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She can be reached at diane@dianeburkeauthor.com.

You can also find Diane online at:
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Saving Hope by Margaret Daley,
Book 1: The  Men of the Texas Rangers
Abingdon Press, 2012

Because I wanted to support literacy as well  as
Margaret Daley, I bought her Saving Hope, at the Romance Writer's of America (RWA) Literacy Booksigning this past July in Anaheim. Margaret Daley is on my auto-buy list and I've enjoyed her books whether they are contemporary, suspense, or historical.

From looking at the cover, I assumed Saving  Hope was another of her forays into the historical realm. 

Was I wrong. 

Saving Hope is a contemporary suspense and about as gritty as you can get in inspirational publishing.

Was I disappointed? Not in the slightest. Margaret Daley has made the successful transition from category to trade books, bringing a new depth of characters and plot to her story. 

Sticking to her roots, Daley weaves the romance of the two main characters around, between, and into the hidden world of child prostitution and shows us enough to spike our anger without glorifying the acts of despicable  adults who prey on forgotten children. This book is not only about bringing  awareness of this hideous crime to our eyes.... it's also about the
need  to support - financial and otherwise - the people who work to help the victims  get out of that life and give them whatever they need to begin again. 

The hero is Texas Ranger Wyatt Sheridan, a member of the Child Rescue Task Force, and a widower with a daughter the same age as the victims he seeks to rescue. This makes his job close to his heart because any one of the girls he  finds - dead or alive - could be his daughter. It's the reason he keeps a close,  almost over-protective, watch on her. But has he constricted her movements to  the point of rebellion?

Kate Winslow is the founder and director of the  Beacon of Hope School, a place where rescued child prostitutes can recover from  their trauma in a loving environment. Kate's staff gets the girls' education  back on track while raising their self-respect and hope for a future. Although  most of the girls welcome their rescue, some can't handle it and go back. So  when a girl who's on the road to success goes missing, Kate suspects foul play.  But will anyone believe her?

The romance between Wyatt and Kate is the  perfect pace for realism, and I held my breath with each touch and through  each tender moment.

A master at characters as well as suspense, Daley  pits her characters' weaknesses against numerous suspects. Early on, she allows  us to see one villian, but keeps us guessing about his
secret partner.  And  although I'd guessed the 2nd villain correctly halfway through the book, I  wavered, not really believing my guess until proven in the end.

I admit  to liking Daley's Love Inspired Suspense books, but this longer novel of Saving Hope, rich in personality, with the right touch of excitement  and dismay, makes me tingle with anticipation of the next book in The  Men of the Texas Rangers series, Shattered
Silence.

Saving Hope was one of books under discussion for July at The  Book Club Network's ACFW on-line book club.

Did you participate  in the discussion? If the discussion is available to read, would you access it  after the fact? Do you ever discuss the questions authors provide at the back of  their books?