That Church Life

By: Teresa Howell

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

The Church Gal Crew is leading the way to salvation at Mt. Zion Holiness Church. Feisty Natalia Freemon is the “head” of the crew. Rebellious and outspoken, she has no problems challenging the church status quo. Years later however, her loss of faith will tragically impact her life.

Michelle Hanks, a country girl from a hardworking farm family is the peacemaker and “soul” of the crew. Although struggling with self-confidence she is wise beyond her years and can’t wait to escape the farm life and find success; even if it costs her soul.

Missy Jones, the “heart” of the crew, has the face of an angel and a voice sent from heaven. A pastor’s daughter raised in the church, Missy loves the ministry and her place in it. But the flesh is tempting, especially when it comes in the form of sexy church musician and Mt. Zion playboy Tommy.

In spite of her dedication to the word, Missy falls hard for Tommy, and then falls out of favor with the church. Trapped in a cycle of relationship abuse, Missy’s world is falling apart until Beanie, a reformed stick-up man turned Evangelist, shows her real love. But when tragedy strikes, Missy is torn between the truth, that could jeopardize every-thing she loves, or a lie that could be her damnation.

These three best friends drift away from each other and the church but come back together through spiritual downfall, relationship crises, drug addiction, and even murder. Can the crew survive the drama involved in That Church Life?

©2016 Teresa B. Howell (P)2019 Three One Six Audio

Those Willing to Suspend Disbelief Will Enjoy

I think Teresa Howell has a lot of potential. She is introducing some of us to the unique world of the black church and I appreciate that she found a way to write about imperfect people without using profanity or sexual content. I honestly didn't miss those things, and it's hard to make Christian fiction real and not preachy. She managed to do that here, so bravo for that. Something is fresh and exciting about the world she has created. The characters were colorful and refreshing for someone who isn't part of this world. However, I hope the author gets mentored by more seasoned writers because-- while her instincts and ideas are great, the execution was awkward at times.

The narrator was incredible and her performance elevated the writing. Her acting ability made some of the unrealistic parts of the story [like the revelation of one character's true parentage] more believable. This was my first book by Turpin, and now I understand what all the fuss is about. She brought out the humor and really committed to this story in a way that was balanced. She was more balanced than the writing was, because very early in the book, I accepted the fact that I was going to have to suspend disbelief and just go along with some of the main character's mindset. Even when the writing was over-the-top, Turpin delivered the goods with honesty. Some of the larger-than-life characters and storyline, if put in the wrong performer's hands, could have been disastrous! I always knew which character was speaking and this narrator's acting range is the only thing that made some of the cringey parts of the storyline almost plausible.

Terrible.. Book

Don't get me wrong I love Jesus but this book made zero sense. Start to finish. I couldn't finish