If I tell you right up front, right in the beginning that I lost him, it will be easier for you to bear. You will know it’s coming, and it will hurt. But you’ll be able to prepare.
Someone found him in a laundry basket at the Quick Wash, wrapped in a towel, a few hours old and close to death. They called him Baby Moses when they shared his story on the ten o’clock news – the little baby left in a basket at a dingy Laundromat, born to a crack addict and expected to have all sorts of problems. I imagined the crack baby, Moses, having a giant crack that ran down his body, like he’d been broken at birth. I knew that wasn’t what the term meant, but the image stuck in my mind. Maybe the fact that he was broken drew me to him from the start.
It all happened before I was born, and by the time I met Moses and my mom told me all about him, the story was old news and nobody wanted anything to do with him. People love babies, even sick babies. Even crack babies. But babies grow up to be kids, and kids grow up to be teenagers. Nobody wants a messed up teenager.
And Moses was messed up. Moses was a law unto himself. But he was also strange and exotic and beautiful. To be with him would change my life in ways I could never have imagined. Maybe I should have stayed away. Maybe I should have listened. My mother warned me. Even Moses warned me. But I didn’t stay away.
And so begins a story of pain and promise, of heartache and healing, of life and death. A story of before and after, of new beginnings and never-endings. But most of all…a love story.
It wouldn’t be a proper Love Note from Moses if he didn’t list his 5 greats…
Keep reading to see the full Love Note!
Georgia – My five greats have grown and grown, until listing every one of the things I’m grateful for, the things I love about Georgia Shepherd, would take me pages and days. But on this Valentine’s Day, I can’t help but remember the very first things I noticed, the first things that caught my eye about the girl who would come to mean the whole world to me. 1. Your smile – even when you were making fun of me. 2. Your fearlessness – even when you were being thrown from your horse. 3. Your passion – even when you were driving me crazy. 4. Your devotion – even when I told you to go. 5. And I can’t help it, I have to say it, those long, long legs – they’ll always make the list. Happy Valentine’s Day, Georgia. I love you. Before, after, and always. Moses
The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*
4.5 “Cracked” “5 Greats” Kisses
Amy Harmon has a way of leaving me speechless every time I finish reading one of her novels. I want to laugh, cry and have my heart explode with joy, all simultaneously…it’s amazing and wonderfully exhausting. I mean I knew when my heart was in my throat after reading the prologue, that is was going to be one of those books…and I was right. My emotions are spent (as they usually are after reading Amy’s books) but it’s possibly the best feeling in the world…it’s going to take me a while to put my thoughts together with this one.
Moses Wright…”the baby in the basket”…the crack baby that nobody wanted…I cannot even imagine going through life with that hanging over your head. Well…in the spirit of Georgia’s 5 greats…I want to give my 5 things I’m grateful for in Moses. I loved his talent. His artistic ability and how he used it blew me away…I may not have physically seen his artwork, but my imagination had a field day and it was breathtaking. His relationship with his grandmother, GiGi…that woman was a saint…I shudder to think what would have happened to Moses had it not been for Gi taking him in when she did…but it also set him on the path to his future. His eyes…there was lots to love about Moses physically, but his eyes will stick with me for a long time. Especially the way he spoke with them, even when his words said something else – he could never lie with his eyes, they spoke for his heart. His strength…it takes a lot to go through all that Moses goes through. He could have broken…many times, most normal humans would have. I don’t know where his strength came from or how he did it but it’s a testament to who he really is as a character. My last great would have to be…His laws…and the fact that he broke them. The Laws of Moses….thou shall paint…thou shall stay away from blondes….thou shall leave and never look back…and most of all, thou shall not love. He broke them all…except for the thou shall paint one, but telling Moses not to paint is like telling him not to breathe.
‘I teetered slightly and felt the horror of the last few minutes start to sink in. Sinking, sinking, sinking. I needed to go home.
Moses must have felt me slowly plummeting into the abyss, because without another word, he reached out his hand and loosely took my arm, offering support. I loved him at that moment, more than I thought I could. Way more than our brief encounters warranted. The troublemaker, the delinquent, the crack baby. He was now my hero.’
Georgia Shepherd…how do I love Georgia…let me count the ways. Well…Moses got five greats, let me see if I can do the five greats about Georgia…I loved her spirit…her personality and the way she tackled things head on…including Moses. She’s bright and fierce and sassy, while still being down to earth and kind and sweet. Her way with horses…there’s something to be said for the kind of person who can take charge of an animal that’s a lot bigger than you and yet it came like second nature to her. But it was more than that, to me it spoke to who she was at her core…her calming effect. Her looks…she’s a 5’9” blonde chick (as am I) so call me superficial, but I think that’s awesome. 🙂 And I can’t lie…the fact that Moses was fond of her looks was nice too and how they were always his greats. Her relationship with her parents…I loved that her dad called her George, I loved how close she was with them and how much they supported her. Her love for Moses….I can’t even think about it without getting teary but I loved the way she loved him. It was unquestioning…it was pure…and it was real. Georgia loved Moses without even trying.
‘I’d avoided Georgia since the incident in the barn. I didn’t know what to do with her. She was a wild card. She was a small town girl with a simple way of speaking and thinking, a frank way of being that turned me on and turned me off at the same time. I wanted to run from her. But at the same time, I spent all my time thinking about her.’
