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Tuesday, April 12, 2022

 

Every Star in the Sky

About the Book

Book: Every Star in the Sky

Author: Sara Davison

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release date: March 2, 2022

Every Star in the Sky - finalShe is willing to testify against her trafficker. If she can stay alive that long.

“You’re safe here, Starr.”

How many times has Detective Cole Blacksky said that to her since helping her escape the life she’d been forced into eight years earlier?

Starr desperately wants to believe him, but she knows Brady Erickson, her former captor, too well. Although Cole has promised her protective custody on his family’s remote ranch, no place on earth is safe enough. Brady will stop at nothing to permanently silence her before she ever reaches the witness stand.

And he is powerful enough to do it.

If Starr wants to help Brady’s other victims, she has no choice but to put herself in God’s hands. And Cole’s. But the longer she and Cole stay hidden, the more her life is at risk.

And her heart.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Headshot - Sara Davison 2021 finalSara Davison is the author of four romantic suspense series—The Seven Trilogy, The Night Guardians, The Rose Tattoo Trilogy, and Two Sparrows for a Penny, as well as the standalone, The Watcher. A finalist for more than a dozen national writing awards, she is a Word, Cascade, and Carol Award winner. She currently resides in Ontario with her husband Michael and their three mostly grown kids. Like every good Canadian, she loves coffee, hockey, poutine, and apologizing for no particular reason. Get to know Sara better at www.saradavison.org and @sarajdavison.

 

More from Sara

A few years ago, I attended a women’s conference in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa. The theme of the conference was human trafficking, which had always seemed to me something that happened in other countries of the world. The speaker informed us that, in fact, sex trafficking is very much an issue in Canada. In fact, she went on to say that if we were staying in a hotel that night, she could pretty much guarantee that somewhere in the building a young girl would be trafficked against her will while we slept peacefully in our beds.

 

That fact—and the way my subsequent research has borne up that truth—shocked, horrified, and deeply impacted me. And so, Every Star in the Sky was born. This romantic suspense novel puts a face and name and story to the scourge of human trafficking. While the fictional tale of one woman’s experiences, it represents the reality of countless women and shows the devastating toll this evil takes, not only on those in captivity, but on those who love them and desire to see them restored to freedom and eventually physical, mental, and emotional healing.

 

Every Star in the Sky is a love story. Not only between a woman rescued from trafficking and the man who risked everything to save her, but between God and every human being created in his image victimized by this unspeakable practice. The theme of this series, which I hope and pray comes across clearly to every reader, is that we are never alone. God sees what we are going through. He never leaves or forsakes us. He knows the name of every star in the sky, and he knows us deeply and intimately.

 

As the main character in the story reflects: “And if you know every star by name, you must know every one of us by name.” When no one around her, not even friends like Ruby, knew her real name, she had clung to the truth that God knew it, that it was engraved on the palm of his hand. Without that knowledge, she would have been afraid her name might be lost, since she was so determined not to let her true one slip out to Brady that even in her own mind she had become Starr. But God had kept her name in trust for her until Cole freed her, and now God had given it to her again. She hadn’t planned to tell it to Cole tonight, but something had nudged her to. Had assured her it was safe. That he was safe.

 

While the problem of human trafficking may seem overwhelming, prayer is our most powerful weapon against the forces of darkness. Pray for all those held in captivity, that they would experience God’s love and presence with them, that they would find freedom, and that all who participate in this evil would one day be brought to justice.

MY REVIEW 

If you are sensitive to reading about human trafficking, this book may be hard for you to read. The author does do an exceptional job of writing about it in a way that exposes the ugliness of it but does not go into very  graphic details.  Some girls can be considered easy prey to this issue because they are looking for acceptance. Once they get trapped into  it though they realize they have been lied to. 

Starr is a young woman who has been trapped in a horrible life since she was a teen. Believing Brady was a good guy quickly dissolved once she found out what kind of life she was facing. I wanted so much to jump into the book, run to where the girls were and rescue them. It was hard to read what they went through and all empty promises that were made to them. The story is not only very emotional but filled with danger that heightens as the story progresses. 

Cole being a police detective has seen some horrible situations but I don’t think he was quite prepared for the investigation he was assigned to. Getting to know his background helped me understand why he has such a heart for people. Can you imagine the burden of being blamed for your mother’s death because of your birth? Cole has never had a good relationship with his father which has left him with some emotional baggage. Will he be able to forgive his father someday? 

The story gets very unnerving as a plan develops to put Starr in protective custody. I don’t think Cole was altogether clear on what to do but when the opportunity arose to get her to safety, he was willing to risk his life. You can feel the tension as Starr is put in a position to trust someone she hardly knows. This part to me was important because we see a glimpse of Starr starting to depend and believe that God would keep her safe.  

The question does arise about forgiveness in the story a few times. Can Starr forgive Brady for the terrible situation he put her in and the abuse he did to her? That would be very hard and following Starr on this quest opens the door to allow God to show us how important it is for us to forgive. The author use these two characters to illustrate the journey we each have to take to find peace and forgive someone even if we don’t think they deserve it. It reminds us that we are not to judge but to pray for our enemies and ask God to help us when we struggle. 

From the darkest places Starr has been, she can see hope  reaching out to her as she continues to unravel from a life that many have faced and will continue to face until the enemy has been defeated. The author delivers a very intense story with raw emotions and realistic reactions that only God can heal. I appreciate how difficult this story must have been to write. What the author has done is reached  deep into the ugliness of human trafficking and gives hope for those who want to be set free from a life they never chose.  

The ending is not without some  tense moments where it all comes to an ending that is very satisfying and encouraging. The author acknowledges at the end how hard this story was to write. I want to thank her for sharing about an epidemic that spreads across the world. Young women and men are snatched off the street everyday to face the ugly world of human trafficking. It  is our responsibility to be aware of what is going on and speak up when we see something that isn’t right. Lastly remember that each one of us is important to God. He loves us unconditionally and justice will be served by Him. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.  

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, April 9

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 10

Boondock Ramblings, April 10

Inklings and notions, April 11

Texas Book-aholic, April 12

For Him and My Family, April 13

deb’s Book Review, April 14

The Sacred Line, April 14

Betti Mace, April 15

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 16

Mary Hake, April 16

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 17

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, April 18

Where Crisis & Christ Collide, April 18

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, April 19

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 20

Livin’ Lit, April 20

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 21

Blogging With Carol, April 22

Rebecca Tews, April 22

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sara is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of the book!!

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/1c94e/every-star-in-the-sky-celebration-tour-giveaway


3 comments:

  1. Looks like an interesting book.
    Thanks for the contest. 

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  2. I enjoyed reading your review, the book sounds really good

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  3. Thank you so much for reading Every Star in the Sky and for sharing this review on your blog, Deana. And thank you to everyone participating in the blog tour - blessings!

    ReplyDelete