Book Title: Delayed Justice

Author: Cara Putman

Genre: Legal Romantic Suspense

Release date: October 15, 2018

About the Book

She had long given up the desire to be loved. Now she only needed to be heard.

Jaime Nichols went to law school to find the voice she never had as a child, and her determination to protect girls and women in the path of harm drives her in ways both spoken and unspoken. As Jamie, now a criminal defense attorney, prepares to press charges against someone who wronged her long ago, she must face not only her demons but also the unimaginable forces that protect the powerful man who tore her childhood apart.

Chandler Bolton, a retired veteran, is tasked with helping a young victim who must testify in court—and along with his therapy dog, Aslan, he’s up for the task. When he first meets Jaime, all brains, beauty, and brashness, he can’t help but be intrigued. As Chandler works to break through the wall Jaime has built around herself, the two of them discover that they may have more to offer one another than they ever could have guessed—and that together, they may be able to help this endangered child.

This thrilling installment of the Hidden Justice series explores the healing power of resolution and the weight of words given voice. And as Jaime pursues delayed justice of her own, she unearths eternal truths that will change the course of her life.

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author

Since the time she could read Nancy Drew, Cara has wanted to write mysteries. In 2005 she attended a book signing at her local Christian bookstore. The rest, as they say, was history. There she met a fellow Indiana writer Colleen Coble. With prompting from her husband, Cara shared her dream with Colleen. Since those infamous words, Cara’s been writing award-winning books. She is currently working on book 30 and 31.

Cara Putman is an active member of ACFW, and currently serves on its Executive Board. She has also been the Indiana ACFW chapter president and served as the Area Coordinator for Indiana.

Cara is also an attorney, lecturer at a Big Ten university, active in women’s ministry, and all around crazy woman. Crazy about God, her husband and her kids that is. She graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Go Huskers!) and George Mason Law School, and Krannert School of Management. You can learn more about Cara at www.caraputman.com

Guest Post from Cara

Delayed Justice was a hard story to write.

I’d known from Beyond Justice that Jaime had a hard story, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. She tried to hide from her past. She tried hard, but in the end it slowly spilled out. A young girl wounded deeply by someone who should protect her. And now as a professional young woman, Jaime is still fighting the shadows.

She believes she’s okay, or as okay as she’ll ever be.

Instead, she has to learn that there’s so much more waiting for her. Freedom from the chains of a past she didn’t choose. A love that will never end. And a God who has always loved her even when she questions His existence because of her past.

I think we’ve all lived that. There’s a place in our hearts that seems beyond His reach. For some of us, it’s a barrier to knowing Him. To others of us, it makes us question what we thought we knew about God. And for others of us, it presses us deeply into Him. Jaime’s book, Delayed Justice, explores this space. The space where some days we scream at the heavens Where are you, God? And the days we just curl into ourselves because life is too hard.

And in that space of shadow and light, God ultimately shines brightest. This is a truth that is slowly revealed through friends and The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe.

My Review

While Jaime has managed to make it through law school to become a successful defense attorney, she has never been able to overcome her own painful childhood experience of being molested by her uncle. Fearful and unsure about how to talk about it, she has kept silent about it for most of her life, unable to let in even her closest friends to the hurts of her heart. Jaime’s character mirrors that of many women who have experienced sexual abuse in their lives. She clings to success and worldly strength in an attempt to make up for where her heart doesn’t feel worthy. She is afraid to believe in God because she is unable to wrap her mind around His allowing of her abuse. She feels dirty and scarred beyond repair and is afraid that if people saw the real her, that she would no longer be liked. Her very identity is in shambles. Letting people in, especially those close to us, can be painful, but it’s necessary in order for healing to be able to happen. Throughout the story Jaime slowly starts to recognize not only her need for help, but the knowledge that she’s had access to that help for far longer than she has believed. Her journey is certainly not light on emotions.

Chandler Bolton lives in Jaime’s building and after a chance encounter with his dog Aslan, the two start to see more of each other. Although his symptoms don’t appear as strong as Jaime’s, Chandler wrestles with some of his experiences following deployment overseas. To top that off, when he returned he learned that his wife had been unfaithful. Working through his own healing, Chandler at first tries to keep a distance from Jaime, but that soon proves impossible for him. Although I wasn’t thrilled with the “Captain America look-alike” label thrust on him, I was drawn to Chandler’s character and his genuine desire to be a protector for Jaime, long before he became anything else. His ability to think beyond himself to help others was something refreshing to see (even if he is just a fictional character).

