Delivering Hope by Jennifer Ann Holt – Blog Tour

Delivering Hope

Author: Jennifer Ann Holt

Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.

Published Date: February 8, 2012

Softcover; 224 pages

Genre: General Fiction

ISBN#: 9781599559025

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: received a PDF review copy in exchange for an honest review

Backcover:

Olivia Spencer wants to be a mom more than anything else in the whole world, but years of infertility have wounded her soul and placed a strain on her marriage to Michael. Now, Olivia finds herself wondering if the life she has built will even survive.

Allison Campbell is a recent high school graduate who discovers that a moment of excitement has led to an unplanned pregnancy and an overwhelming heartache. As the lives of these two women touch, we see that deep love can pave the way for sacrifice, and we all learn the true source of hope and healing.

Review

Author Jennifer Holt draws on personal experience to add emotion and perspective to both sides of the adoption process in her debut novel, Delivering Hope. The first section of the book pulls the reader into the anticipation and then ultimate heartbreak of Olivia, who wants more than anything to have a child, and her husband, Michael, who worries he is losing his happy, loving wife to the bitterness of infertility.

In the second section of the book we meet Allison, a good, intelligent LDS high school graduate with a scholarship and plans for the future. She makes a poor choice after a graduation party and learns that every wrong choice has consequences, in this case, a pregnancy. The father wants nothing to do with the baby, and Allison soon falls in love with the tiny, innocent life growing inside her. Allison is hard-working with a supportive family and she is looking forward to raising her daughter. As time goes on, though, Allison realizes she must decide if, as a single mother, she can provide everything her precious baby needs.

While Delivering Hope is more tell than show, I was pulled into the stories of these two families enough that it didn’t really matter to me. I especially felt Allison’s anguish as she tried to decide whether to place for adoption the baby girl she wanted to keep so badly. There was one particular quote that touched me during a scene with Allison and her father:

“When the heartache became almost more than she could bear, her dad squeezed her tighter, and Ally’s heart broke as she realized that her baby would not have the safety of a father’s arms to be held in when she cried.”   -page 118

There are strong themes of turning to the Savior, repentance, forgiveness and love running throughout the story that will uplift all readers, and those who have had experiences similar to the characters will particularly enjoy Delivering Hope.

Delivering Hope Contest

Jennifer will be giving away a signed copy of the book to two individuals, and a signed bookmark and Delivering Hope magnet to five individuals. There will be several ways to enter, and you can enter using one or all of the ways.

1. Become a follower of Jennifer’s blog: www.jenshopefulwriting.blogspot.com and leave a comment letting her know you stopped by!

2. “Like” the Delivering Hope facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/DeliveringHopeNovel

3. Watch the book trailer: www.bit.ly/peCixw and post a comment on the Facebook page telling what you liked about it.

The winners will be randomly chosen at the conclusion of the blog tour and posted on both Jennifer’s blog and the Facebook fan page by 10:00 am on Saturday, February 11th.