Summary
Summary
When trauma shapes your life, how do you risk making a change--and finding love?
As a child, Sunny Gibson was abandoned by her mentally-ill mother, who left no trace behind. Now a social worker, Sunny is dedicated to helping children find loving homes--though she's still haunted by the past. So when she finds clues that her newest charge might be her younger sister, she sets out to track down the little girl's mother. But the powerful attorney she needs for the search is proving as inexplicable and distant as he is irresistible . . .
From pro football player to high-powered lawyer, Julian King has succeeded at everything he's aspired to. But he still needs to make partner. Not only does he know nothing about family law, Sunny can't even pay him. If only her irrepressible caring and sweetness wasn't drawing him much too close--or making him hunger to keep her in his life. And as wrenching remembered pain on both sides threatens to shatter the delicate trust he and Sunny begin to forge, they will need more than courage to face down their pasts--and seize forever together.
Praise for Jamie Pope's Hope Blooms
"Beautifully written . . . a story you won't forget."
--Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author
Author Notes
Jamie Pope first fell in love with romance at thirteen when her mother placed a novel in her hands. She became addicted to love stories and has been writing them ever since. When she's not writing her next book, you can find her shopping for shoes or binge-watching shows. Visit her website at jamiepopebooks.com, find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sugarjamisonbooks, and follow her on Twitter @sugarjamison.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Pope (Love Blooms) brings an unlikely pair together in her marvelous latest contemporary romance. Social worker Sunny Gibson and attorney Julian King have nothing in common but their trust issues. Abandoned as a child, Sunny's dedicated herself to foster children. She covers insecurity with a charming and upbeat attitude but holds herself apart. After a career-ending injury, sports star Julian reinvented himself as one of the best lawyers in New York City. Julian works unceasingly to prove he truly belongs among his firm's elite and isn't just there for his fame and contacts, and he's deliberately built a life where love plays no part. When a young girl's mother reappears in a manner that mirrors events in Sunny's own past, a determined Sunny coaxes a reluctant Julian into helping and opening his heart. Pope's sexy humor and lively dialogue create emotionally available characters who develop a fascinating relationship. Sunny and Julian are increasingly likable; even their missteps will keep romance readers invested and rooting for them straight through to the last word. Agent: Emmanuelle Morgen, Stonesong Literary. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Being abandoned as a child should have hardened her heart, but Sunshine Gibson truly believes that love heals, which is why she's a social worker barely making ends meet in New York City. When one of Sunny's adoption cases is in danger of falling through, Sunny desperately reaches out to former athlete turned high-priced attorney, Julian King, for help. Making it to the top of his law firm is Julian's number one goal; he doesn't do family law or pro bono work. But Sunny's casual style and empathy for foster children appeals to his softer side. Her feminine wiles aren't as polished as some, but Sunny is able to persuade Julian to take the case, and in the process they uncover clues that reveal the identity of the woman who has reemerged to claim her child as well as secrets related to Sunny's own childhood trauma. Opposites attract in Pope's breezy, multicultural, contemporary romance spiced with a touch of suspense, a romance similar to those of Brenda Jackson and Robyn Carr.--Kristina Giovanni Copyright 2018 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Abandoned by her unstable mother and in the foster care system from the age of eight, social worker Sunshine Gibson is determined to ensure that other children avoid her fate. So when the anonymous birth mother of eight-year-old Soren (whom Sunny secretly thinks might be her sister) begins sending letters and money, Sunny fears the woman might interfere with Soren's new life and upcoming adoption, and she's not about to let that happen. But Julian King, the ex-football star and high-profile attorney she hopes will assist her, resists all the way. First, he doesn't do family law; second, he doesn't do pro bono work; and third, Sunny is far too appealing-and falling for someone is not on his agenda. Then everything changes. Zingy dialog and surprising humor lighten the powerful emotions that weave throughout this story that addresses some serious child abuse and foster care-related concerns. VERDICT Strong but conflicted protagonists, each with abandonment issues, come to terms with their pasts as well as their feelings in this hard-hitting, appealingly sexy story that will have fans waiting for the next in this duology. Pope (Love Blooms) lives in Poughkeepsie, NY. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.