This book was a little heavier than those I usually read. Regardless, it was a tale I could barely put down.

Beautiful Story. This was a new author to me and I look forward to reading more from her. I am always looking for new authors to read and discovering new favorites.

This was a very poignant, moving story. I felt for both the main character, Marissa, and the young college woman who got pregnant. The characters were very well-developed and the plot moved at a fantastic pace. Great read, would definitely recommend! Looking forward to more from this author.

What to say? This book is messy - kinda like life.
What I liked?
The approach to an unwanted pregnancy as difficult, but offering a crisis center as a resource. I liked how this was presented and handled. It is clear that Kaitlyn faced obstacles.
The relationship between Marissa and Kaitlyn. It's a book, so the center staff are able to perfectly respond and love on Kaitlyn and Marissa is able to take a special interest in her. I can only hope that this is true for all those who need help in real life.

What I didn't like?
Colin is completely unlikable.

This was a book that was not an easy one to read, and yet it hooked me right from the beginning.
It deals with many difficult issues in life.
Infidelity. Forgiveness or unforgiveness.
How do you move on with life when you know your spouse has been unfaithful.
And I didn’t especially care for the ending, but it does give a realistic picture of life.
This book is thought provoking and real.

This is a book with an interesting plotline…
Marissa, a woman, desperate for a child after a miscarriage finds out her husband has had an affair. In an effort not to fall apart by the discovery she continues her work helping young pregnant women. Befriending a young pregnant lady, with no support, she tries to help her through her pregnancy meanwhile her husband drops yet another bombshell… the mistress is pregnant. It is easy to hate the nameless, faceless woman who, her husband had an affair with and will be having his baby. On the other hand there’s a Kaitlyn, a young girl, pregnant and alone. After pinning her boyfriend down long enough to tell him she’s pregnant she finds out he’s married. There go any plans of him supporting her and their baby, meanwhile she meets a new friend who supports her through it all, fast becoming her pillar of strength. Colin is facing pressure from work and with no support from his wife who’s only interest seems to be having a baby he finds himself drawn to one of his students. Realising he may have gone too far he tries to do damage control, breaking off the affair and trying to make it right with his wife but it’s appears to be too little too late.
From the different view points of Marissa, Kaitlyn and Colin a realistic story is woven where we see the who, the what and the why. I found it to be an emotionally exhausting book and was just curious to see when the realisation of who was who would come to light.
Thanks to Netgalley and Barbour Publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A story of hope in the aftermath of inconceivable betrayal. ---- Don't believe the hype... Going in and based on the blurb I thought the story would be so much better. Copy received from NetGalley for an honest review. Here we have the story of Marissa and Colin. A married couple holding on to a loveless marriage and hoping to mend it by getting pregnant. We also see Kaitlyn who becomes friendly with Marissa without any of them knowing that she had an affair with Colin and is expecting what they are unable to achieve. I hate that this is billed as Christian fiction as one of the fundamental cornerstone if religion is forgiveness. Why a then are they not able to forgive. Also what is the purpose of mentioning Tristan's 'love' of Marissa when the ending of the book just skips to a hurried, anticlimactic ending. Why can't Colin be named on the birth certificate? What was the purpose of this book?

This book was almost like a farce. You knew who all the characters were and how their relationships intertwined with each other, but you just kept waiting for the bottom to fall out. The infertility issues that Marissa deals with were heart breaking. You are drawn into her life and her struggles, and her efforts to continue working in an environment that causes such heartache every day, makes you admire her strength.

And then you have Colin. If I've ever despised a character more than him, I'm not sure I can remember who that was. Colin was shallow, self-absorbed, egotistical, unwilling to accept blame for his part in any negative behaviors, etc.

The emotions experienced by the various characters were realistic and would play on your emotions as if you were the one dealing with the situations. The author did a great job of making you care about Marissa and Kaitlyn and the extreme emotional chaos with which they were each dealing. And to see what wonderful people they were had you cheering them on and silently encouraging them to make decisions that was the best for them individually.

