Snag Your Copy Charisse (Ties That Bind, #1) By Fay Lamb File Format Electronic Format

Wellmans husband has been gone a year, and shes about to lose the only home her son, V, J. , has ever known. Shes quit law school but the money just isnt there, Her only option is to work as a law clerk for her exfriend, Gideon Tabor, The only problem: Gideon is the judge who let her husbands killer go free, and Gideon doesnt know the connection,

Gideon Tabor cant believe that the woman interviewing for the job is the girl he loved in high school, Charisse is hesitant about accepting his job offer, and when she does, Gideon makes every attempt to apologize for his relationshipending blunder in high school.
Charisse accepts his apology, but she keeps him at a distance, When Gideon learns that Charisses anger actually stems from his release of the man who ran down her husband, he tries to explain, but Charisse doesnt want Gideons excuses or the love he has to offer.
She wants her husbands killer to pay, My thoughts: this is a slow romance between two former friends that had some animosity between them, I thought it first it was womens fiction, but it's Southern fiction, romance, but there is zero sexual tension between the characters.
You can tell the author put a lot of thought into the names of the characters, They all mean something and I think you'll figure it out, If you like slow quiet romance, you will love this book, The second chance at love, I was given a copy free, All opinions are my own,
I most often review murder mysteries, thrillers, police procedurals, and if Im up against a wall a romantic suspense, Thats tongue in cheek, but you get it, So why am I reviewing CHARISSE, a romance novel Well, because theres plenty of mystery in this

story, the kinds of mysteries and dilemmas life throws at individuals.
And, its well written.

Main characters Charisse Wellman and Judge Gideon Tabor are both hiding something, Add to the mix a jealous harridan in stilettos named Delilah, who lives up to her name and youve got one interesting story.


Charisse carries pain, insecurity, and disappointment from her high school days, when she was quite overweight, Now as a widow who has just lost her beloved husband, shes trying to raise her young son, It becomes apparent she must give up her dream of law school and go to work to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.
She finds herself interviewing with Gideon Tabor, a local criminal court judge, with whom she had an unpleasant runin many years ago.
But does he remember her Whatever the case, that incident from long ago, disheartening as it was, is not the only bone she has to pick with him.
. . not by a long shot,

Of course, she aces the interview and begins clerking for Judge Tabor, Just as shes hoping she can put the past behind her and settle into some kind of normal work routine, Judge Delilah James begins playing office politics.
Using underhanded tactics, this vixen in judicial robes, turns what couldve been a pleasant working experience into a nightmare where Charisse is in fear of losing the job she so desperately needs.


On top of this Charisse is battling deep resentment toward the hitandrun driver who killed her husband and the judicial system that allowed him to get away with it.
No matter how much she prays, she cant get over the bitterness she harbors,

I immediately warmed to V, J. , Charisses young son. He is the sweetest child, and at times, the pain of the loss of his father is palpable, However, if there is a flaw in this novel, in my opinion, it would be that this darling little boy is just a tad too perfect at times.
However, I have a penchant for obviously flawed characters, Other readers might not agree on this point,

There are Christian themes running throughout the entire story, As the characters develop and grow emotionally they attain greater spiritual maturity as well, This is a read I could recommend to any fifteenyearold, as well as anyones greatgrandmother, Although romance novels are most often read by women, this is a story I believe many a man would enjoy, My thanks go the Fay Lamb and Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for my copy of Charise that I won,

Charisse is a young wife faced with some hard choices after the death of her husband, She takes a job as a legal clerk after being forced to drop out of law school, She needs to work to support her son and provide a home, She takes a job with her exboyfriend from high school, He is also the judge that let her husband's killer go free on a technical issue with his trial,

I enjoyed Charisse and hope you will too, I am not telling the ending, you will just have to read it to find out how the story ends with Charisse and the judge.
Awesome story with great characters, Spiritual lessons abound in this book of love, loss, hope and forgiveness, Readers particularly women immediately connect with Charisse and her adorable son, V, J. Vance,Jr. Wellman. As she struggles to maintain her home and provide for her son, she finds herself in a most peculiar circumstance: remain unemployed and risk being homeless and hungry or accept a position with a person for whom she's harbored bitterness and anger for some time.


Gideon Tabor never married, His heart belonged to the girl he'd loved in high school, Trouble was he'd never told her, Their friendship had ended on a sour note, Then, unbeknownst to him, he'd made a legal decision, as a judge in criminal court, that deepened her wound,

Judge Delilah James, tactless and selfassertive, wants Gideon Tabor as her own, Gideon wanted no personal relationship with Delilah and had every right to banish her from his life, But he didn't, consequently inviting trouble into his plans to reconnect with the love of his life, Why did he continue to tolerate her shenanigans

Will Gideon connect with this mysterious person at the high school reunion, or will Delilah sabotage his plans A wonderful read.
Of course I immediately wanted to protect Charisse and her little son, I also wanted to slap Delilah, Could've slapped Judge Tabor once or twice too,

This is a story of overcoming hardship through love, Well written, indeed. I love Fay Lamb's books, She has mastered the art of inspirational romance, and Charisse is no exception,

Charisse Wellman is a widow who must meet one goal: to provide for her son V, J. She needs a job in the worst way, and in desperation she puts an application in to the Nineth Judicial Circuit, The boy she'd had a crush on in High School was a judge there, He was also the judge who set loose the owner of the hitandrun car that killed her husband,

Worse, this job would be clerking for Gideon Tabor, He might not recognise her, though, Last time he'd seen her, she'd weighed a lot more, and she left her glasses off for the interview, No good. He did. Now what

On the other hand, Gideon is delighted to have Charisse on his staff, Not only is she the best qualified applicant, but she's as beautiful as ever, and maybe this would be the chance he'd missed in high school to prove himself to her and win her love.


Charisse would refuse the job, but the electric bill is due, And if she doesn't make the house payment, . .
.