Ten-year-old Olivia Chandler has a school she loves, good friends, a nice home, a talented mom, and a successful father she adores. Tragedy rips all of this away from her, and plunges Olivia into the foster care system, where for eight years she is neglected, humiliated, abused, and nearly raped.Fate smiles on Olivia shortly before she ages out of the system, allowing her the means to attend … attend college and law school.
Years later, Olivia is a successful child advocate attorney, giving a voice to children who are so easily ignored by those claiming to act in their best interest. She has little time for personal relationships, and her lifelong fear of abandonment reminds her never to get too close to anyone.
The successful attorney stumbles though when she’s assigned a case by the court that too closely mirrors her own haunted childhood. Olivia never gives her minor clients less than her all, and the only way she can help her eleven year old client is to face down and acknowledge her demons. This same case also brings a man into her life who sees her for who she truly is, and will not allow Olivia to push him away.
NOTE: This book is intended for 18+ only due to language, sexual activity and scenes of child abuse and near-rape. Those with emotional triggers should reconsider purchasing this book.
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What a surprising book! I knew it would be good because I’ve read author Felicia Denise’s reviews of other novels, interacted with her on social media, and visited her blog; however, there were so many different levels and components in the story, I really connected with it beyond expectations. And that’s saying a lot because I am very far removed from the primary topics and experiences it covers. Kudos to the author for capturing this reader’s attention and making my flight across the country quite entertaining and heartwarming.
Olivia was victimized in foster care ~25 years ago. Her father was killed, her mother’s memory practically erased in an accident. Despite everything that happened to her, Olivia pushed herself to become a successful lawyer who helped other children in similar situations. The only issue… her emotional confidence and ability to open up to others never fully developed. She threw herself into work and closed the doors to many things in life. But then life throws her a curveball with a case about a young girl in a very similar situation who needs help. Olivia agrees to take the case, but it’s far worse than she imagined: corruption, evil, family, secrets, and theft. On the flip side, the temporary family who is looking out for the young girl’s interest is amazing, and there’s a sexy uncle with a crush on Olivia. What’s a girl to do?
My favorite aspect of this book is the writing style Felicia Denise has chosen to employ. After much build-up regarding the awful side of the family who is trying to gain custody / oversee the case (hard to explain, but I don’t want to give anything away), readers will feel anger and frustration over the lengths selfish people go to steal from others. At the same time, we watch Olivia assemble information to protect the child, but we don’t necessarily know what facts she’s learning from all her meetings. We see her interact with others but through summaries while she’s getting to know the temporary family. It’s a wonderful approach because when the case goes to court to make the decision, EVERYTHING comes out and Olivia looks AMAZING. I had this jittery excited moment where I’m thinking… “Go Olivia, go!” I loved this approach and commend the author on igniting my passion for her story.
At some point, Olivia decides to give in to her feelings for the girl’s uncle whom she’s met and gone on a few dates with. The book completely changes in this chapter when we see Olivia’s barriers removed, and readers are treated to a passionate, vivid physical encounter, what I imagine is along the lines of a romance novel. I’m not a huge reader in that genre, so I can’t really compare… but it was quite strong and had a lot of contrast to the emotional tugging over what was happening to the young girl and Olivia’s heartbreak. I didn’t expect it and was like… wait… did I change books? All good tho, as it was tightly written, showcased the author’s range, and made me thoroughly excited for Olivia.
Well-written, tons of heart, lots of pain (in a good way), and provides proof that readers should chance reading different styles. I look forward to my next book by this author, as I hear there may be a sequel coming!
I want my own Bellamy! Before you get any ideas, it’s not just for the man, himself – but his entire cray-cray, laugh-out-loud, we do everything with passion family! Grab your box of Kleenex, you’re going to cry, especially when you laugh. Grab your beverage of choice and a guilty pleasure kind of snack, because oh yeah…it’s that kind of book.
Olivia Chandler has been through more than any person should ever have to go through and all of it prior to her eighteenth birthday. As the product of a broken foster care system, Olivia has taken what precious knowledge and resources her late father has given her, her own brains and a spine of steel to forge a career for herself as a Child Advocate of the Court. An attorney who prides herself on specializing in keeping children out of foster care by any decent means necessary. Unfortunately, this has resulted in years of hard work as an excuse not to deal with her own childhood trauma and to keep people at arms length no matter what.
When she gets a new case that closely mimics the childhood tragedy that forever changed her life–too much for the worst–Olivia finds herself facing a frightened, abandoned, haunted and betrayed little girl whom no one seems to give two cares about–and it’s not her new client, Rena Averest. It’s Livvie Chandler, herself. That girl still thriving inside of her, unable to heal.
