In Search of Hope

December 23, 2013
Jacobs fills the faltering sequel to A Place Called Hope with stilted prose and flat characters. In a plot driven entirely by unfathomably convenient coincidences, Libby Pulford escapes her abusive husband and takes her young son to Lancashire, where she can claim an inheritance if she spends six months living in her deceased grandmother's home. Her new neighbor, Joss Atherton, a retired policeman, takes it upon himself to protect Libby. Without a hint of chemistry or passion, Joss and Libby develop a mutual affection and prepare for the inexplicable and painfully contrived showdown with Libby's ex. Some details tease the reader with the possibility of depth or emotional satisfaction, but those moments quickly fall by the wayside.

February 1, 2014
Libby is trapped by her controlling, emotionally sadistic husband, Steven. He keeps his wife subservient in every way, even controlling her computer access and destroying her mail, including news of an inheritance and a possible contact from her birth mother. Libby's discovery of her inheritance and a brutal beating finally induce her to leave her abusive husband, taking their four-year-old son to her grandmother's house, which she now owns. Joss, a former police officer retired due to injury, is her neighbor, and he helps penniless Libby draw living expenses from her inheritance, find an attorney, and acquire a better car. But Steven is a canny strategist bent on revenge. Joss knows all too well what such men can do, and Libby wonders if it'll ever end, if I'll ever really be free. Readers will know how Jacob's (A Place of Hope, 2013) Hallmarkesque tale will end, but they will enjoy the journey in this smoothly written story of second chances set in Britain's Lancashire district.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)