Dancing On Glass by Pamela Binnings Ewen

Amalise Catoir is a law student in New Orleans. She works at a cafe to support her continued education. Having been raised in a quiet bayou town she enjoys living in the busy city.

She meets Phillip Sharp one day when she steps into an art gallery to get out of the rain. He is showing his paintings. Although his paintings disturb Amalise she is drawn to Phillip. He wants to paint Amalise. She is drawn to him and determined to love and protect him from his pitiful childhood.

Even though Amalise is warned by her best friend from childhood Jude, she is determined to pursue her relationship with Phillip. She enters into a hasty marriage with him. Even before she marries him there are signs of Phillips dark moods. He and Amalise attend church together a couple of times but Phillip is not interested. Amalise feels that if she loves him enough and gives him time that he will eventually come to church.

Once Amalise graduates from law school she is offered a job with a law firm in New Orleans. As a new lawyer she is expected to put in long hours and attend many parties. Phillip is not happy with the long hours nor is he happy to attend the parties with her. He keeps tabs on every hour of her day. He wants to know where she is at all times and with whom she is with. Soon he not only is manipulating Amalise with his words, but he also resorts to violence causing Amalise to tread lightly when she is with him.

Hiding Phillips true character from her parents, Jude and her co-workers, Amalise has nowhere to turn but to her Abba Father. Things soon fall apart when Amalise finds Phillip with another young girl. Determined to leave him she packs for a business trip telling herself that she will never go back to him. This action sends Phillip over the edge and the consequences are devastating.

This was such a well-written book. I was invested in Amalise's character. I felt frustrated with her that she couldn't see Phillip's true character. But the author does explain how Amalise was manipulated. Although the subject of the book was dark the author was able to show how God can and will forgive us our mistakes and give us new life.