Review: Somewhere Between Luck and Trust by Emilie Richards

Title: Somewhere Between Luck and Trust by Emilie Richards
Goddesses Anonymous Series Book Two
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: Harlequin MIRA
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
Length: 496 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Where Luck Meets Trust, Miracles Can Happen

Christy Haviland served eight months in prison, giving birth behind bars to the child of the man who put her there and might yet destroy her. Now she’s free again, but what does that mean? As smart as she is, a learning disability has kept her from learning to read. And that’s the least of her hurdles.

Georgia Ferguson, talented educator, receives a mysterious charm bracelet that may help her find the mother who abandoned her at birth. Does she want to follow the clues, and if she does, can reticent
Georgia reach out for help along the way?

Both women are standing at a crossroads, a place where unlikely unions can be formed. A place where two very different women might bridge the gap between generations and education, and together make tough choices.

Somewhere between the townships called Luck and Trust, at a mountain cabin known as the Goddess House, two very different women may even, if they dare, find common ground and friendship.

The Review:

Somewhere Between Luck and Trust is a beautifully written novel about new beginnings, family, and love. This second installment in Emilie Richards’ Goddesses Anonymous series is an endearing story about a group of friends who provide Christy Haviland a safe haven while she makes momentous decisions about her future following her release from jail.

None of the women in Somewhere Between Luck and Trust have had an easy life. Many of them have faced and overcome tremendous obstacles but they do not let their experiences define who they are. Their empathy for others along with the realization their lives could have taken a far worse turn makes it easy for them to lend a helping hand to those in need.

The first recipient of their aid is Christy Haviland. Abandoned by her family, Christy fell in love with the wrong man and when she became a liability, he framed her for a crime she did not commit. Having served her sentence, Christy is at a crossroads as she grapples with some serious decisions about her future. Her feelings about her son are complicated by her past with his father and the realization that between her prison record and her learning disability, her job opportunities are limited. With the help of Georgia Ferguson, her daughter Sam and the other women of Goddesses Anonymous, Christy soon believes a second chance at a new life is possible, but before she can embrace the future, she will have to find a way to resolve the events of her past.

There is also a romantic component to the storyline as well. The romances are understated but perfectly compliment the overall plot. Underlying Georgia’s easy friendship with Lucas Ramsey is a strong attraction and they easily transition from friends to lovers. Christy’s relationship is barely beginning as the novel ends but the slow moving romance is appropriate considering everything Christy is dealing with.

In addition to the various storylines with Christy and Georgia, there are also a couple of intriguing mysteries. The discovery of a charm bracelet provides Georgia the opportunity to find the woman who abandoned her at birth, and Lucas, Christy and Georgia use the charms to uncover valuable clues to find Georgia’s birth mother. The other mystery surrounds the terrifying reason Christy’s ex-boyfriend framed her and how far he is willing to go to keep his secrets from being revealed.

Somewhere Between Luck and Trust is an engaging and captivating novel that brings attention to relevant social and educational issues in a way that readers can relate to. The characters are kind-hearted and compassionate with a genuine desire to help those in need. Emilie Richards gives this multi-layered novel a realistic ending that is unexpected but satisfying.

Read my review of One Mountain Away, the first installment of the Goddesses Anonymous series HERE.