What a powerful novel! And seemed so different from others I have read by this author, but who did such an incredible job of depicting the horrors of trafficking without being graphic. And then wove in a beautiful love story between Jack and Lizzie. I loved it! And I highly recommend it and I think even a teenager could read this to learn how vulnerable they can be to traffickers. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Oh my. This is definitely not a Baxter story that the author has written in the past! But the message is still an emotional and thought provoking one. The main subject of the book deals with the tragic issue of human trafficking, in particular, young girls. Eliza, grows up in Belize with a ruthless, bad father after being told that her mom and brother had died. She is stuck in a bad situation that she cannot escape and has no hope and desire to live. Untouched but not innocent, at nineteen, she is supposed to be sold to a man.
FBI Special Agent Jack Ryder is in Belize undercover on a mission to bring Eliza's father's operation down. He is posing to buy Eliza. He has thrown his life into his job after losing his family. The more dangerous the better.
This is just the background of the two main characters but certainly not whole intricate, intense, dangerous, action packed story of what is covered in the book. It is emotional; sad but full of hope, redemptive in the end with the chance of new beginnings and second chances. Lovely settings and great characters are part of this faith filled story.
I received a complimentary ARC from Atria Books through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

A story of lies, family, and learning to open your hearts. Eliza has experienced so much loss in her young life, yet she still looks forward to each day and doing what she can to get through each day. Jack comes into her world, shakes the world she is living in, and saves her. By saving her, he opens his heart and realizes that even after loss there is a life to live.

I really enjoyed watching Eliza and Jack both come to life again, learn to open their hearts, and find a way to happiness. The strength that Eliza showed as she had to start her life over was amazing. The patience that Jack had while helping her adjust to life, not on the island proved what a kind and loving heart he has.

The religious parts of the book threw me off a little bit. I am a Christian, but this book did not seem to lead into the religious parts easily and I did not feel like it flowed with the story. A Distant Shore is my first Karen Kingsbury book, and I did not realize she wrote religious books.

I received an ARC from Atria Books through NetGalley for an honest review. This book is different from the other books I have read from Karen Kingsbury, but she did an amazing job writing it. We hear a lot about human trafficking nowadays, and this book tells us about it, how they get the girls, what to look for, what it is like. We meet Jack who is an FBI agent investigating human trafficking and Eliza whose father is the head of a human trafficking ring. They work together to shut down and arrest the people who run the rings.
Jack became an FBI agent because he had lost his whole family and didn't care if he lived or died. Eliza thought her mother and brother had drowned when she was young which is how she ended up living with her father. Her father caused so much damage to her. Neither one had anyone and with what they were doing, they needed something and Jack started having conversations with God. He told Eliza about it, and she started to believe in God again too. They are putting their lives on the line, and it came to the point where all they could do was pray. They saw that with God watching over them, they survived the raid, they could love, and have a happy life again,

Karen Kingsbury has taken her writing to a whole new level with this powerful, gritty story filled with hope and faith. Sixteen year old Jack has no idea how his life would change forever in the moment he rescues a nine year old girl from the surf while on a family vacation in Belize. Years later, Jack works as an under cover secret agent for the FBI. Feeling like he has nothing to live for, Jack takes chances while other agents are careful. Back on the beautiful island of Belize, Jack is on assignment to break up a powerful sex trafficking ring. As he rescues Eliza, (the untainted daughter of the head of the ring) their past and future are about to collide in ways that neither are aware of. A heart touching story of two broken people you won’t soon forget and the healing powers of how a mighty God can take brokenness and turn it into something beautiful.

A riptide changes the course of many lives. For Eliza she was rescued by the boy who will change her entire life. For Jack, life will never be the same.
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Ten years later Jack works for the FBI and Eliza is getting ready to become a bride in an arranged marriage by her father to another drug lord.
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If that sounds intense that’s because it is! A high stakes game with everything on the table as they are in the fight of their lives. There were many aspects I liked about this book, but no question about it this is an extremely heavy book. Go into it warned, however i was able to get past the heavy subject matter and enjoyed this book.
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Thank you to #NetGalley and #Atriabooks for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Karen Kingsbury's newest book is quite different from some of her others, but it's as compelling and powerful as ever. Karen deals with the scary subject of trafficking that is unfortunately, very relevant in our world today. Eliza is one of the main characters in this book and she is a victim of trafficking. Thanks to an undercover agent named Jack, Eliza finally has a chance at escape and a somewhat normal life. What Eliza and Jack don't know is that they have an unbelievable connection that could only be orchestrated by God.

