Rivers Sullivan bears both visible and invisible scars—those on her shoulder from a bullet wound and those on her heart from the loss of her fiancé during the same brutal attack. Not even her background as an art therapist can help her regain her faith in humanity. Still, she scrapes together the courage to travel to St. Simons Island to see the beach cottage and art gallery she’s inherited from her fiancé. When she stumbles upon recovering addicts running her gallery, she’s forced to reckon with her own healing.

After the tragic drowning of his cousin, James Cooper Knight spends his days trying to make up for his past mistakes. He not only dedicates his life to addiction counseling, but guilt drives him to the water, searching for others who’ve been caught unaware of the quickly rising tides of St. Simons. When he rescues a peculiar blond woman and her sketch pad from a sandbar, then delivers this same woman to his deceased grandmother’s properties, he knows things are about to get even more complicated.

Tragic circumstances draw Cooper and Rivers closer, but they fight their growing feelings. Though Cooper’s been sober for years, Rivers can’t imagine trusting her heart to someone in recovery, and he knows a relationship with her will only rip his family further apart. Distrust and guilt are only the first roadblocks they must overcome if they take a chance on love.

my point of view:

Honestly, I am so blessed that Janet Ferguson has allowed me to read this story prior to release date. I can tell you this book got to me in so many ways, the realism behind addiction and sorrow and rehabilitation is so spot on, Janet sincerely nailed this story from all angles. This work of fiction is so much more than a love story…it is the story of anyone who has been touched by addiction, the wife of an alcoholic, the mother of a drug addict, the survivor of a brutal, senseless attack, the parents who have lost a child much to young, or someone struggling with their own guilt ….……goodness, I do not think there is a soul out there that has not experienced some sort of the tragedies this book entails.

And yet…..and yet, there is hope. There is God and forgiveness and recovery. I cannot even begin to tell you how personally emotional this book was to me, I have struggled as a family member in a few of these tragedies covered, and still continue to pray and fight for my loved ones every single day. There are no easy answers, and there is no magic button. There is Jesus. He is the answer for all the struggles….there is no promises that this life will be easy, but He does promise to walk with us every step of the way. I cannot emphasize enough that while this is a work of fiction, it truly addresses real life issues in a non-fiction way.

I struggle every single day with what addiction has done to members of my family. It frustrates me and makes me angry and scared……reading a novel such as this one has truly opened my eyes and heart to what others go through, including the recovering addict themselves. Thank you, Janet Ferguson, for putting pen to paper and bringing this story to life…even now, days later I sit here and cry as I write this review.

About Janet W. Ferguson