Thank you to NetGalley and Shiloh Run Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Marissa has always had a passion for helping expectant mothers at the pregnancy care center she runs, but with her struggle with infertility, it has also become painful for her. When Marissa finds out her favorite barista, Kaitlin, is pregnant and without a support system, she invites Kaitlin to come to her center for an appointment. Kaitlin not only comes for the appointment but also ends up taking a second job at the center, and the two become good friends. Little do they know, though, that Kaitlin is pregnant by Marissa's husband.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable novel. I liked that the situations each woman went through were so realistic, and the author didn't try to forego that realism to wrap everything up in a neat little bow at the end.

I enjoyed reading this Shadows of Hope, but only gave it 3 stars because I expected so much more of an exciting ending than the one Daniels wrote. It is a story about an odd love triangle. And within this triangle is a pregnancy, the details of which are not known to all parties. The story has a "faith" facet to it, and Daniels does not overdo the inspirational aspect or preach to the readers.

This is a story that will appeal to female readers only, I believe. It's a quick read, and compelling to the very end. Unfortunately, the conflict resolution was a little on the light side, when I would have been more satisfied with more "situational fireworks" leading up to the ending.

Thoughts, for starters, that's a lame excuse for a Christian husband to have an affair because he's tired of his wife wanting a child. I mean he could be tired of forced "romance" but that isn't justification for infidelity. Colin needs to own his own issues, and stop passing them off as his wife was being too "needy". Marissa is helping unwed mothers, another pain when she isn't conceiving one of her own. She winds up helping the young woman who happens to be carrying her husband's child.

It was hard to like any of the characters, I was too miffed with them having less than intelligent, non-Christian reactions and being too prideful or something to fall on their knees and find real change. Colin will go right back like he was if he doesn't own his issues and change.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

The title and cover do not do this book justice. At first I thought it was going to be another Harlequin type of book with the lead character a damsel in distress and a strong man comes to her rescue. It's not that type of book at all.

The lead character has to deal with a crushing blow to her marriage and an even deeper betrayal because of that. The author does a great job of dealing with the crisis head on. It does not end all tidy, nor does the character simply deal with the issues. Instead we see the torment that all the parties go through. We also get to experience the conflicts that occur. It's refreshing to read a book that takes the issues these characters go through seriously and without just brushing over the issues with an unrealistic touch.

It is not a doom and gloom book. Rather, it is a book that sees the characters come out the other side, although changed. All the characters seem to go through a metamorphosis of sorts. One that was sorely needed, at least in the husband and wife's lives, and would have happened with this crisis or another.

This is not a completely lighthearted book, but it is well written and a very good story. And it gives you the feeling that if you were ever put into a serious situation such as this, you too, could come out on the other side changed, but stronger than before.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy to read. All opinions are my own.

I don't think I fit the target audience for this book. I couldn't get into the story.
I won't be leaving reviews anywhere but here.

Shadows of Hope by Georgiana Daniels is a story of infidelity. What would happen if you are helping an unwed mother but didn't know she was carrying your husband's child? I was very interested in reading this book and I thought it had great potential. I was hoping for a novel that explored these complex emotions and brought hope to a bleak situation. I found neither of these to be true in this novel. I expected much more than this novel delivered. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, but I also purchased it. These opinions are entirely my own.

Shadows of Hope by author Georgiana Daniels is a well written faith-based fiction. I was very excited when I saw this book available because I had never read anything by this author and I'm always up for new authors.

One of the main characters is Marissa, who suspects her husband is having an affair. There's some distance in their marriage but she wants to make things right with Colin. Colin is having an affair because he can’t take the pressure at home. His wife, Marissa, can only think about having a baby. She is pushing Colin to the point that their sex life is an assignment toward her getting pregnant.

Then there is Kaitlyn, a student in Colin's class. She knows her relationship with her professor is against school rules, but she's in love with Colin and feels that it's worth it..... and then she gets pregnant.

