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If you read my review of Going Up South you'll know that I've fallen in love with this series by Janet Ferguson. I love football, I love the South, and I love good writing... and this book offers all of that.

It also offers hope and a message of restoration. It deals with some heavy issues, including pornography, human trafficking, prescription pill addiction, and date rape... but it does so to show that God can and does redeem.

Cole is the star quarterback who used to live like the stereotype until he took a mission trip where his life was changed. Partly due to a romantic interest in what he assumed would be a least-likely girl and completely due to God's greater plan, Cole decides to go all in with his service. Along the way, though, he faces temptations and obstacles that remind us that no matter how long we've been serving God, we will face troubles... but He is greater.

Audrey wants to fall for Cole but a history that has brought her shame keeps her from completely doing so. She has to learn to trust... to trust herself, to trust Cole, and to trust God's greater plan for her life.

Audrey and Cole, along with the cast of supporting characters from previous books in the series. are likeable and the kind of people you could see yourself hanging out with. Their mistakes are those that all of us at one time or another have been guilty of making.

This book is the third book of the series, and can be a read-alone, but I would recommend reading the first two books as well because they provide good background plus they are good reads!

I did receive a free advanced readers copy from Celebrate Lit in exchange for my honest review... but if there are more in this series I'll definitely be buying them!

About the Book

Cole Sanders is a changed man. The university quarterback questions his direction in life after serving on a mission trip in Honduras. Things that used to fill Cole’s ego seem empty after witnessing the developing country’s extreme poverty and the death of a precious child. The one glimmer of hope through his confusion is the fresh perspective he now has about his tutor, Audrey. She possesses something beautiful inside and out—something that might help him become the person he wants to be.
University senior Audrey Vaughn tutored Cole Sanders for an entire year and never imagined the popular quarterback would see her as anything more than a friend. After partnering with him on the mission trip, they are drawn together. And he appears to have changed for the better. To let Cole into her life, Audrey will have to overcome not only her brother’s distrust, but also the paralyzing fear still lingering from a past she’s tried to leave behind.
Cole can’t walk away from Audrey now that they’re back in Oxford. He’ll have to figure out how to keep her giant of a brother, a lineman on his football team, from killing him when the coach has his back turned. But can Audrey trust her heart to a player so similar to the one who stole so much from her in the past?

About the Author

Janet W. Ferguson grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served her church as a children’s minister and a youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a few cats that allow them to share the space.

Guest Post from Janet Ferguson

Hi, I’m Janet W. Ferguson, and I’m so excited to be back again and meet more readers through Celebrate Lit!
This is a story I didn’t want to write, but felt called to tackle. The loss of the dream, the loss of innocence, and life’s other unfair struggles can challenge our faith—can make us captive to fear and disappointment.
In the South, we love football. In writing this book, I’m not trying to make a statement for or against the sport. My husband and son loved playing the game. After my son suffered a torn ACL, torn shoulder labrum, and four surgeries, he could no longer participate in the game he loved. He mourned the loss of the brotherhood of his team. I saw the popular pastime differently from his eyes. For young men, I believe it is a bond between friends for a common goal. Though the character in this book is totally fictional, I’m dedicating this book to my son, Luke.
The other sensitive topics in this story seemed particularly sad, but relevant in our society. Trust me, I didn’t prefer to research acquaintance/date rape or human trafficking, but both are going on all too often in communities both small and large. There are a number of organizations set up to help victims of these crimes if you feel a calling to help.
Someone reading this may have had something terrible that happened in their past or may know someone who has. God is able to set free the captives, set you free from the bonds that hold you. My prayer is that you find comfort in that truth.