AUTHOR: Fay Lamb
DATE: 2017
PUBLISHER: Write Integrity Press
STARS: *****
Hope Astor is literally a starving artist, living off the good graces of her friends as she seeks help for the fatigue that has plagued her for over a month. Dr. Daniel Duvall is a noted oncological surgeon whose life hasn’t been the same since losing his sister in a car accident the year before.
When Hope receives her diagnosis, she understands that her carefree artist’s lifestyle has left her without any options to save her life, but her friends try to convince her otherwise. They persuade Hope to seek treatment from the best doctor she knows. Trouble is, Hope is the reason Daniel’s sister is dead, and she doesn’t think saving her life is on his list of priorities.
First, the disclaimer: I won this book in a contest and was not required to write a review. I am happy to do so, though, because Hope is a story worth reading and sharing. Some time ago, I’d read the first book of this series, Charisse, so when the chance came to possibly win a copy of this book, I eagerly entered the draw. What a thrill to receive Hope in my mailbox!
With many close friends fighting cancer, I wasn’t sure I could handle entering the world of another cancer victim. But curiosity tugged, and I read the first page. Then the second, and the third. Hope’s courage and humility snagged my attention and my heart. I couldn’t quit on her, and neither would her friends.
Those friends, her chosen family, reminded me of the story told in the second chapter of Mark’s gospel, where friends of a paralyzed man brought him to Jesus. They couldn’t get through the crowd filling the house where Jesus taught, but they would not give up. No matter the odds, they persevered. Like the Biblical friends, Hope’s circle would not allow her to give up. They’d already brought her to Jesus; now they needed to convince the area’s best oncological surgeon to take on her care. And like those men in Mark’s gospel, they would not give up.
Faith is an important part of Hope. I appreciate the way redemption is woven into the fabric of the plot. Hope and her friends all became important to me as I read, and I will keep this book on my shelf to read again—and share. Thank you, Fay Lamb, for writing this story from your heart. It touched mine and earns five stars.