Category: Litfuse

In Imperfect Justice, Emily and Reid are thrown together in a race to save Kaylene’s surviving daughter, Emily and Reid pursue the constantly evasive truth. If they can hang on to hope together, can they save a young girl—and find a future for themselves in the process?

About Imperfect Justice

To the world it seems obvious: Kaylene Adams killed her daughter and then was shot by police. Attorney Emilie Wesley knows a different story: Kaylene would never hurt anyone and was looking for a way out of a controlling, abusive relationship. Her death shakes Emilie’s belief that she can make a difference for women in violent marriages. Self-doubt plagues her as she struggles to continue her work in the wake of the tragedy.

Reid Billings thought he knew his sister—right up until he learned how she died. He discovers a letter from Kaylene begging him to fight for custody of her daughters if anything should happen to her. No attorney in her right mind would support an uncle instead of the father in a custody case, but Kaylene’s letter claims Emilie Wesley will help him.

Thrown together in a race to save Kaylene’s surviving daughter, Emily and Reid pursue the constantly evasive truth. If they can hang on to hope together, can they save a young girl—and find a future for themselves in the process?

My Thoughts

Imperfect Justice is a thrilling, suspenseful novel that leaves you hopeful and yet angry at the same time.

In this novel, spousal abuse is addressed which is a very sensitive topic. Attorney Emilie works with women to help them escape their abusive husbands or partners. She puts her whole heart into her work and most of the time she is successful. Her one case, Kaylene, ended very badly and this has left her shattered and looking for answers. Kaylene was framed for the murder of her daughter and then suicide. Her other daughter, the one who could provide answers, is left in a coma with her Father watching over her.

Emilie knows in her heart that Kaylene could never do what she is accused of doing but is conflicted on what she should do. Everyone tells her to leave it alone, don’t tie up the business in the murder, that all evidence points to Kaylene. Emilie on the other hand trusts her gut instincts and follows her heart. While she couldn’t save Kaylene, she would preserve her name and save her other daughter.

She teams up with Kaylene’s brother and that is when a lot begins to go wrong. She is being harassed and she begins to question everything she ever knew. It is a race against time for herself and Reid to prove the most difficult thing in the world – the Kaylene’s ex-husband is the murder and abuser.

This novel is full of a lot of raw emotions and may have triggers for some people. It is difficult to read about Kaylene and the other women in this novel stories. You know that this more than likely has happened and will continue to happen. We know the cycle of abuse and the negative effects it can have on children but sometimes feel helpless. Even Emilie herself feels stretched and heartbroken at times.

The novel itself is well written and keeps you on your toes. You want nothing more than for Emilie to put away Kaylene’s ex-husband away for life and for him to get what he deserves. But the plot constantly thickens as she unravels the truth and then there is a second layer of mystery with someone trying to harm Emilie herself. This is an excellent story from start to finish.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of this book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Cara Putman is the author of more than 25 legal thrillers, historical romances, and romantic suspense novels. She has won or been a finalist for honors including the ACFW Book of the Year and the Christian Retailing’s BEST Award. Cara graduated high school at 16, college at 20, completed her law degree at 27, and recently received her MBA. She is a practicing attorney, teaches undergraduate and graduate law courses at a Big Ten business school, and is a homeschooling mom of four. She lives with her husband and children in Indiana.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

In All Things Now Living, her whole life Amy has been taught the people of New Lithisle deserve to die, but when she falls for Daniel, she determines to save him.

About All Things Now Living

Sixteen-year-old Amy doesn’t like anything to die, she won’t even eat the goats or chickens her mama has butchered every fall, but she can’t let herself pity the inhabitants of New Lithisle. In a few short months the dome they built to isolate themselves from the deadly pandemic is predicted to collapse, but her whole life Amy has been taught it’s God’s will they die. They traded their souls for immunity to the swine flu virus, brought God’s curse upon themselves by adding pig genes to their own.

Then, while on a scavenging trip with her father, Amy is accidentally trapped in New Lithisle. At first her only goal is to escape, but when she meets Daniel, a New Lithisle boy, she begins to question how less-than-human the people of New Lithisle are.

Amy’s feelings grow even more conflicted when she learns she didn’t end up in New Lithisle by mistake. Her father is secretly a sympathizer, and was trying to prevent the coming destruction.

Now time is running short and Amy has to decide if she will bring the computer program her father wrote to his contact or save herself. Installing the program could prevent the dome’s collapse, but if Amy doesn’t find her father’s contact in time, she’ll die, along with everyone else.

My Thoughts

This was an exciting young adult novel that I could not put down.

In this novel, we have two groups of people: the group that was banished outside the walls of New Lithisle and those who are inside. You would think that the group inside the walls would be those who were safe but they are not. They are a group of people with mutations that many of them willingly signed up. These mutations were supposed to protect them but instead it altered them physically – some were similar to rats, to coyotes, fish and pigs. What is even worse is that these people are doomed to die but they have no idea.

Amy was returning from a trip with her Father when she becomes accidentally trapped inside New Lithisle. She is quickly captured as the people realize her importance and the value of selling her could bring them. While on the inside, she discovers that her Father sympathizes with these people who makes her feel uncomfortable – her Father is a traitor and could be put away for these thoughts. He was trying to help these mutated people who God could never have created so they could have no souls (their thoughts) and she could just not understand this.

She meets Daniel, a boy from New Lithisle who has had his genes mutated to make him more attractive and intelligent. As their friendship evolves, she begins to question everything that she has ever believed. Can these individuals who appear less than human truly have the same feelings, thoughts and hopes? Could they really be soulless?

I loved how the story evolves especially within the context of the destruction of New Lithisle coming closer and closer. Amy realizes that there is so much more to a person than their physical features – that even though we are different, we are all the same on the inside. It is a fantastic story of hope, understanding, acceptance and faith. A great read for young adults and adults a like.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page and can purchase a copy here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Rondi Bauer Olson is a reader and writer from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where she lives on a hobby farm with her husband, Kurt. She has four grown children, works as a nurse, and also owns a gift shop within view of beautiful Lake Superior.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.