The Wounded Trilogy – Love the Wounded by Lynn Dove

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Lynn
Cover Design for Love the Wounded

“Love the Wounded” by Lynn Dove is the final and dramatic conclusion to her brilliant Wounded Trilogy series that has followed the lives of teenagers Jake, Leigh, Mike, Dylan and Tim as they come to terms with a series of tragedies and events that have made each of them question why God allows “bad things to happen to good people”.

Leigh does not know who to choose…her heart tells her she will always love Jake, but he has changed so much since the death of their friend, Ronnie, and with his mother going through breast cancer, he has totally closed himself off from her emotionally. Now she is dating Dylan and try as she might to accept him for who he is, she can’t stop thinking about Jake! Dylan has never gotten over the loss of his father and little sister, killed by a drunk driver when he was just a young boy.

After a horrific accident that has put both Tim and his little brother, Evan in the hospital, everyone knows that not only is he being bullied at school; he cuts himself to cope with it all. But meeting Cassidy has given him the courage to stand up to the bullies and at the same time give her what she so desperately needs…a life-giving bone marrow transplant. Jake’s mother keeps telling him that “God works all things out for good” but with all the things going on in his life and with his friends, he’s just not sure anymore. It is only after Mike is paralyzed in a car accident that Jake was partially responsible for that all the families and friends will be brought back together, not by coincidence, but by God’s design and then Jake will finally believe that God truly does “Love the Wounded”.

“A life of working with youth has inspired Lynn Dove, a Cochrane mother to turn her experiences into a book trilogy…(the Wounded Trilogy) series that parallels the struggles of students…(and) covers the angst of some of the real serious issues that teenagers face today, particularly with bullying and gossip. ” -Rocky View Weekly-

Exerpt from the book:

Brad Evans, Shane Banister, and Cole Smith surrounded him the moment he stepped outside. He tried to dodge them, but they blocked his escape and Brad hipchecked Tim into the side of the school building while at the same time slamming his head against the brick. Tim grunted as the air was knocked out of him.

“Freak!” Brad spat at Tim. “You’ll always be a freak!”

Cole knocked Tim’s backpack out of his hand and Shane kicked it like a football into a snowbank.

Tim cringed as Brad raised a fist to strike him again in the face. He closed his eyes, expecting the punch to land, when suddenly he heard a deep voice snarl, “Not on my watch, mister!”

(p. 152 Love the Wounded by Lynn Dove)

About the Author: Winner of a Canadian Christian Writing Award in 2011, Lynn Dove’s debut novel, Shoot the Wounded, written for teens and young adults was a finalist in the 2010 Readers Favorite Book Awards. Heal the Wounded, released in 2010, the second book in this series won the Bronze Medal in the 2011 Readers Favorite Book Awards in the Young Adult – Coming of Age category. Love the Wounded is the final book in the “Wounded Trilogy.”

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The Wounded Trilogy – Heal the Wounded by Lynn Dove

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Lynn

heal the woundedHeal the Wounded was a finalist in the 2011 Readers Favorite Book Awards in the Christian – General Fiction Category and WINNER of the Bronze Medal in the Young Adult (Coming of Age) category!

The second book in the “Wounded Trilogy“

“Heal the Wounded is the much-anticipated sequel to Lynn Dove’s brilliant debut novel, Shoot the Wounded.

After the death of their friend, Ronnie (in Shoot the Wounded), Leigh and Jake are trying to come to terms with the aftermath of Ronnie’s death. As their love grows for one another, Leigh and Jake must face a series of devastating, life-changing events that will challenge their love and their relationship with God.

Tim, Ronnie’s brother, a bitter and tormented young man after the death of his sister, becomes the target of bullies at his school. Feeling hopeless and alone, he cuts himself to find that emotional release to let go of the pain he deals with everyday.

Trying to embrace his newfound faith, Mike, Jake’s best friend, lives in his own private nightmare dealing with the consequences of his parent’s constant arguing and his father’s alcoholism.

Exerpt from the book:

“You don‘t get it, Dylan! Ronnie was absolutely beautiful, smart, fun to be around – ”

“And you‘re not, is that what you‘re saying, Leigh?” Dylan stopped and spun her around. “Did Jake ever say he liked Ronnie more than you?”

“He didn‘t need to say it, I just knew…” Leigh would not look Dylan in the eyes.

“You‘ve got a huge chip on your shoulder, Leigh.” Leigh was hurt by the tone of his voice, but she had to admit that he was right.

“I don‘t usually like to go to the movies with girls who think of themselves as ugly and stupid. In fact, of all the ugly stupid girls I have gone out with in the past, I wouldn‘t even list you among the top ten,” Dylan teased.

“Whaaa…?” Leigh frowned.

“I guess I said it wrong,” he said, then laughed good-naturedly. “What I mean is, I think you are beautiful, smart, fun to be around, and I want to get to know you better—but only if you start to think of yourself the same way. I‘m not into girls who have low self-esteem. I‘m into girls who are confident about themselves and their abilities. I can‘t stand girls who need their egos stroked all the time, but I also can‘t stand girls who don‘t think they‘re good enough for me or anyone else. I hate doormats. Do you hear what I‘m saying?”

