Blurb:
Adam Lancaster can’t imagine how his life could possibly get any better. He’s on the cusp of moving in with his boyfriend, Elijah Langley. Their charge, Kollin Haverty, finally has a loving, stable home environment, and Home for Hope is up and running, keeping over fifteen LGBT youth off the streets at night. One phone call from his birth mother, Jessica Lancaster, is all it takes to unravel Adam’s carefully constructed new life.
Informing Adam his grandfather has died, Jessica expresses remorse for abandoning Adam to the state and begs him for a chance to be part of his life again. Jessica’s true colors eventually shine through her façade, and Adam is devastated all over again when he discovers she is only using him to get her hands on the valuable inheritance his grandfather left him. Jessica’s betrayal forces Adam so far inside his own hell, not even Elijah or Kollin can keep him from abandoning all of his responsibilities and running away. Adam will have to dig deep to find the strength to confront his birth parents, heal once and for all, and earn back his place with his new family.
Review:
The first scene in this book reminded me why I love Elijah, Adam and Kollin. This story is a fabulous sequel to Redeeming Hope and I loved it so hard. There’s enough explanation in this story you truly don’t have to read the first. However I highly suggest you do anyway because it’s so good.
My heart broke for Adam in this story. He had such hope and his birth mother, Jessica, just cruelly crushed it. It was so hard watching his downward spiral that he couldn’t get out of. He just couldn’t stop the negative thoughts and feelings, which I can completely get. It’s like you know you’re doing something wrong but the rational part of your brain is just not there. It hurt to watch Kollin and Elijah get hurt from Adam’s words and actions.
Jessica was such a piece of work! She and her husband, Adam’s “sperm donor”, were only around for the money. Sadly there are more people like that in real life than should be. But the way it was written in the story was so well done.
The emotions in this book are amazingly well written. You feel the hope with Adam in the beginning, and then you feel the disappointment. You feel Elijah and Kollin’s hurt. I love how you don’t even realize you’re feeling everything with the characters. It’s almost effortless and just pulls you in to the story.
The ending was wonderful. I loved how everything was wrapped up and you get to see Elijah and Adam get a beautiful happily ever after. I also love how Kollin is included in that happily ever after.
I so hope this series continues because I love all the characters. Kollin is such a fabulous character and I want to see more of him. He’s a bit blind to who is right in front of him and obviously loves him so much. I want that story, though I want Kollin to age a bit before it happens so he can be an adult. By the end of the story I was scared for Riley. I hope we get to see what’s going on there, and that everything winds up happily in the end. They may not be the main focus of the story, but you can’t help fall in love with all of the teens at HOPE and the adults that support them. I want all of them to continue to grow and find the happiness they deserve.
Stars:
Four and a half
Excerpt:
“Hey, Chloe,” Elijah said as he waltzed into the foyer. He carried two trays. “I brought you a sundae.”
“Oh. Thank you, Elijah,” Chloe said, her wide eyes darting between Adam and Jessica. “How thoughtful.”
“I try every now and then,” he said as he placed both trays on her desk, wriggled one of the cups out for her, and bent down to pick up Adam’s forgotten water bottle. “Did you drop this?” Elijah slid the bottle into Adam’s hand and allowed his fingers to linger against Adam’s. The grin he offered was solely reserved for Adam. Elijah hadn’t noticed Adam’s mother yet. His back had been to her since he walked in the door, but with that small smile, Elijah unknowingly bolstered Adam’s confidence. Adam smiled back.
“Thank you. Maybe Chloe can call someone out here to collect those. There’s someone you need to meet.” Elijah swiveled around to see Adam’s birth mother sitting in the corner. He closed the distance between them and held out his hand with all the confidence of a multimillionaire CEO.
“Hi, there. I’m Elijah Langley. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Terror written all over her face, Jessica stared at him for a moment and then looked toward Adam.
“This is Jessica… Lancaster.” Adam spoke quietly, but he knew Elijah heard because his entire body tensed. He could imagine the look on Elijah’s face, given the way Jessica quickly averted her eyes.
“Oh.” Elijah dropped his hand and returned to Adam’s side.
About Shell:
Shell Taylor is a full-time mother of three exuberant and loving kiddos and one fur baby, a tiny but fierce Yorkie-poo named Rocco. As a Christian who practices love, grace, and humility rather than hatred and judgement, she tries her best to instill these same virtues in her rowdy kids. She just recently learned how to crochet to start bombarding new mothers with matching hats and booties. She is a huge Marvel fan and because of the superhero-plastered tees paired with jeans and Chucks has been told when helping out in her son’s classroom that she looks more like the students than a parent. Her favorite way to procrastinate is to binge watch entire seasons on Netflix. Best of all, she’s been married ten years to a man who’s turned out to be everything she never knew she needed.
Author Contact:
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Where To Buy:
Dreamspinner Press (eBook) || Dreamspinner Press (Paperback) || Amazon US || Amazon UK || All Romance eBooks || Barnes & Noble
Tour Stops:
December 28: Kathy Mac Reviews
December 29: Diverse Reader
December 30: Unquietly Me
December 31: Louise Lyons
January 1: Drops of Ink
January 4: Prism Book Alliance
January 5: BFD Book Blog
January 6: Wicked Faeries Tales And Reviews
January 7: Divine Magazine
January 8: Love Bytes Reviews
January 11: Molly Lolly: Reader, Reviewer, Lover of Words
January 12: The Purple Rose Tea House
January 13: Elisa – My reviews and Ramblings
January 14: Frosty’s Book Corner :: Bayou Book Junkie
January 15: My Fiction Nook
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Molly Lolly 
I had no idea there was a sequel out! I need to add this book to my TBR list immediately 😀
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I think it sounds like a great follow-up, can’t wait to read it.
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