My Review - JUSTIFIED - book two in the Mended Heart series.

5 out of 5 stars

JUSTIFIED—book two in the Mended Heart series—has genuine characters you fall in love with and rings with authenticity.

Fawn Blaylock’s life has done a one-eighty. From rich, judgmental, daughter-of-a-pillar-of-the-community adolescent, to out-of-wedlock, pregnant, fall-from-grace college student. Fawn has always had a sharp tongue and a caustic thing to say about anyone that didn’t measure up in her eyes. Now, the subject of town gossip because of her unexpected pregnancy, Fawn begins to see the people of Trapp, Texas through different eyes. When she is kicked out the house by her affluent parents without a penny to her name, Ruthie Turner—Fawn’s longtime nemesis—befriends her. When Tyler Cruz—the baby’s father becomes violent, JohnScott—the town’s football coach—befriends her. People she has always looked at as beneath her are now the very people Fawn is relying on to help her through the most pivotal time in her life.

Even with her newfound friends encouraging her, Fawn’s confused and scared by her uncertain future. She fears for her safety when she’s with Tyler but keeps giving him chances to prove himself. But it’s the comfort, safety, and chemistry she feels when she’s with JohnScott that gives her hope, and stirs her heart. Though her future, and the future of her baby are the most important thing to Fawn, long held secrets from the past will also impact Fawn in ways she never imagined.

JUSTIFIED was the perfect follow-up to JADED. Though JUSTIFIED gives you all the information you need to follow Fawn’s story, I would definitely recommend reading JADED first so you can really appreciate the characters Ms. Denman developed in book one. Unfortunately, JUSTIFIED vividly portrays the hypocrisy that so many times taints churches today, and accurately brings to life the good and the bad of small town living. The takeaway from the Mended Heart series so far is—be slow to judge and quick to forgive, because you too will someday be in need of that forgiveness.

I look forward to JILTED, book three in the series. It should prove to be interesting since it revolves around one of the longtime residents of Trapp, Texas, instead of one of its young adults.