This book is some of Karen's best work. While this subject is one that is hard to read about, Karen handles it well. This book has more suspense then some of her other novels and I really enjoyed that aspect. Karen weaves a beautiful tale that captivates and inspires. This is why her books are always at the top of my list. Thanks so much to the publisher, netgalley, and Karen Kingsbury for the chance to read and review this book!

"Earth was...well, it was just earth. Eternity lay on the other side. Each day in a person's life this side of heaven was a gift. Nothing more. No guarantees about tomorrow. And in that knowledge God wanted one thing from him."

Jack Ryder and Eliza Lawrence had a connection that they didn't even remember. Now Jack Ryder, an FBI agent who serves with a human sexual trafficking team, is back in Belize. But this time, he is there to help his team shut down the "Palace" an upper class house of prostitution. His connection was the owner's daughter, Eliza Lawrence.

Fast paced, with an in-depth look at how sexual trafficking works, Karen Kingsbury pulled at my heartstrings from start to finish as I hurt from what was happening to these young girls and to know it is taking place all over the world. The undercover agents who work to try and stop this are to be commended considering the dangers they face trying to rescue these young girls. Kingsbury's writing was so realistic and yet at the same time so poignant. I loved seeing the changes in Eliza as she was set free for the first time, and the wonderful choices she made to help others. This is a story that I will remember for a long time and it will definitely make my 2021 favorites list.

Highly recommended.

Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite Christian authors. I’ve loved her books about the Baxter’s as well as remembering 9/11. I find myself so captivated with the characters and I can feel myself living in the story. Reading the next new book by Karen Kingsbury is always on my list!

A Distant Shore by Karen Kingsbury is a stand-alone book, not about the series that I’ve read of hers. Lizzie moves to Belize City, a Palace on the beach, with her parents and younger brother. All is great until one day she’s told her mother and brother drowned. Lizzie’s told she’ll go by her “real” name, Eliza, from that point on. Then there’s girls in the home that she gets to talk to here and there. There’s armed guards everywhere, too.

This book takes readers to the home of a sex-trafficker. It’s not pretty, but we must remember that it is real and it really happens in the world around us. It’s almost like these girls are forced to forget where they came from and do what they must in order to keep from being abused. Some are threatened that their families will be killed in order to keep them in trafficking.

Eliza makes friends with a few of the girls. Others she’s lured into her father’s business. She knows it’s wrong. She also knows her father is mean as he’s allowed her to be beaten, even after she was saved from drowning by a teenaged tourist boy who happened to be on the beach. As she nears her twentieth birthday, Eliza learns she is promised to marry a man she nor her father has ever met, the son of a drug lord in America.

All these years, she’s been treated like a princess. Her father would not allow any man to touch her like the other girls. Now that her twentieth birthday was drawing near, fear began to creep in. She had no idea where she would live, what this man would be like, what would be expected of her.

When the day comes when her soon-to-be husband arrived, Eliza was angry. She was to spend two nights with him while the armed men stood outside her door. Would he be gentle? Would he take her away from this Palace prison she’s lived in for a decade? There were so many questions!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for access to this amazing book! As I’ve mentioned on my own social media, I was prepared for the tears that I knew would come, as they always do when I read Karen Kingsbury books. I can’t help it! I find myself feeling the emotions of the characters; angry when they’re angry, nervous when they’re nervous, and sad when they’re sad. And because of these emotions and the small glimpse of sex-trafficking, I give A Distant Shore by Karen Kingsbury 5 out of 5 tiaras!

Very powerful story! Sex trafficking is a difficult subject to address. The author does a great job of creating a story that highlights some of the ins and outs of the industry without all the sordid details. Eliza's story is a very credible one. The story will quickly capture readers attention as Jack and Eliza work to bring down these rings. This novel, although very different from other novels written by this author is deeply grounded in faith. Recommended!

