Broken and battered, Valerie comes home and finds a lifetime of love waiting for her.Valerie Flynn grew up with the Dixon brothers, never differentiating one more than the other. When she leaves for college, she puts Atlanta and her childhood behind her, ready to make a life for herself somewhere else. An abusive relationship almost destroys her physically and emotionally, and manages to wipe out … emotionally, and manages to wipe out her relationship with God.
Since boyhood days, Brad Dixon has always carried a flame for Valerie Her engagement to another man shattered his dreams. When she comes home, battered and bruised, recovering from a nearly fatal relationship, he prays God will use him to help her heal.
Valerie returns to Atlanta seeking a fresh start, but she finds herself in a strange place. Not only is Brad now her boss, she starts to develop feelings for him. Is it possible she can overcome the past and open herself up to another relationship, or did the damage done to her body and soul permanently take away any chance of happiness and love?more
This was such a refreshing book to read with a PUNCH of a power message. It just really spoke to my heart. Wonderful characters! Love the Dixon family, which included Buddy and Valerie! So much depth to the story, including interracial relationships. Looking forward to more of the Dixon Brothers!
The friends-to-lovers trope combines well in this story with the heroine also overcoming an abusive relationship and learning to move on with her life. While this premise is not unusual, the way it is presented and told in Valerie’s Verdict is unique and emotionally engaging.
Layers of family dynamic with the Dixon brothers and their successful family-run construction firm add to the southern setting and friendly atmosphere that jumpstart the healing process for Valerie and allow Brad to make his own discoveries of purpose and honesty. I loved the moments they were on the page together – what great chemistry!
Bridgeman handles some sensitive topics quite well, including abuse and its related PTSD, themes of faith and spiritual healing, and racial diversity. Overall, I recommend this novel as a contemporary romance with plenty of emotional depth and heart.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. This is my honest review.
I’ve been lecturing myself these last months about finding contentment where you know God has placed you for this season. This book was a perfect followup to continue to reenforce that truth.
The characters were amazing. The tension in the storyline really gripped my attention. There was so much emotion and passion – it was truly gripping. This novel definitely dealt with some really hard things.
I loved the familial aspect and am stoked to continue reading this series.
My heart broke for Valerie as I read her story. Sin and the human condition-sometimes we have to hit the bottom before we are ready to search for or see the love of our Savior. Valerie’s Verdict is a beautiful and encouraging romance full of God’s perfect love, grace, mercy and forgiveness. No spoilers, but this book does cover abuse. Sadly, in the world we live in, abuse does happen. I pray that this book will encourage and help anyone who is dealing with that in their life. That said, I enjoyed Brad and Valeries romance and will read this book, as well as the whole series, over and over again!
A terrific read.I found it honest and realistic. I have never been disappointed in anything Hallee Bridgeman has written.
WOW. This book…
I loved Hallee Bridgemans approach to the topics she presented in this book! Not many people are have the gift of writing realistically about domestic abuse and racial tensions in one book. Hallee Bridgeman did a great job without being real political about it. She told it like it is.
The characters drew me in instantly with the descriptions she gave of the Dixion brothers and Valerie herself. This is the second book in the Dixion Brothers series, but it can be read as a stand alone. You wont feel lost if you haven’t read the first book in the series yet.
I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars for the great story plot, amazing character build, and for leaving me in anticipation of what will come next for the Dixion Brothers.
Ms. Bridgeman writes stories about real-life problems. This one deals with recovery from an abusive relationship. In some ways that is hard to read about but it happens so much in society. I find it hard to put down one of her stories because I am so anxious to learn out things will turn out. I am pleased it didn’t turn out the way I thought it might.
Valerie’s Verdict by Hallee Bridgeman
Book starts out with us learning about Valerie and her boyfriend. She’s now a broken woman and he’s in jail for what he did to her. She also lost her religion.
Story also follows the three Dixon boys, Brad who runs the family company and his two brothers who help out when not doing mission work.
There are a lot of Bible passages as they relate to the scene in front of us. Hate to see Valerie when she enters her house and has to scan every room to be sure no one has gotten in.
She is able to reach out and participate in a support group which also helps her in the long run.
She is also able to open up to Brad and they share things they buried when they were just young kids=like a time capsule to be opened later in life.
Ends with recipes, discussion questions and excerpt from next Dixon brother in the series. Can be read as a stand alone also.
Other works in series formats are also highlighted at the end.
About the author is also included at the end. Love gardening and design work discussions as the processes, family interactions and they included Valerie as one of them.
Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.
