When Dawn Breaks by Jennifer Slattery

“Adele slumped in her seat and faced her window while the riot within Gavin raged. How he longed to believe his mother’s words, to trust that everythign would be okay, but he knew better.” –When Dawn Breaks, Jennifer Slattery

A hurricane and a job bring three people to a small town. Jacqueline Dunn moves in with her estranged daughter, hoping and praying to build that relationship from the ashes. When she begins to volunteer at a church that is housing hurricane refugees, her heart is drawn to fourteen-year-old Gavin and his two sisters. Through sometimes humorous circumstances, she also meets Jonathan Cohen, a man she quickly begins to consider a friend. Is God giving Jacqueline a chance to redeem her past failures with her own daughter? Or is he giving her a second chance at finding love? Will she have to give up one to have the other?

Jennifer Slattery weaves the stories of three people together seemlessly. It’s a nice change to read about two adults who have lived a little life–one who has already found and lost a love and another who never had it. Gavin’s perspective adds dimension to the story as well. These characters are real–they’ve made mistakes, they deal with real issues, they struggle with their faith and what God calls them to do. Jonathan’s sister’s antics are humorous as are the first few times Jacqueline and Jonathan meet. A nice, heartwarming read.

Order your copy from Amazon

****New Hope Publishers provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.