5 out of 5 stars
SHADOWS OF HOPE by Georgiana Daniels is a griping tale of love
lost, love found, and love deceived. Written with a healthy dose of realism—which
I absolutely love—SHADOWS OF HOPE does not sugarcoat or whitewash the effects the
loss of communication and the sin of self-centeredness can have on a marriage,
nor does it take a messy situation and tie it up in a nice neat bow.
Marissa suspects her husband is having an affair. Knowing
she isn’t without fault for the distance in her marriage, she sets out to make
things right. Colin is having an affair because he can’t take the pressure at
home. With Marissa laser-focused on conceiving, their marriage has spiraled to the
point of perfunctory sex in order to get pregnant. Kaitlyn knows her relationship
with her professor is wrong on many levels, but what she feels for Colin is
worth the risk, until she gets pregnant.
What transpires is a cruel twist of fate. Marissa befriends Kaitlyn
when she shows up at the pregnancy center Marissa manages. Feeling lost and
alone, Kaitlyn’s relationship with Marissa becomes a lifeline. When Colin finds
out Kaitlyn is pregnant, he’s devastated, knowing it will destroy Marissa and jeopardize his chance
at tenure, but his desire to be a father also makes it that he wants to be involved
with Kaitlyn’s pregnancy. When Colin finally tells Marissa about his affair,
and that he and his mistress have conceived a child, Marissa is shattered. Finding
out it is Kaitlyn, is beyond anything she ever expected.
SHADOWS OF HOPE is absolutely compelling. As the reader, you
know everything that is going on behind the scenes, and the angst you feel
builds, knowing Marissa and Kaitlyn are going to be devastated when they find
out what they share besides friendship is the same man. I give the author
credit for pointing out shortcomings in each of the characters, not just
placing the blame on Colin, and even going as far as to portray Colin as a man
with a compassionate heart, even if it is skewed. SHADOWS OF HOPE shows how easily
people can fall away from their faith when they take even a single compromising
step, and how we justify sin when we want what we know is wrong. Marissa put
her desire for a child before her husband. Colin put his needs of fulfillment
before the needs of his wife. And Kaitlyn justified a sexual relationship
because she thought it was based on love. SHADOWS OF HOPE explores infidelity,
deception, jealousy, adultery, selfishness, the need for communication in marriage,
pressure from outside sources and how it can damage a marriage, etc., etc. The
ending might be unsatisfying to some, but it is realistic. A heavy subject, but
definitely a story that needs to be told, prompting readers to evaluate what
compromises they might be making in their own lives.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing
and was under no obligation to post a review.
