The Essence of His Soul
About
As Heard on “Books & Beyond” with Frankie Darcell on WDAS 105.3 FM. Second edition.
When Essence Taylor, owner of Taylor Made Music Group, steps into Mocha Tea & Trends—a new upscale coffee shop in Old City Philadelphia—she’s focused on business, not romance. But when she overhears the manager scrambling after an artist cancels last minute, Essence seizes the opportunity to showcase her newly signed songstress.
That’s when she meets Shane Bishop.
Philadelphia’s basketball sensation and the shop’s owner, Shane is instantly drawn to Essence. Their eyes meet, sparks fly—and Essence immediately shuts it down. A ball player is the last thing she needs distracting her from her purpose. But Shane can’t ignore the connection he feels as he watches her confidently seal the deal for her artist.
Later, one bold DM changes everything.
What begins as a cautious friendship between two preacher’s kids slowly unfolds into a God-ordained romance neither of them expected. But just as their bond deepens, their lives are shaken by family secrets, resurfacing past relationships, and a devastating incident that threatens to destroy both of their careers.
As rumors swirl and pressure mounts within the entertainment and sports industries, Essence and Shane must decide if their love is strong enough to withstand the weight of old wounds, public scrutiny, and painful truths.
Will they be able to hold on to what God brought together—or will the cost be too great?
Praise for this book
The essence of his soul really touched me. I loved everything about Shane and Essence. Both had a lot of similarities; they had careers that had them in the public eye. Both were also PKs and had “good” families. Shane plays in the NBA and Essence owns a music group. I thought all the hurdles thrown at the couple would be too much to overcome but the couple was strong in their faith. They relied heavily on prayer, fasting, and good communication. My heart ached for Shane, he received so much backlash and had to overcome hardships within his family. It was painful but Essence was his equal and she made sure she covered her man in prayer. Whew. There was a message in this story, but I'll say, "Be open to what God want to do through your love story."
What a heartfelt read! Essence and Shane shared the familiarity of being preachers kids, had lives in the public eye; but rooted in Christ. I loved how they were both intentional about their courtship, and set boundaries early on. They were adorable! What really pulled at my heartstrings, was how vulnerable Shane was. ❤ He was transparent with his words, actions and emotions. When trials began to show in their relationship, instead of letting the enemy win, they pulled closer together and leaned on their faith. A beautiful love story, with realistic elements that shows us God is always in control! 👍👍👍
I loved how this story organically followed their growth in all areas of their lives and how even when the Enemy tries to shake you, you will overcome it if you just stand in your faith and believe in His will. This week has been a rough one for me but what stood out to me was what Shane said, (I'm paraphrasing so forgive me if I'm wrong lol) " God will make a way, you just have to be still." This is confirmation I needed on my situation so I thank God for using this story to confirm it. You're going to get so much out of this story that you can apply to yourself.
This was beautiful! From start to finish Shane and Essence were intentional in what they were building with one another. I loved that they gave each other grace in times of turmoil, turned to prayer at all times and not just when things got heavy, and just love each other through it. Then external drama was annoying, but it honestly didn’t impact their love and I was here for it! Also, the intimacy was too tier! It’s been a while where I’ve read something that didn’t have a huge physical component and it was refreshing!
Very good book! Mya did her thang with this story!!! There was alot of drama but God worked it out! Mya keep writing with God in mind. I look forward to reading more of your books!