By The Book

Janet W. Ferguson has a new release in her Coastal Hearts series that you will not want to miss! Until April is thought-provoking women’s fiction/contemporary romance. Get al the info below.

Michael Galloway has always believed freedom means living life on his own terms. His career is dedicated to saving the environment and teaching others the importance of taking care of the earth, rivers, and oceans. He’s building a life with no room for complications. Especially in his love life.

Then tragedy turns April Yancy’s world upside down.

After her husband’s death, April discovers he’d been hiding devastating secrets, leaving her buried in debt and struggling to protect her children’s future. The last person she expects to come to her rescue is Michael—the man who shattered her heart years ago.

Michael has few regrets, but hurting April back in grad school still haunts him. When her situation grows desperate, he devises a risky plan to help her rebuild her life…even if it means jeopardizing his carefully guarded independence.

Accepting Michael’s shocking offer could cost April more than her pride. His resistance to her faith clashes with the convictions she holds dear, and trusting him again feels impossible. Yet as doors keep opening and her prayers keep nudging her toward him, April begins to wonder if God is offering her a second chance at more than survival.

An emotional second-chance love story of forgiveness, redemption, and unexpected faith.

Janet W. Ferguson is a Christy Award finalist, Maggie Award Winner, and the FHL Readers Choice Award winning author of realistic inspirational fiction. An avid reader, she loved books so much she found a job as a librarian so she could be around them all day. Then she turned that love of story into writing faith-filled novels with characters who feel like best friends. You’ll laugh and cry as the quirky heroes and heroines chase their happily ever after.

​ Janet and her husband live in Mississippi where they say y’all a lot, and she forces him to visit the beach as often as possible. They have two grown children and a cat that allows them to share the space.

My Impressions:

I am going to be honest with you, I was not sure how I was going to like Until April, the latest offering in the Coastal Hearts series by Janet W. Ferguson. This women’s fiction/contemporary romance includes a marriage of convenience trope. I always associate that with historical fiction. You know, a time period where that’s acceptable. LOL! Everyone loves Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke, so why does the trope need to be confined to the days of the horse and buggy? Ferguson proved to me that it does not! In the novel, the two main characters have a lot of past history together. They are brought back together under tragic circumstances that Ferguson handles with a compassionate hand. When faced with raising a toddler and a newborn baby alone amidst staggering debt, April takes the extreme step towards security, even though she risks future emotional trauma. Unlike secondary characters in historical fiction, the reactions from friends is not necessarily that of approval, yet it is supportive. And that’s one of the strengths of this book — a community of believers coming alongside believers and nonbelievers alike in loving ways. There are a number of other themes in this book that make it more than just another romance. Male main character Michael is a scientist with a capital S! I loved how believers were firm, but respectful in their sharing of God’s love with him. And I loved how the author has God enter into Michael’s life in supernatural ways that turn his beliefs upside down. There are also themes of grief, forgiveness, family dysfunction, and mental illness explored. The author weaves all of these threads into a sweet story that made me regret turning the last page and leaving Dauphin Island. I hope another book in this series is in the works, because I can’t return soon enough!

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I borrowed a copy of the novel through Kindle Unlimited. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Tags: contemporary romance fiction, Janet Ferguson, women's fiction