Bruce Bellamy knows all about abandonment, and not just his own. When his wife walked out on him and their young children it did a number on him in many ways, making it difficult to trust in second chances. The first time he lays eyes on Olivia Chandler, though, all that changes. He can see right through her professional facade and down into the sad, yet genuinely compassionate woman bound and determined to stand for Rena Averest–a little girl who means a lot to him and his family.
Let me tell you, Bruce is pure charm. I have never read a male lead with more sincere charm than this man and Felicia wrote him so well, that it doesn’t come across as pretentious or nauseating. Even his persistence is charming! He made me laugh–and swoon–right alongside Olivia. I won’t spoil anything, so you’ll have to read the book to know if all his fast-talking persuasion does him any good! “That man.”
Then you have the Bellamy family – strike that, they’re a clan. I think I counted no less than three or four generations of Bellamy under their roof at one time. They are the big, loud, boisterous and loving family taking care of Rena Averest, and as soon as they recognize Olivia’s intentions to do the same, they adopt her as one of their own. I can’t even begin to describe these characters, they’re the kind of relatives you’d love and dread having at the same time, because I doubt anything gets by them!
Most of the time during reading this book, I had tears in my eyes. From living through Olivia’s horrid past, the frustration over what Rena’s being put through due to sheer incompetence by so-called professionals, all of the amazing supporting characters and from the truly fantastic humor Felicia weaves into the plot in all the right places. The dialogue was a little confusing for me at first, having one person speak and another person react all in the same sentence could make it hard to tell who was doing the talking, but once I got used to that pattern, it became easy to read.
I loved how genuine all of these characters came across, whether they were good or bad, they were written wholeheartedly. I wasn’t left feeling any disappointment at all in the end. Even though this story is going to continue – (Yay! Does the happy dance) – everything that was a plot point in this book was tied up by the end, with the exception of what is to continue, but that’s explained immediately. I was very, very grateful for that! I can’t wait to read the next installment, and I highly recommend this book to everyone. I don’t care what your preferred genre is, read it. I also recommend that it be made into a movie, pronto. I want to curl up on my couch with my coffee, Kleenex and snacks and watch it asap.
This is an Honest Review of a book that I purchased. I have not received anything in exchange for this review from the author, to include an ARC.
Olivia Chandler is a high-powered attorney. She’s asked by a respected judge to represent a young girl Rena. Rena was injured in a car accident that killed her mother and put her father in a coma. Her situation is so similar to Olivia’s childhood experience that it raises old trauma. While Olivia dedicates herself to making sure Rena doesn’t end up in the foster care system, the case changes her life.
But the story is only half legal-drama. The other half is romance, almost too good to be true except that it runs up against Olivia’s deeply ingrained self-doubt related to her childhood.
The characters are deftly drawn and consistent—endearing, charming, greedy, and despicable (this is about lawyers, after all). If I had one tiny complaint, it would be that the extended family of Olivia’s love interest, Bruce Bellamy, is just way too wonderful. I loved Olivia’s strength most of all and her determination to protect her young client. There’s some questionable behavior going on that Olivia is determined to ferret out.
I enjoyed this well-written story on multiple levels. It’s not only about how the legal and foster care systems work (and don’t work), but the romance is sweet. The pace is steady and the dialog is exceptional. Well-edited. Highly recommended for readers of romance with a lawyerly twist.
Wow, what a heroine. Olivia Chandler is an amazing woman. She’s got such a wonderful mind and heart. Not to mention her iron-will and determination to see a goal to the end. But she’s so understated, so natural, so relatable that this fact slips up on the reader as the compelling, emotional story moves along. I just couldn’t wait to turn the pages and continue the journey with her. I love this kind of story within a story. The mysteries she must solve are not only to save a young girl but are also mysteries she must solve to become whole herself. I felt everything in my own heart, all her pain and eventual joy.
I read this novel at first for the good-versus-evil type story and wanting to see what happens to the little girl. But by the end of the story, I was totally invested in Olivia’s struggle and needing to see it all work out for her, because she so deserves a HEA.
Bruce, as her love interest, is masculine, sexy, nurturing and right on time. But can he find the patience to wait for this one-in-million woman while she works out the things she must work out in order to find the peace within herself that she needs? You’ll have to read to find out. But I believe you’ll enjoy the journey if you do.
An emotional story and compelling characters. A strong authorial voice. A real page turner.
I purchased this novel and this review contains my honest thoughts.