiction debut, Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as the Heart of Excellence Award. Her follow-up novel, Forgiveness, earned Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year honors as did her book Hearts Communion. She is also a two-time recipient of the Selah Award for her books Then & Now and Finding Home. 

Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan and an active member of Romance Writers of America, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President. You can connect with Marianne at www.marianneevans.com.