In case the story isn't bad enough already, Marissa then becomes Kaitlyn when she shows up at the pregnancy center that Marissa manages. Colin finds out Kaitlyn is pregnant and he’s worried it will destroy his marriage and ruin his career and his chance at tenure. Colin finally tells Marissa about his affair and the fact that Kaitlyn is pregnant and as expected, Marissa is devastated.

If you are looking for a "real life" story dealing with infidelity and infertility through the eyes of a Christian, this is a well told story you'll want to read.

I received an advanced readers digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to provide a positive review!! Thank you NetGalley!

This book takes you through many emotions... and the many ways “God’s got this”! The story was crazy but again real life could be a soap opera and this is not far fetched as far as real life goes. For some it might hit too close to home but the story of faith interwoven is worth the read.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review."

Shadows of Hope is a thought provoking story about a marriage torn apart by adultery and struggling with what you can't have. I was very drawn to Marissa because I totally understood how she felt in the desperate want to have a child. I felt so bad for her. I was really torn by Colin's character as well. One second I was rooting for him and the next I was so angry at him. I loved all of the emotions this story brought out in me. Like others have said, I was shocked by how long it took for the big shocker to come out, I was expecting it to happen a lot sooner! Overall a great quick read!

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Shadow's of Hope by Georgiana Daniels had me going through the roller coaster of emotions as I read it. At times it was very hard to get through due to the deep emotions, situations and issues portrayed in this story but overall I enjoyed reading this book.

The story is well written. The hard topics within this story were presented by the writer with honesty, empathy and a certain amount of class that I so appreciated. The characters became near and dear to me and yes, I kept Kleenex in business while I read this book. :)

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ms. Daniels, Bethany House Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thsnks to Netgalley for the advanced copy..

It was a good book to read and I really enjoyed it. I love how twists and turns in this book.

I'm going to skip the star rating on this one except on NetGalley where it's required. I requested it on NetGalley partly because of the beautiful cover. I knew it was about infidelity but hoped it would be handled well.

Honestly, infidelity on the man's part is a thing that has had a massive impact on my immediate family and a number of my friends. Some have stayed and some have not. However, one thing all these women I know have in common is a sense of guilt over having failed in some way, and at least one encounter with well-meaning (usually) church people who think that by scolding the wife they will save the marriage. Because of that, infidelity is a huge and very touchy subject for me, and I also think it's one of the major failures of the modern American church.

I'm very grateful for a friend's heads-up that this might not be the story I hoped it would be, which saved me a book purchase and several hours of frustration. I was able to flip through it some and read the ending and see that it was definitely not a book I needed to be reading. I have too much baggage from all the friends I have who have been hurt.

One thing that is VERY clear in biblical marriage is that the marriage tie is a picture of Christ and the church. The husband is told to love his wife sacrificially; the wife is told to give her husband brotherly love. Vast difference there. We aren't held to the same standard--the type of love a husband must give is very much harder to give. He is obviously held to a much higher standard in the relationship. And yet the modern church seems to think they can blame the wife for the husband's errors.

The next section contains some big spoilers, so click at your peril.
<spoiler>
First, the book is more "shadows" than hope. It's not edifying to have a woman left in the same pit she was in before the story started, and alone to boot. Her faith is mentioned, mentioned as being different, but the explanation of it is short and hazy and not edifying to us, nor does it share the exact state of her beliefs other than to say they are "different."

Second, she acknowledges "I failed him just as much as he failed me." NO YOU DIDN'T. You didn't CHEAT on him and sleep with others and break your marriage vows. Their marriage was not her lone responsibility to uphold. He is the head of the household and thus the primary person responsible before God to maintain his marriage. Look at Hosea, for goodness' sake! Read the New Testament and study the different Greek words used for love. Just because the poor baby boy thought he needed some kind of emotional support in his marriage doesn't give him the right to physically break his solemn vow before God. We aren't supposed to expect our marriage partners to do the hard work for us. If he needed emotional help, he needed to hit his knees and find it in God--NOT in the arms of another woman.

Third, the book ends on a sad note with no promise of a sequel. I've never been a lover of tragedies.
</spoiler>

Thanks to the publisher for a free review copy.