A New Hope by Christina Escue

A New Hope is the second book in the Second Chance Series by Christina Escue.  It will be released on March 28th.  I had the privilege of reading this book very recently and I have to say, I like the story line to it and while we see the characters as more like children in the first book, you can definitely tell that they have grown up some in this book since many of them are facing challenges that have went from being accepted when they were younger to now having the challenges of deep relationships and whether to have sex or not since they are so young.  This is a clean book so it does not condone teenage sex or anything and I like the outlook that the adoptive dad, Andrew, has on this issue in particular.  Andrew tells his daughter's boyfriend, Connor, that he doesn't really approve of it but still wants them to be safe and that Connor can talk to him about whatever should he need to.  This book has a few different stories in it though, the most prominent being the appearance of Karla, the adoptive daughter, welcoming her brother, Elliot into the family.  After his grandmother dies, he comes to live with Karla and her family.  It is a tough adjustment for him.  He has dyslexia and has a really hard time reading.  It shows his struggles in and out of school.  My favorite though has to be the chemistry between Manuel and Callie.  Manuel is Karla's brother and Callie is Connor's twin sister.  The two of them have a kind of chemistry between them that is there from the moment Manuel shows up in the story, but he irks Callie to no end and she doesn't know what to do with her feelings.  This is a good read!  One definitely to check out when it is released!

Blurb:

Upon discovering she had a younger brother in Texas; Karla, Leslie and Andrew immediately go to him. What they didn’t expect was for tragedy to strike within days of their arrival. 

Elliot Matthews had known nothing but love his entire life. When his father was killed in a terrible accident he discovered his beloved grandmother was too ill to care for him, so she tracked down the mother he’d never known. Instead of a mother he got a sister he didn’t know existed. 

Now Karla must help Elliot deal with his grief as he adapts to new surroundings, makes new friends and learns that life really does go on. 


Amazon Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/New-Hope-Second-Chance-Book-ebook/dp/B00U4K9S1I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425705425&sr=8-2&keywords=christina+escue

A New Beginning (The Second Chance Series Book 1) by Christina Escue- Will be released October 18th!!

   On the day of her 14th birthday, Karla Hall is taken into police custody for shop-lifting.  She was starving and looking for something to eat in a smaller grocery store that didn't have the security bigger chains had.  An off-duty officer catches her and realizes that Karla is in more trouble than he originally thought.  Signs of abuse and neglect are obvious and the officer has to make some phone calls to the proper authorities.  Child services is called and Karla ends up giving statements about her condition, her mom and her mom's boyfriend, and has to go to the hospital for evaluation.  Cracked ribs and a cracked collar bone keep her in the hospital for a short while and gives the police time to figure out what to do with Karla.
   Kindness is not something that Karla had seen in many years, but once she was caught at the grocery store, people had been nothing but that to her.  Those around her recognize her need for a safe, stable environment where she can be loved and protected like any child should be.  The doctor on call at the hospital becomes Karla's foster parent, along with his wife.  Unable to have children of their own, they decide now is the time to take in a child.  They are the best foster parents she could ask for, but her future is still so very uncertain.  So many things happen that could change things, make them spiral out of control.  Like her peers at school.  Karla is desperate to be accepted and feel normal for once, but she isn't sure that will ever happen.



   A truly sad novel in some ways, this one brought tears to my eyes more than once.  Not sure if it is because I have children of my own, but the struggles this young girl goes through will get to you.  Karla Hall is one strong girl who has had a very hard life.  She sees things as they are, and not what she wants them to be.  Sometimes she's a bit on the negative side of things, but always determined to make the best of the situations that come upon her.  This is a good first book for this author.  Take a little time and check this book out!



Book Blurb:

For the first eight years of her life Karla Hall knew nothing but love, but when her beloved Grams and Pops died everything changed and she was forced upon a mother who never wanted her.

For the next six years she never knew what was going to happen next. Her mother moved her from town to town, following whatever loser boyfriend she had at the time and drinking away what little money she made in whatever dead-end job she could find. Her mother was a mean drunk and Karla was her favorite target. The boyfriends were worse.

On her fourteenth birthday Karla’s life takes a drastic turn. He mother is arrested for soliciting drugs, the current boyfriend takes off and Karla is all alone in a dump of an apartment with no food and no money. 

Caught shoplifting food, Karla is taken into the system and that’s where she meets The Peterson’s. Now she’s in a loving home, has a brother and sister she never knew about and has friends she’d never thought she’d have. 

This book will be released October 18th!!


About the Author:

 Hello everyone. I want to take a minute to introduce myself. I'm a 34 year old mother of two beautiful daughters, ages 11 and 7, and they are my life. I live in Lebanon, Tennessee, about 25 miles East of Nashville and have lived here most of my life. I love Tennessee.

I started reading when I was four years old and have always been an avid reader. In July of 2013 I started editing professionally and I love it. I always saw myself as a fixer, not a creator, until one day I was at work, not editing but my other job, and an idea for a story popped into my head and I couldn't get it out. That's how A New Beginning was born.