The past is not silent. It does not leave us alone. We can run. But we cannot hide. The past always finds us.
Alexis Jergenson found this out. She left a high profile career for a low profile lifestyle. A college professor – teaching the law instead of practicing it. When Alexis is the victim – again – rather than the prosecutor, she flees.
Luke Stephens buries himself in his own college classroom, and with his horse on his small ranch. He doesn’t let women in; his past won’t let him. And it won’t let him forget.
Alexis and Luke’s pasts collide – literally, when she runs into him on her first day on campus. And when one of his students reveals that she is also a victim, he turns to Alexis and she cannot ignore the pain she knows the younger woman is experiencing. As they collaborate to help the student, their paths become more entangled, more secrets are uncovered, and they both are forced to face the past they thought they had left behind.
When Alexis encourages the student to prosecute her assailant, she puts her own life in danger. Will Alexis find that the God Luke trusts is enough? And will Luke walk back into battle to save the woman he loves? (excerpted from the back cover)
Ms. Rodante has addressed an extremely sensitive topic of rape and sexual abuse. Her characters fight their issues – their past – with realism, their angst surfacing in true-to-life moments. This story is not a Pollyanna view of the subject matter, but brings to life the very real threat of sexual crime.
I applaud Ms. Rodante for her bold approach to the subject, and for characters who were real to me. The story drew me in, and I found myself rooting for each of them in their separate, and joint, battles.
Born and raised in Florida, Linda loves the salt water, the sun and the swamp lands. She rescues turtles and injured birds and even has a thing for the snakes–not poisonous? Leave them alone!
Her blog at https://lindarodante.wordpress.com/ highlights human trafficking, sexuality in America, and her mother’s missionary trips to Israel and Indonesia.
Linda’s writing has won finalist and semifinalist awards with the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis and First Impressions Contests.
#lindarodante, #lookingforjustice, #humantrafficking
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