Shadow's of Hope by Georgiana Daniels had me going through the roller coaster of emotions as I read it. At times it was very hard to get through due to the deep emotions, situations and issues portrayed in this story but overall I enjoyed reading this book.

The story is well written. The hard topics within this story were presented by the writer with honesty, empathy and a certain amount of class that I so appreciated. The characters became near and dear to me and yes, I kept Kleenex in business while I read this book. :)

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ms. Daniels, Bethany House Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. ( )

This book will make you sad and make you cry. I really liked Marissa and Kaitlyn. You don’t want to like Kaitlyn or feel sorry for her since she did cheat with a married man biput since she doesn’t know then you feel bad for her. Marissa and Kaitlyn both learn many life lessons. I didn’t like Colin at all. I enjoyed this story. I received a copy from Barbour Publishing for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will. ( )

Rarely have I read a book that I’ve waffled back and forth so much. From wanting Marissa and Colin to work things out to believing she has just cause to end it, the only thing I stood firm on was how much Colin’s actions had hurt these two women.

This book is not an easy one to read. There is not a pat, easy answer to unravel the tangle that Marissa and Colin’s marriage has become. And as a Bible-believing, Christian, that says a lot.

Throughout this story, I wanted Marissa to find her strength and gain her footing. I was impressed with Kaitlyn’s maturity, and I was disgusted by Colin’s behavior (even though the author tried to throw a little sympathy Colin’s way, it wasn’t near enough to make him a likable character in this story).

Readers are pretty much going to wait until the last fifty pages for what you’ve been waiting for the entire book to happen and then everything is tied up quickly but in a bit of a dissatisfying way. Mostly because I wanted to find out whether these three survive or thrive in the futures they’ve chosen (no spoilers here).

Georgiana Daniels definitely made a bold move in this story. Readers often revert to fiction to escape the hurts and disappointments of life, but Shadows of Hope is full of those exact things. The bright spot in this book is the friendship that Marissa and Kaitlyn forge but simply reading the book description is enough to hint that even that might not last.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. ( )

Once I turned the first page I was walking in Marissa, one of the main characters, shoes, and we briefly step into the other two’s shoes, but it was Marissa who kept pulling me back.
The author has written a compelling read, and an emotional one, dealing with tough subjects of infertility, infidelity, and being an unwed mother, and they all circle around one another pulling the story together.
When the story was finished I felt, even with an epilogue, that the story was a bit unfinished, yes, I enjoyed the read, but I needed to know how things worked out.

I received this book through the Publisher Barbour and their Blogger Program, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

Let me preface this by saying that this is not the type of book that I would normally pick up. Had this been promoted by a non-Christian publishing company, I would not have considered it. However, the premise sounded fairly intriguing and I wanted to dip my toes into something outside my comfort level. With that being said, “Shadows of Hope” just didn’t really get off the ground with me. The drama, while expected given the subject matter, was in my opinion overdone, and the characters didn’t resonate much with me. The narrative is divided between Marissa—whose viewpoint is related in the first person—her husband, Colin, and Kaitlyn, the “other woman”. I found it difficult at times to sympathize with Marissa because of her self-centered attitude toward her marriage and her sometimes unrealistic expectations overall. Colin didn’t seem to have many redeeming features, while Kaitlyn is portrayed as an angelic figure. The way that these three interact throughout the novel does add a definite human interest aspect, but the plot seemed too drawn out.

The faith element was present, but almost as a side note, or so it seemed for much of the story’s duration. Granted, there was no profanity or sexual situations—this was a clean read—but faith was not as prominent an issue as I was expecting and hoping for. This was hard to reconcile with my expectations. I also anticipated more suspense and was surprised when so much of the story’s backbone was revealed relatively early on. Nevertheless, I did want to find out exactly how things turned out in the end for each character. Despite not being the most compelling novel I’ve ever read, “Shadows of Hope” does offer a look at redemption and at facing life’s challenges and heartbreaks.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. ( )