Choosing Charity Tour: Having Hope Review + Giveaway

As part of the Choosing Charity tour, I re-read the entire Faith, Hope, and Charity series so I could post reviews for all three books. Here is my take on Having Hope (Book #2) (check out my review of Finding Faith here and stay tuned for a review of Choosing Charity).

About the Book

Title: Having Hope
Author: Terri Ferran
Release Date: February 2009
Publisher: Cedar Fort (Facebook | Twitter)
Genre: LDS Inspirational Fiction
Series: Faith, Hope, and Charity trilogy (Book #2)
Other Books in the Series: Finding Faith (Book #1), Choosing Charity (Book #3)

After being reunited with Adam Bridger, the missionary she waited for for two long years, Kit Matthews experiences feelings she cannot ignore promptings that take her halfway around the world.

The strong connection she feels with orphans in Romania because of her own abandonment at birth draws Kit to Romania where she meets a Romanian medical student, Marcel and when Kit challenges Marcel to learn about the gospel, she has no idea of the doors she has opened.

After learning of some disturbing news at home, Kit struggles to have hope that God is mindful of His children, and must decide between creating a new life in Romania and returning to repair her life in America.

Review

After reading the first two books in the Faith, Hope, and Charity series, I was completely wrapped up in the lives of Kit and her family and friends and couldn't wait to find out more!

Again, one my favorite parts about this book was Kit, the main character. I found her personality to be so "real". Many fictional characters are cut from the same perfect, cookie cutter mold. But Kit was unique in her imperfections and yet totally lifelike in her emotional insecurities. I could definitely relate to her jealousy of Ruth (even if it was unfounded), her annoyance at her roommates, and her innocent flirtations with Marcel.

Of course, Kit also has so many admirable qualities as well. I loved that she felt so strongly about helping others and actually had the desire and opportunity to do it. I've had those same feelings myself but have not been able to do something quite as dramatic as volunteering in a Romanian orphanage. It was nice to "live vicariously" through Kit and feel some of the emotions that she experienced while serving.

The plight of the Romanian orphans hit me hard and definitely made me emotional (probably because I have a 9-month old baby of my own). I would have felt like Kit, wanting to adopt all of them! Kit's relationship and connection with some of the children was especially tender and sweet. And what could have been an extremely depressing situation was actually turned into a story of hope as Kit begins to understand and comprehend the mercies of God.

Terri has once again created a novel that will make you laugh, cry, and rejoice with Kit as she continues her journey of "faith, hope, and charity".

Giveaway

As part of the tour, Terri is generously offering a grand prize giveaway of the Faith, Hope, and Charity trilogy, including hard copies of Finding Faith, Having Hope, and Choosing Charity. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post or any of the other stops on the tour. (Check out the tour page for the full tour schedule.) The more stops you comment on, the more entries you have into the contest!

 

About the Author

Terri Ferran grew up in a small Colorado town that offered little in the way of entertainment. She escaped through reading (and later on a Continental Trailways bus), and although the town didn't have a library, she eagerly anticipated the coming of the Bookmobile and would check out stacks of books at a time.

She moved to Utah as a high school senior where she joined the LDS Church and met her husband, Tod. She dreamed of being a writer but took the safe route of becoming a CPA. She finally got brave enough to quit working in the world of numbers to pursue her dream of writing and also to spend more time with her children. Her first book, Finding Faith was published in 2007 and she is excited to be living her dream of writing in real life.

Terri still loves to read, but she can usually be found writing, doing laundry, dishes, running errands, napping, eating chocolate, or exercising (not necessarily in that order).

Website

Purchase the Book

Amazon | Cedar Fort | Barnes & Noble