Leigh nodded, still a little unsure of herself. Dylan smiled and gave her a hug. “Look, don‘t put yourself down—ever—at least not around me. I think maybe it was my baby sister who showed me how to admire girls who don‘t take any crap from anyone. She was stubbornly pig-headed… remember my tattoo?” Leigh nodded. “Maybe that‘s what Jake liked about Ronnie. She sounds like a girl who didn‘t care what the rest of the world thought of her. She did her thing anyway. Not saying she made all the right choices, but hey…” Dylan did not finish the sentence. He refused to make a judgement about the way Ronnie had lived her life. “I‘m not too sure about this Jake guy, though. I‘m worried that, when he realizes how dumb he was to let you go and comes back for you, you‘ll dump me… but then again…” He paused and looked deeply into Leigh‘s eyes. “But maybe not. Give me a chance, okay?”

Before Leigh could react, Dylan leaned down and kissed her warmly on the lips. His eyelashes fluttered against her cheek. His lips were soft and she felt herself kissing him back. He lingered there for what seemed to Leigh an eternity and then, when he released her, she thought her knees would buckle. Dylan looked at her, grinned, and then said self-assuredly, “Bet that Jake guy never kissed you like that.”

Leigh had to agree.

(pages 83- 84, Heal the Wounded by Lynn Dove)

Heal the Wounded, like Shoot the Wounded, delves even deeper into the real world of teenagers trying to live out their faith in the midst of upset and struggle.

Will these youth find God’s healing and hope in the middle of hurt and heartache?

Brilliantly written, poignantly told, readers who loved Shoot the Wounded will not be disappointed with Heal the Wounded‘s powerful message and the on-the-edge-of-your-seat storyline.”

Heal the Wounded is available on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, on Lynn’s website and wherever fine books are sold!

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The Wounded Trilogy – Shoot the Wounded by Lynn Dove

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Lynn

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!! Just heard that Shoot The Wounded won “Indie Book of the Day” TODAY!!

SHOOT THE WOUNDED is a contemporary Christian novel that deals with relevant social issues such as teen pregnancy and family violence. Set in the small fictional town of Maplewood, in southern Alberta, best friends Leigh and Ronnie find their friendship and faith challenged when Jake, a good looking Christian boy, moves into their neighborhood. Leigh is especially delighted that Jake is paying more attention to her than any other girl at school or church, but what she does not know is that despite his bold declaration of being a follower of Christ, he’s carrying a dark secret from his past that has the potential to destroy his integrity and have his friends question the legitimacy of his faith.

Exerpt from the book:

In church, the youth were visibly cool towards Jake, as were the adult members of the congregation. Jake noticed that people would almost appear hostile towards him even in church, and he was confused as to the reason. He only guessed that it was because he had chosen to befriend Ronnie and support her through the pregnancy rather than be judgmental of her. He determined that people did not want to become involved in anything scandalous, so they distanced themselves from the entire situation and were in essence disassociating themselves not only from the Webbers, but also with anyone who had contact with Ronnie Webber. It was a shunning of sorts, and he felt angry and confused by it all.

The Webbers rarely made it to Sunday services anymore. They feared leaving Ronnie by herself, but more so they too felt excluded from the close bond of fellowship they had once experienced in the church. Jake couldn’t blame them for staying away. He was disappointed by people’s reactions to the situation and blurted out his frustration one day as he passed some of the youth who were mingling after worship one day. He overheard someone snicker and say Ronnie’s name. The giggling that followed infuriated him.

“Why don’t you shoot the wounded?” he said as he passed them. By their puzzled expressions, he explained. “Shoot the wounded…

Always exciting to see my books in the hands of young readers!

 

kick her while she’s down, why don’t you? She can’t even defend herself!” He stormed past them, and could feel their eyes glaring into his back. Driving home from church that day, he wondered if he would stop attending the church and find another one with more compassion and sensitivity. Then he thought, No. The families he knew in the church and in the community at large were for the most part good, decent people. They were quite capable of coming to the immediate assistance of refugees in Africa, or collecting clothes for the poor, or giving money to support local worthwhile charities, but they were at a complete loss when one of their own messed up badly. This hit too close to home. There was an awkwardness in knowing what to do or say. It was uncomfortable. It was messy. It was easier to ignore than to respond. Jake had expected his church family in particular to rally around Ronnie and her family and surround them with unconditional love and support.

He wasn’t expecting the reaction from some members of the congregation. The families he thought would lend physical, spiritual, and emotional comfort for Ronnie and her family were the most distant. The families he thought would be supportive were not, and the ones he hadn’t thought would be supportive, were. He was especially disappointed by the Douglases. Of all people, he had hoped the Douglases would look beyond Ronnie’s indiscretions and allow God to intervene for good. It bewildered Jake that they even seemed to include him in their silence. When he tried to phone or talk to Leigh, the conversations were short and stilted…

(Pages 82-83 – Shoot the Wounded by Lynn Dove)

Shoot the Wounded, the first book in the Wounded Trilogy was a finalist in the 2010 Readers Favorite Book Awards in the Young Adult category.

PURCHASE YOUR COPY TODAY!

Shoot the Wounded, the first book in the “Wounded Trilogy“ is written for youth and young adults, addresses how lies and gossip destroy a person’s spirit. It speaks to the heart of relevant themes such as bullying, teen pregnancy and family violence all the while pointing the characters and ultimately the reader, to hope in Jesus Christ.

is currently being carried in most major Christian Bookstores across Canada and is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca or order from lynndove.com

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