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Author: Kathi Macias
Publisher: New Hope Publishers
Pub Date: March 2012

Mara is a waitress at a seafood café earning enough money to rent a room and meet her basic needs. It has taken her two years to finally gain citizenship in the United States, free from her homeland of Mexico. Her parents had sold her into slavery, and her uncle, Jefe, had raped her for the first time and then prostituted her out until his capture and imprisonment.

Two years earlier, Jonathan had helped break up a human-trafficking ring that forced teens and young children to be sex slaves right in their own San Diego area. Mara was one of those girls. Jonathan admits that he wonders and thinks about her often and what she is doing now. Because of that rescue, Jonathan’s family is now involved in the ministry of rescuing human-trafficking victims and helping them recover, get established, and begin new and productive lives. This is not a typical romance novel, and the hero and heroine do not end up together at the end of the book...but are both stronger for their friendship.

I was impressed with this book, at how the author told the heinous story of human trafficking here in the United States. This is the first book by Kathi Macias I have read, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the "Freedom" series of books in this series.

Kelsey's Song

Author: Lanie Kincaid
Publisher Name: Griffyn Ink
Publish Date: June 2010

This is a wonderful story about two people, JD & Kelsey, who are dealing with circumstances in their lives that they never planned. JD Hewlitt is a guitarist for the struggling band Wilder and just found out that he is a father of a 5-year-old girl. He meets Kelsey Conklin when he and his daughter Andie are in Target and Andie throws a temper tantrum. Kelsey helps calm Andie down and thinks nothing more about it until she realizes they are neighbors. JD and Kelsey slowly get to know each other over the next several months as she helps him cope with new parenthood, and he helps her come out of her shell after grieving the tragic death of her mentally ill brother.

Ms. Kincaid’s cast of characters is vibrant, three-dimensional and incredibly realistic. Kelsey Conklin is an undeniably strong woman with a sweet and giving personality. JD Hewlitt is charming and delightfully inept in his new role as a father. Kelsey’s children, Daniel and Allie, are absolutely adorable, and even when she is being a "demon child", JD’s daughter Andie works her way into the reader’s heart. Fully rounding out the cast of characters are JD’s brother TJ and fellow band mates Craig and Alex.

Kelsey’s Song is an enjoyable read with an appealing cast of characters. It is a heartwarming and uplifting romance, and if you enjoy novels centered around families, then you should definitely pick up a copy Kelsey’s Song.