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Living Hope by Mandi Blake Review

Happy Monday Everyone :)

I hope you all had a great weekend, and that your new week is off to a great start.

Unfortunately, my weekend was not the greatest, and I was feeling quite down. Last night I ended up taking a bad tumble in our drive way, and managed to cut myself up pretty good.It culminated into an emergency room visit, stitches and a mandatory few days off from work. So it's not an exaggeration when I say that I've had better weekends. When I'm having days like that, I love finding solace in the Scriptures, but I also love reading Christian fiction, as it helps to leave me feeling uplifted.

I was able to finish Mandi Blake's upcoming release over the weekend, and as always, I appreciated how strong of a part the faith element plays to the story. Today I'd like to share with you all my full review of this upcoming novel.

Living Hope by Mandi Blake:



Source: Complimentary copy provided from the author

Publication Date: September 18th, 2019

Genre: Christian Fiction


Synopsis:

Natalie Burke trudges through life in a daze of work and tending to her ailing mother. Every day is a fight to keep a roof over their heads. She doesn’t have time to date when she works two jobs.

Deputy Jake Sims lives his life to protect others. When the amber-eyed beauty captures his attention at a crime scene, he wants nothing more than to help her. Too bad she’s pushing him away at every turn.

After Natalie loses her mother, Jake makes a vow to help her overcome her grief and get back on her feet. Just as their relationship begins to grow, they discover Natalie’s problems have only just begun.

Will Jake be able to rescue Natalie, or will he be too late to save the woman who stole his heart?
 


(synopsis from goodreads)


My Review:

I couldn't begin to count the number of novels I've finished over the years, and yet even with how many I've already read, there is always something that sets Mandi Blake's novels apart from the rest. What is it that sets her books apart? It's the fact that every single novel she writes is written straight from the heart. Whenever you pick up a book by this lovely woman, you're not going to find a story about characters that fail to mean anything to you, or a plot you simply can't get invested in. Instead you're going to read about characters that come to feel like friends; friends that your heart breaks for, friends that you find yourself cheering for, and friends that you'd love nothing more than to get together for a cup of coffee with.

Living Hope is Natalie and Jake's story. Jake, who we've met in both previous titles in the series, and Natalie, who's a new character introduced in this title. Jake and Natalie meet under not the most ideal of circumstances. Natalie's working at a gas station that's held up at gunpoint, and Jake is the officer called to the scene. The two feel a strong connection. and over time this grows into a beautiful friendship and then something more. Along the way, both Natalie and Jake are forced to face troubles from their past including past hurts that they'd never given themselves time to heal from. With a little help, Natalie and Jake will learn to let go and let God, and find healing and understanding in God's word.

Natalie and Jake's story was everything I was hoping for and more. I continue to appreciate the fact that Mandi's books are always clean, and that the faith element is always at the front and center. I enjoyed how Natalie's character is a little different from any of the others so far in the series in that she is new to faith, rather than coming back to it. Her journey to finding Jesus and finding true love with Jake was heartwarming, and beautiful, and kept me glued to the pages right until the end.

Once again, Mandi has written a stand out story with beautiful writing, complex characters, a plot that will keep each and every reader on the edge of their seat, and a swoon worthy romance that definitely gives all the feels. I enjoyed every moment of this touching story, and I will be anxiously awaiting Marcus' story.

Final Rating 5/5

Thanks so much to Mandi Blake for the opportunity to advance read this!


I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review. 

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