Excellent-
Such a good story that deals with several “issues” of today. Racism, domestic violence, walking away from God when things are hard. Hallee deals with each issue well. She confronts the horror and reality and gives a Biblical response which while true, can be hard to hear. Nevertheless it’s truth.
As a white mama of African American children, I am beginning to understand and unpack the issues of race and diversity in a mixed race family. She handled this with sensitivity without preaching. There are no simple answers.
Wrapped around it all is a sweet romance and family story that makes it all worth while. This is one book I will read again and again and will without reservation recommend across the board.
A story that takes you into the life of Valerie, the roller coaster of a bad relationship. Thankfully she got out, and knowing and getting healing with those that love her.. With a new job, and a new boss, it was great that she could be willing to accept, God and Brad’s love. A powerful story of a young woman who survived and found life, love and her relationship with God.Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion
Hallie Bridgeman does it again. You will not be able to put down Valerie’s Verdict once you start reading. Valerie struggles with her faith and recovering from an abusive relationship. When she reconnects with Brad; they both realize that some flames never die. The novel points to Christ and his redemptive grace. Once again Hallie Bridgeman writes another hit.
First of all I want to say that Hallee Bridgeman had me with identical triplets boys that even grown were truly best friends. I love that dependence on God is a steady theme of this book, even to deciding which son would run the family business. Without giving away too much of the plot and dynamics of the book, I want to say this one really touched me. Buddy did his best but unfortunately his skewed decisions lead to Valerie’s poor decisions. This book addresses racism, domestic violence, family interactions and reliance of the Word of God. I loved this book even when it made me cry. I look forward to reading Jon and Ken’s stories.
A touching story of overcoming
My rating is 3.5 stars
It’s hard to know where to start in putting my thoughts down regarding this story. There are so many facets to it!
First, let me say that it is a deeply spiritual story, as Valerie struggles with the idea that God cares about her at all. And both she and Brad had intense anger towards Tyrone that needed to be dealt with. The author filled the story with scripture and sage advice for the characters to help them align their hearts and minds with God.
I loved Brad’s parents. They had such wisdom and depth. The way they loved and cared for their sons was a great picture of God’s love.
I’m a pushover for stories where the man has been in love with the woman since he was a boy. So Brad’s deep, abiding love for Valerie was so sweet and heartwarming. Though it was also sad that neither he nor Valerie had felt like they could tell the other of the way they felt.
While many elements I enjoy were combined in the story, I didn’t feel as emotionally connected to the characters as I often do. I’m not sure if it was due to the shell Valerie had built around her heart to protect it from being broken again which made her hard to love, or if it was the writing style. I have greatly enjoyed other books by this author so I am going to assume I am just not the ideal reader for this story and will watch for the next one to come out.
Valerie’s Verdict deals with heavy heart issues and abuse. Though the author used tact and was careful not to include too many details, there were still parts that were difficult for me to read.
Read my review of Valerie’s Verdict by Hallee Bridgeman at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.”
I cannot even begin to tell you how much this book meant to me! The story is a powerful one, one that I have experienced a part of, and Hallee Bridgeman has a way of getting into the heart and soul of you when you read her books, this one does it ten-fold. I was quite taken with the whole story line, and there were times I thought I ‘knew’ what was coming, but she has a way of surprising me all the time! I absolutely LOVED this book, and the Dixon brothers, cannot wait to read another one! These boys have wormed their way into my heart just as much as the sister’s from the Jewel series did!
This book was highly entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was drawn in right away and quickly got lost in the story.
This was very well written and I felt like I was right there in the story. The characters were well developed and felt real. They were the kind of people I could know in real life.
The romance was so sweet and I was rooting for them the whole time. The way Valerie overcame her wounds and fear, and the strength and courage of Brad was absolutely perfect.
I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of the book mentioned above in the hope that I would review it on my blog. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
I LOVED this book!! Hallee dealt with a difficult topic that way too many people live with every day, and she did it with sensitivity and grace. She showed that it’s difficult, even for Christians, to accept bad things happen, until we realize that God can use it, and we don’t have to understand all of the whys, as long as we trust Him to use it for our good and for His kingdom. It’s also hard for us to forgive others, yet it’s for our sake as much or more than the other persons. We need to not become bitter, and to realize God is in control, even when it doesn’t seem like it. And, the bad that comes is usually the result of our own bad choices, and/or the actions of others. It’s how we respond to these situations that set the Christian apart. I’m ready for the next book!!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, and was not required to leave a review. The opinion expressed is totally my own.