Standing Strong by Theresa Linden

Standing Strong by Theresa Linden

Next in the West Brothers Contemporary Christian teen fiction series by award-winning author Theresa Linden.

When the path is not clear.

When temptation is near.

When God speaks in a whisper you can barely hear.

Having just confessed his sins to his priest--more sins than a kid his age should have--Jarret jumps in his Chrysler 300 and races to the outskirts of town. Emotion overwhelming him, he pulls off the road and flings himself face down behind an outcropping of rocks. Ever since that life-changing night in the canyon, Jarret has felt the presence of the Lord in his soul. Now that presence is fading. Is it his fault? How will he remain faithful without it when he still struggles against the same temptations?

​Meanwhile his twin brother, Keefe, questions whether he has a calling to religious life. He's gone along with Jarret's bad schemes for years. Is he worthy of such a calling? What would he have to give up to pursue a vocation? Keefe reads everything he can about St. Francis and the Franciscans, but he's afraid to talk to his father about the Franciscans' upcoming discernment retreat because his father seems closed to faith. Is he ready to go all in?

Follow the West brothers in this contemporary teen fiction as they struggle through temptations and trials down paths they can barely see, toward goals they desire in the depths of their hearts.

Fight for His Soul and Roland West, Loner (Catholic Press Association Book Awards, 2016 & 2017) are two books in Theresa Linden's contemporary young adult West Brothers trilogy. She grew up in a military family and developed a strong sense of patriotism and adventure. Her Catholic religion encourages her to believe that there is no greater adventure than the spiritual aspect of life, which we can't see. She is the author of eight books, including a fast-paced dystopian trilogy that tackles today's serious moral concerns, two short tales in Image and Likeness: Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body (Full Quiver Publishing), and a short story in Secrets: Visible & Invisible (CatholicTeenBooks.com). She graduated from Catholic Distance University with a Catechetical Certificate and is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild and the International Writers Society. She lives in northeast Ohio with her husband and three teenage sons as a wife, homeschooling mom, and Secular Franciscan.