Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway for Finding Hope by Beth Fred

I'm still not sure what it was that drew me to this book.  I'm glad that I got to read this book.  Check out my review and the fabulous giveaway.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release date: September 1st 2014

Synopsis via Goodreads:

When insecure eighteen-year-old Kailee Hill gets caught tagging Iraq war refugee, Abrahem Yohanna's garage, she's not expecting him to act as her designated driver, hold her hair back when she pukes, or offer to be a shoulder to cry on. But she's failing chemistry and her life is falling apart, so she uses the number Abe leaves her and finds herself with a new tutor. 

The two quickly find themselves falling hard for each other. Kailee attacks a local grunt when he calls Abe a "sand nigger" and fights with her veteran brother to be with him. When she learns Abe hasn't told his family about her, she's heartbroken and the couple risks losing everything they've worked to build. To make matters worse, Kailee's previous acts make her the prime suspect in a serious crime. With Kailee behind bars and doubting his feelings for her, Abe must find a way to rescue the girl he loves and win back her affection . And to do that he’ll have to catch a crook…

REVIEW

★★★★ stars

Finding Hope is almost everything I wanted it to be.  I never thought I'd like Kailee, but I did.  I thought I'd find Abrahem overbearing and closed-minded, but he wasn't.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the characters.  There were some I didn't like, but for the most part, the main characters were an interesting mix.

I wasn't really a big fan of Merriam's story line.  I feel like it was necessary to the development of the story but too much of it was left out.  Essentially I think she could/should get a book of her own to do her story justice.  I also think now is the time to point out, I had a hard time liking Caleb.  In fact, I still don't like him much.  The same could be said about Jackson, Kailee's brother.  I felt like his track did add to the story but was too abbreviated.  

When I say this book will surprise you, I'm not kidding.  There were a number of plot twists I thought I saw coming, but they'd come and I get a better version of them.  I liked being kept on my toes.  This is my first book by Beth Fred.  I like how she treated the subject matter for the most part.  I look forward to seeing what subject matter she chooses to write about in her next book.  In the meantime, I think I'll check out her back list.  If you like your romance to have substance, then this book is for you.

*A copy was provided by the author in exchange for a honest review.  All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beth Fred is a full time ELF keeper and part time author/blogger/writing instructor. She's represented by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyons Literary Agency. Beth likes her tea hot, her romance sweet, and her guys chivalrous. Real men hold open doors, refer to you as ma'am, make promises they keep, and aren't afraid to profess their undying love. It's not breakfast if there aren't carbs (at least, not in the South). Fajitas, carnitas, and churros are just few of her favorite things. Bet you can't guess where she's from ;)

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GIVEAWAY

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