Saving Justice

Publisher: Redbud Press

4 Stars

Redbud Press gave me the amazing opportunity to read this wonderful romance before it's release on March 24, 2015 for an honest review without bias.  Susan Crawford is a new author for me, but I can tell you I will certainly be reading more from her.

Let me give you a brief description of the book:

After losing her brother to gang-related violence, elementary schoolteacher Kinley is on a mission to help her at-risk students. When one of them, Justice, is caught in an act of vandalism, she intervenes.
Entrepreneur Nash McGuire has gone to great lengths to overcome the poverty he grew up in. When working on a renovation project in his old neighborhood he collides with a juvenile delinquent and his do-gooder teacher.
Kinley believes Justice can overcome the influence of his environment; Nash knows the odds and has little patience with Kinley’s naivety. But as the boy’s mandatory community service forces Justice and Kinley into Nash’s life, he can’t help but discover a boy searching for love and purpose–a boy very much like he once was.
Then Justice is accused of another crime. And Kinley’s stubborn belief in the boy’s innocence is just too much for Nash to accept…

Now here are my thoughts:

We are introduced to two characters that on the surface appear as different as daylight and dark.  Kinley is a beautiful, young woman who is an elementary school teacher. She is a character to be admired. She wants to continue her brother Eli's footsteps by helping poverty stricken families.  She feels that a lot of children can overcome their environments if are given a chance. So many children are judged by their clothes or something a family member has done this day and time. I love how this author brings this issue up.  Justice is a student in her class and after several days of being absent she drives to a less than desirable neighborhood to check on him.  Justice is a good kid, but one bad decision and his life is changed.  When Kinley steps up to his defense she meets the a very stubborn real estate developer, Nash.  Nash grew up in the area, in fact right next door to where Justice lives and it took years to fight his way out of the poverty.  Now way is he going to let Kinley drag him back because of her mission to God.  I liked both characters immediately, but was easily frustrated because they didn't act the way I expected-

hence this kept me turning the pages.  The story intrigued me because it dealt with a person who saw past the poverty to the potential of each person.  It shows that some people are bound by situations of circumstance, but with the right encouragement they can overcome it. 

 Yes, this is a great story that I would recommend. 

Let me introduce you to Susan:

Susan Crawford is an author of inspirational contemporary romance, published by Redbud Press. Before publication, her debut novel, Saving Justice, was named a finalist in the 2014 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis writing contest. Susan lives in Oklahoma City, where she happily crams writing in between being a wife, mom, and small business owner.

Visit her online at www.susancrawfordbooks.com to sign up for her email newsletter and be the first to hear about her writing news and upcoming releases.