A Time to Stand by Robert Whitlow

I'm a huge Robert Whitlow fan. I normally shy away from this genre of books, but I have absolutely loved every single book that I've read by him. My mom likes John Grisham and when I told her to read this book, she said he wrote very similar. I've converted a new reader!

A Time to Stand did a fantastic job balancing a topic that has become of conversation (and should) in our society. In A Time to Stand, a policeman of character find himself in a situation that he never dreamed. An African-American boy is in a coma after being shot by a white policeman. It's a small town so news of a "racist cop" shooting an African-American is the headliner in most conversations. Suddenely, the police officer finds himself in the line of fire and his family and his own life is threatened by the very same people he has spent his life trying to protect.

He's almost certain he heard a shot ring out before he shot, but maybe he really didn't. Maybe his mind played a trick on him....if only he could remember each moment clearly.

Adisa Johnson is a lawyer who lost her job and has come back to the small town in Georgia to help take care of her grandmother who raised her. Initially, she hears about this case and sides against the policeman. However, after some time, she begins to feel like she is supposed to help the police officer. This doesn't sit well in the small town that is full of racial tension.  Her community can't understand why she would help this white police officer. She can't explain it either, except she feels deep down that it's what she's supposed to do.

The truth eventually comes out, thanks to Adisa. A Time to Stand focuses on this small community and how things can look when we set aside our differences and love each other for who they are....no matter or race, language, etc. Let us all be people who stand for our friends of different races and fight for unity amongst each other.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

Where Rivers Part by Kellie Coates Gilbert

I learned a lot about food contamination in this book, without even realizing it. I was small when the Jack in the Box outbreak happened, so I don't remember much about that. However, I have heard about it and read about it at various times and was curious as to how the contamination happens and does so more often than we think it should.

The bottled water company that Dr. Juliet Ryan works for is considered to be a top-notch facility. In fact, they hired the best person to ensure their water was safe. Dr. Juliet Ryan doubles and triple checks her work and speaks at conferences to bring more awareness to water and food contamination and the need for diligence.

To say that Dr. Juliet Ryan is placed in many uncomfortable circumstances, some of her own doing and some from others, would be an understatement. She has to learn to forgive when forgiveness seems next to impossible. She has to turn to the one person she despises the most and finds the most unforgivable in order to expose a scandal that is so big and so wrong and that can change her course in her career drastically. When her reputation is drug through the mud, she needs only one man standing up for her, but that comes at a cost.

I forgot that Kellie Coates Gilbert had a law background and about halfway through the book I became impressed with her vast knowledge of the law. I flipped to her bio and realized that no wonder she was so fluent.... that's what her passion was! It never got bogged down in heavy details and the storyline kept moving at a fast pace. Just when I thought that I had a grip on one part, something else would happen and make it fall apart.

I'm looking forward to reading book 3 in this series!

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.