A Distant Shore is a deep, moving novel about the ugly fact that trafficking of young girls is a reality. The beauty of bringing two characters together, not once, but twice lends credence to the Christian belief that God has a plan for each person. These characters have both suffered severe losses, been first-hand witnesses to horrific trafficking set-ups, and live only to help others. Until. . .LOVE conquers all. Not just any love, but through God’s abounding Love. The plot is riveting and fast-paced, suspenseful and heartbreaking. It details the true heroism of the FBI and those who risk their lives to unselfishly save the lives of others. And it shares the Power of God’s plans for these two characters to reunite, again and again, until they realize and happily accept that they are fated to be together. FOREVER.

Lizzie James is just 8 years old when she is told her mother and brother have drowned. She is taken to her father's "palace" in Belize and her name is changed to Eliza. She soon learns her father is in the sex trade and trafficks young girls. She is always told she is being saved for "something special," which turns out to be a forced marriage with another drug and sex trafficking family. Then an FBI agent enters her life, someone she has met before, although she does not remember him and he does not realize she is a child he rescued from drowning the same day his brother died.

I have read many books by Karen Kingsbury, but this one goes to a whole new level as it exposes the horrors of the sex trafficking industry. The characters are well written and the despair of Eliza and the younger girls is palpable and real. Kingsbury shows us the depths of evil in the sex trafficking industry, the laws that sometimes hinder rescued victims from surviving even after escape, and the hearts of the people in and out of law enforcement determined to rescue every single child. She shows us how God is present, even in desperate, cruel, and wicked situations from which there seems no escape. This is a well researched novel that everyone needs to read in order to know the evils that exist in our world.

I received a free copy of this book from Atria Books via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

Thank you to the Publisher, NetGalley and Karen Kingsbury for allowing me to read this ARC.
5 Stars!
I love Karen Kingsbury's books. As always, her books are very hard to put down. I love how God put Jack and Eliza back into each other's lives as is they were angels meant for each other.
I learned alot about Trafficking from this story. Trafficking is an extremely tough subject to read about. It's a horrible situation all around the world. I pray for the victims.

Excellent book! I have read all of Karen Kingsbury books and this one is quite different. It addresses an issue that is forefront in our society. I found it chilling and also educational. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC. I will be recommending this to our readers.


5star

This is an unexpected read by Karen Kingsbury! Great book! I enjoyed the suspense of it! So unlike most of her books and yet it wasn't.

If this was a television show it would have the tagline, Ripped from the Headlines!. There has been so much in the news lately about human trafficking. This story is so different from what Ms. Kingsbury writes but she does a beautiful job telling this story.
Eliza and Jack meet as young children in a life and death situation. Their paths cross again years later in another life and death situation. Eliza's father is a kingpin in a human trafficking ring in the country of Belize. Jack is an FBI agent that will go to any lengths to get the job done even if it puts his life in danger. He is determined to take down this ring, but he needs Eliza's helpt to do this. Eliza dedicates her life to keep girls from falling into the trap. There is a spark between them that they both are trying to deny. Will they get their happily ever after. This is a very timely story.

Karen Kingsbury never disappoints me with her books. This book was a bit different than her previous work, and it was awesome! She took on a serious issue that is happening in our modern times. The story was so realistic that I found it chilling at times. This is the perfect storyline for a movie. The attraction and subsequent romance was perfect here. I will be recommending this book to friends!

Karen Kingsbury delivered another great book that you must get your hands on! Jack and Eliza come from 2 separate worlds, brought together by the country of Belize. Their lives collide when they are younger and again when they are older. Having faith and trust in someone is hard but finding your way is always rewarding.

This is a *Must Read* book! It is well written and full of action, suspense, drama and romance. I can't put into words how good this book was. Jack and Eliza's story is a very emotional read and is full of hope and inspiration. You don't want to miss this book, it will touch your heart and soul.
Thank you Atria Books via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Karen Kingsburg writes beautifully. This is a story that every parent and family prays never happens to their kids but the other side of the story is written as well. Eliza is the child of the one doing the wrong things. This story will tear at your heart and you will stay up all night reading. Thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced copy.