During the story, Jaime is also introduced to a young girl named Tiffany who was recently the victim of sexual abuse. While Chandler’s dog is used as a “comfort animal” for her during questioning, Jaime comes alongside her as simply someone who understands. While Some of what Jaime sees brings flashbacks for herself, she looks past herself towards the hope of healing of the young child. In a sense as the story unfolds more, she is able to see that she is able to find help in her own healing through her support of another. Once again the story shows the power in healing together.

The one complaint I really have for this story is how “busy” it was. There was a lot that happened in the story that is left unresolved because you’re not sure which character’s piece of the plot line was actually in action. I believe at least some of that was intentional on the author’s part, but I also felt frustrated by it. I also felt that some of the more intense scenes (sorry, not giving anything away), could have been made longer and more effectual to the story. I felt like key parts of the story were really muted simply because of the volume of events going on at the same time.

Overall this was was a well written novel that I would consider well worth the read. It’s the third book in a series but it’s the only one I’ve read so far. Some of Jaime’s friends were the main characters in the previous books, but their roles are small enough in this one that I feel that it was easily read as a stand-alone without feeling lost. I would advise caution for trigger warnings of sexual abuse due to some of the content contained. I would recommend to readers who enjoy suspense, crime fiction, and emotional dramas.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through Celebrate Lit Tours. I was not required to give a positive review. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

Rating: 

Age Appropriateness/Content warnings:

*PLEASE NOTE: This section may contain mild spoilers but I do my best to reveal the difficult and/or triggering content without giving away the story

I would place a high trigger warning for sexual abuse. The content brushes the surface instead of going into full explicit detail, but there is a lot of emotional attacks and PTSD-like scenes that could make it even more triggering. This story goes deep emotionally, and it has moments of great intensity. This isn’t a story I would recommend to younger readers.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 29

Fiction Aficionado, September 29

The Avid Reader, September 29

The Power of Words, September 29

The Christian Fiction Girl, September 29

The Lit Addict, September 30

BBHfiction, September 30

Painting with Words, September 30

Real World Bible Study, September 30

Janices book reviews, September 30

cherylbbookblog, October 1

Where Faith and Books Meet, October 1

Back Porch Reads, October 1

Cafinated Reads, October 1

Faithfully Bookish, October 1

Because I said so – adventures in Parenting, October 2

Lighthouse Academy, October 2

Livin Lit, October 2

Inklings and notions, October 2

Bigreadersite, October 2

All-of-a-kind Mom, October 3

Reading Is My SuperPower, October 3

The Becca Files, October 3

Blogging With Carol, October 3

Lights in a Dark World, October 3

Genesis 5020, October 4

Cathe Swanson, October 4

Spoken from the Heart, October 4

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, October 4

100 Pages per Hour, October 5

Multifarious, October 5

Book by Book, October 5

Splashes of Joy, October 5

Rockin’ My Mom Jeans, October 6

Mary Hake, October 6

Godly Book Reviews, October 6

Two Points of Interest, October 6

C Jane Read, October 7

Daysong Reflections , October 7

Bibliophile Reviews, October 7

Buy, Borrow, Skip, October 7

The Mimosa Blossom, October 8

Ashley’s Bookshelf, October 8

Book Bites, Bee Stings, and Butterfly Kisses, October 8

Maureen’s Musings, October 8

Just the Write Escape, October 9

Simple Harvest Reads, October 9 (Guest Post from Mindy Houng)

Remebrancy, October 9

Carpe Diem, October 9

Quiet Quilter, October 10

Margaret Kazmierczak, October 10

At the Fence, October 10

By The Book, October 10

God is Love, October 11

A Baker’s Perspective, October 11

proud to be an autism mom, October 11

Texas Book-aholic, October 11

Henry Happens, October 12

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, October 12

Have A Wonderful Day, October 12

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 12

 

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Cara is giving away a grand prize package that includes a Courage Dear Heart bracelet, a The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe print, a copy of Delayed Justice, and a box of Turkish Delight!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d5c4/delayed-justice-celebration-tour-giveaway