Somewhere Between Luck and Trust

Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Published: June 2013
Pages: 491
Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction
Format: Paperback
Source: Own book

From Back Cover:

Christy Haviland served eight months in prison, giving birth behind bars to the child of the man who put her there and might 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.

My thoughts:
Somewhere Between Luck and Trust is #2 in the Goddess Anonymous novels, I LOVED it.  It was one of those really memorable books.  The characters were wonderful, the setting was beautiful and the plot twisted enough to make it interesting.  It was just one of those books I sat down to, and just wanted to read and read, until sadly, it was finished.  It was one of those books that when I have finished reading it, I am inspired to be myself and to use the gifts I have.

Apart from the book I loved the cover.  The last one had a lavender haze to it, this one with the orange, brown, green tints I just love. Beautiful.

I feel in love with all the characters.  Christy is young, she has just been released from an unjust prison sentence.  She is brave, gutsy and determined.  Her cousin and her family have been keeping her son - Michael, with them while Christy has been in prison.  Now she is a stranger to him, is she ready to care for him?  Sam, one of the women who are trustees of the Goddess House, places Christy in the cabin haven where she is able to recover her sense of self and reformulate her life.  As mentioned on the back cover she has a learning disability - dyslexia, Christy can't read.  When you see if from her point of view it gives a new understanding of this disability.  How can she know what is good to give her young son if she can't read a label?

Georgia is a Principal in an alternative school and one of the trustees of the cabin.  Christy and herself form a strong bond of friendship and each helps the other.  Georgia begins to teach Christy to read.  Christy helps Georgia to delve into her family roots.  She was a baby left wrapped in newspaper in a hospital wash room.  Now with the arrival of a charm bracelet,  she begins to trace back to where she may have come from.  Christy with her superior artistic and visual skills is a key player in helping her.

There is a little romance in the story, Christy is supported by Sully - a deputy sheriff, who helped to put Christy in prison.  He has begun to notice things that don't add up, he is there for Christy and helps out when she is under threat from a past 'lover', with her life endangered.

Georgia has Lucas, an author who is living up in the mountain area so that he can avoid his very loving social family, to be able to write.  A very satisfying relationship.  Another character I loved was Dawson, a young teen at Georgia's school, gifted but troubled.  He gives the book an added dimension.

One of the issues that attracted me in this book was Christy's one of dyslexia.  As a teacher I have seen a number of students pass through my classroom with various forms of this.  In my early years there seemed to be little I could do.  Now, along with the expert help of a special literacy teacher, I know I have helped make a difference in some young people's lives.  It is a key factor in my enjoyment of my profession.  There is nothing more satisfying that helping others learn to read.  For those with dyslexia, there is no easy quick fix usually.  It is very tiring for them and we all need loads of perseverance. I will be retiring in the next eighteen months, and this is the one aspect of my job that I will miss.  I went online when I had finished reading the book, and found that we have a local volunteer literacy coaching group for adults who are unable to read.  It is something I will be able to get involved in.  It was with interest today that I read this message from Emilie Richards,  at the  RT Book Reviews.

I recommend Somewhere Between Luck and Trust by Emilie Richards to all readers of women's fiction.  It is worth the read. Start with the first one so that you gain an understanding of how the Goddess house came about.

1.  One Mountain Away

2.  Somewhere Between Luck and Trust.