Jeri's Journal: BOOK REVIEW

I'LL KNOW YOU BY HEART

If you follow my blog at all, you’ll notice I don’t review a lot of books. To date, I have reviewed exactly one. I’d like to start to review a lot more since I’m always reading and I LOVE books. So to begin with, I’d like to thank Valor Publishing for offering me this opportunity to read and review Kimberly Job’s debut novel, “I’ll Know You By Heart”

The book begins with a view into the abusive marriage of Stephanie Roberts and her husband Mark. The scene tears at your heart strings (and is written so realistically it makes you feel pain inside) as Stephanie’s teenage son tries to defend his mother from his father. For the first time Mark takes his anger out on his son as well.

In an effort to protect her children, Stephanie finds a way to run from her husband and narrowly escapes with her three children.

Stephanie does all she can to make a new start for herself and her children. This is not an easy task and of course an angered, bitter, husband makes things even more difficult. First Mark is determined to get Stephanie and his kids back, and then he is determined to make her pay for leaving him.

Jared Wakefield’s wife was killed in a car accident leaving him to help their young daughter deal with the loss of her mother. He is not without a few problems of his own.

Stephanie and Jared come together not realizing they had known each other before. Jared turns to Stephanie for help with his daughter, Stephanie turns to Jared for support—Jared soon realizes he needs more from Stephanie than she might feel she can give. There are so many difficult problems to overcome, how can being together ever be a possibility?

I have to be honest—when I first saw the book, I was excited to read and review it. I love romances and figured that that was what I’d be reading. When I picked up the book to begin, I had no idea what I was in for.

I thought I’d be reading a love story, but it was that and so much more.

I’ll Know you By Heart is a powerful, emotional, story about the impact abuse can have on lives. It’s about having the inner strength to overcome betrayal of love and trust. This book is about loss and struggle. It is indeed a story ultimately about love and what’s more, it’s a story about hope.