How many near misses does it take not to be a coincidence anymore?
Melanie Thompson has spent her entire adult life trying to overcome the mistakes of her youth. Just as everything is looking up, it all begins to unravel as one problem after another piles on top of each other, each with one goal in mind. Get her out of the way.
Determined to make a better life for herself and her daughter, and with the help of her father, Melanie looks at alternative ways to make her dream of owning a storefront for her bridal business come true. Complications with her ex-husband, the new business, and a threatening landlord all conspire against her, and everything seems lost when tragedy strikes not once, but twice.
What will it take for Melanie to accept the alternate path the Lord has laid out for her?
Revived Hope, the prequel to the romantic suspense Bay Town Series, paves the path for Melanie and Lacey’s move from Orange County to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and a new life in Bay Town.
My thoughts: I enjoyed this well written, quick read! Melanie is a relatable character who is going through the trials that life throws at her as she tries to make a better life for her daughter and herself. I thought that the story was well written and that the book sets up the series well. I look forward to reading more by this author!
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.
Click here to get your copy! This post contains affiliate links.
About the Author
Kathleen J. Robison is an Okinawan-American. Born in Okinawa, raised in California, Florida, Mississippi, and Singapore. Her travels are the inspirational settings for her stories. She and her Pastor husband have eight adult children. Seven are married, blessing them with fourteen grandchildren and counting. The diversity of their 31 family members provide the inspiration for more lively characters than can be imagined. Her husband grew up in the streets of Los Angeles raised by a single working mom, and that life provides fodder for many of the conflicts of her characters.
Tackling difficult life’s trials with God’s strength are the central theme of Kathleen’s stories. She hopes to inspire her readers to trust God and with His strength, weather through and rise above trials and tragedies. If you like suspenseful stories with a thread of romance, you will enjoy Kathleen’s Bay Town Series
More from Kathleen
In Revived Hope, the prequel to Shattered Guilt, it’s one year earlier. Melanie Thompson races through life’s challenges while navigating the trials of being a single mother, a budding entrepreneur, and a woman of faith, all with threats of danger.
Our past doesn’t define us, as Melanie learns, but it definitely frames who we become. Thankfully, we have a gracious God who uses all of the good and the bad to bring us to a place of communion with Him…desiring His will for His glory. And ultimately, it’s always for our good.
I love my character Melanie, and I hope you will too. I’ve spent so many years getting to know her that it was fun writing this prequel. I enjoyed writing about her past and introducing you to her family in California before the move to charming fictional Bay Town in Shattered Guilt. When I wrote of Melanie’s relationship with her dad, I laughed, I cried, and I left my heart in the book…in a manner of speaking.
But Revived Hope is not all sweetness and heartache. Things get pretty testy when Melanie tackles villains head-on and sometimes all alone. Often the world encourages us to do it all, and Melanie tries. Although tragedy strikes too many times, the lessons she learns strengthen her faith and trust in the Almighty.
Lastly, Revived Hope teases with a hint of romance but sets the stage for Melanie’s love story in Shattered Guilt, Book 1, Bay Town Series. I’m excited for you to meet Melanie and her family as you root for her in all her harrowing escapades.
Blog Stops
Inklings and notions, November 30
Gina Holder, December 1 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 1
Texas Book-aholic, December 2
deb’s Book Review, December 3
For Him and My Family, December 4
lakesidelivingsite, December 4
Locks, Hooks and Books, December 5
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, December 6
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, December 7
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, December 8
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 9
Wishful Endings, December 10 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, December 11
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, December 12
Splashes of Joy, December 13 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/13cff/revived-hope-celebration-tour-giveaway
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this book, it sounds like a good read
ReplyDeleteSounds like a book I will enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing! Adding to my list!
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you, Kathleen! Congrats on the release of Revived Hope, which sounds like a thrilling read that I am looking forward to reading! Thanks for sharing it with me and good luck with your book and the tour! Thanks Inklings and Notions for sharing your review! Have a magical holiday season!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really good story.
ReplyDeleteGood book for fall reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.