Oh boy…Moses and Georgia…where do I begin…I ached for these two. Their story is…complex. It’s angsty but it was a different kind of angst…it’s more than just about the two of them…so much more than that. I really didn’t know what to expect going in…but I was definitely surprised the direction the story took. I wasn’t expecting to get both of their POV’s…that was awesome…it’s not formulaic, so you never know whose head you’ll be in next, but it’s very clear and concise, so there is never any confusion. I definitely wasn’t expecting the focus of the story to be on Moses as much as it was…Georgia has her own story to tell too but…this is The Law of Moses…and the title is very fitting. It’s interesting because as I sit back…this book is not just a straight contemporary romance…at all. I mean it has romance, but I didn’t really feel that was the main focus…which totally worked for the story and for me. There were spiritual aspects to it…there was this unexpected suspense that was pretty freaking awesome that took me be surprise and just added to the layers of the story….and there were some scenes that with any other characters, any other story line, any other authors…and I wouldn’t have bought it. I can’t explain it without spoiling it but for whatever reason, the way everything came together was magical and I never questioned what I was reading…it just worked.
Well, that was true. And he wasn’t stupid. It was definitely part of the attraction. But when he lost himself, painting like a demon, painting, incredible things that came from somewhere behind those amber-green eyes, I couldn’t get close enough. And I wanted him to paint me. I wanted to stand in front of him and let him cover me in color, let me be one of his creations. I wanted to be part of his world. I wanted to fit in. It was ironic, for the first time in my life, if blending in meant being absorbed into his thoughts, sucked into his head, then I wanted to blend in. Maybe it was being seventeen, maybe it was first love, or first lust. Maybe it was just hot. But I wanted him with a desperation that consumed me. I had never wanted anything so much in my life. And I couldn’t imagine wanting something so much ever again.’
I am a romantic at heart…so while everything else was happening, don’t get me wrong – I was enjoying it…but my bread and butter was Georgia and Moses together. I hated and loved how he tried to push her away…and I loved even more that she wouldn’t let him get away with it. The way this story unfolds is very strategic and I get that…there was so much to tell and so I didn’t feel like I got nearly as much out of Georgia and Moses as I would have liked. Then again, I could read a million pages of Georgia and Moses and probably still not get enough. I think that was my only problem…with all of the angst and sadness and everything else (sorry…trying to be vague on purpose here) that happens…the good and happy times between Georgia and Moses are quick and fleeting. There was enough to cling to and give me hope and want that for them…but it would have been nice to actually read that…because the moments I did read were fantastic.
‘“I don’t know what the truth is this time, Moses. I don’t know,” Georgia said, and I knew I couldn’t run this time. I wouldn’t run.
“You know the truth. You just don’t like it.” I never thought I’d see Georgia Shepherd afraid of anything. I was afraid too. But I was afraid that she really wanted me to go. And I didn’t know if I could stay away. Not again.’
This book…this book…this book!!! Possibly the most unique and different book I have read all year. It was classic Amy Harmon…gorgeous writing, effortless…like I want to live in a world where I’m surrounded by her words on a daily basis. The feels she gives…gah…so many emotions I thought I was going to burst…and I loved every second of it, even when I was bawling my eyes out. Oh yes…there were many ugly cries…but I don’t think at this point I know how to read an Amy Harmon book without ugly crying…it’s just something I’ve come to expect. But that’s the beauty of what she does. She sucks me into this magical universe…with these intriguingly beautiful characters that I feel like I can reach out and touch…every emotion is pure and raw and amazing – I don’t care if it’s good or bad, right or wrong…I love that she is making me feel things. And I have to give Amy credit for one of, if not the most surprising prologues…ever. I thought I knew…but I had no idea…it’s brilliant…magnificent…genius.
“I loved you then, Georgia. And I love you still.”
I felt the words as they rumbled through his throat, and then I brought his mouth to mine so that I could savor their aftertaste . Nothing had ever tasted so sweet. He lifted me in his arms and I wrapped myself around him— arms, legs, old Georgia and new Georgia. And with one arm anchoring my hips and one arm banded across my back, Moses kissed me like he had all the time in the world and no place in heaven or hell he’d rather be. When he finally lifted his head and moved his lips from my mouth to my neck I heard him whisper,
“Georgia’s eyes, Georgia’s hair, Georgia’s mouth, Georgia’s love. And Georgia’s long, long legs.”
The epilogue was amazing…totally full circle…all the happiness I could have ever dreamed of and after all the pain and anguish, it was totally and completely deserved. I desperately needed that HEA to heal my heart and it did. So…I feel the need to give my 5 Greats…and I want to do it about TLoM and in general…cause I’m an over achiever and that’s how I roll. 🙂 My TLoM 5 Greats are…Georgia…Painting…Eli…Love…Moses. My 5 Greats are…my loved ones (my husband, family and friends, cats…basically anything with a heartbeat that I love!)…books…music…movies…and technology. Sounds pretty superficial when I look at it but without all that…I dunno where I would be. The Law of Moses is an intensely emotional, uniquely beautiful and elegantly written story about love, loss and forgiveness.
Amy Harmon knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story.
Amy Harmon has been a motivational speaker, a grade school teacher, a junior high teacher, a home school mom, and a member of the Grammy Award winning Saints Unified Voices Choir, directed by Gladys Knight. She released a Christian Blues CD in 2007 called “What I Know” – also available on Amazon and wherever digital music is sold. She has written five novels, Running Barefoot, Slow Dance in Purgatory, Prom Night in Purgatory, the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue, Making Faces and most recently, Infinity + One. Check out Amy’s website.
Cam from Wrapped Around Him by Debra Kayn!