A Heart of Devotion by Tia McCollors                                                                               reviewed by Dee Stewart

How can twenty-something believers live out of their faith while leading cosmopolitan lifestyles? This is the core question in Tia McCollors best-selling novel, A Heart of Devotion.

In the novel’s beginning, Anisha Blake, a twenty-seven-year-old junior advertising executive, is making great strides in her career. Handsome Christian youth counselor, Tyson Randall pursues her, and her grandmother is the joy of her life. Yet, none of these things are constant. Only her relationship with God, a relationship Anisha pushes aside in order to have more time for Tyson, stays constant. Imagine Anisha’s anguish when career, family and her relationship are all in danger of crumbling.

Sherri, Anisha’s best friend, fights to believe that Christ can solve her constant yearning for affection. Then she becomes pregnant after she gives in to a one-night-stand with Tyson’s friend, Xavier.  Where is God now? Is He punishing her for her sin through this pregnancy? 

Sherri tries to handle the pregnancy herself, ashamed to confide in Anisha about her predicament. But she can’t keep holding her devastating secret inside.

Meanwhile, Tyson deals with feelings for an old flame—feelings he has asked God to help him control—and his responses to these feelings may destroy his relationship with Anisha completely.

This novel transcends many Christian chick lit and women’s lit stories, because it isn’t about designer shoes, or techniques for catching a God-fearing man. The story’s heart lies in Anisha’s devotion to God, and her realization that her relationship with Christ is the most important relationship she has ever known.

This story is not appropriate for tweens or young teenagers because of the situations the characters face, but it is a great portrayal of the choices young adults face, living in a world where being a Christian is cool, but Christian living is constraining.

With this debut novel, McCollors has joined the growing number of Christian African American authors who bring real issues to the table. Most importantly, A Heart of Devotion is universal and timely enough for readers of all races to learn from, identify with, enjoy.

Click here to buy A Heart of Devotion by Tia McCollors