A Reason for Hope

I was so excited to receive this book today as I pre-ordered it. I have read all of her other books and if you love dogs this is a must read. It’s always a story that’s endearing and heartwarming.

Kristin hits another out of the ball park with A reason for Hope. A subject that most want to brush under the carpet, rape. You feel Tessa's anxiety, fear, anger yet her ability to care for job and cats. While Will has a whole other set of battles. A wonderful read, read cover to cover in a few hours.
Well done!

I am a sucker when it comes to dogs. I live with 3 incredibly spoiled canines who seem to rule my world. If I am out and about and see a dog, my heart melts just a little bit. So it is no wonder that I tend to be drawn to books that feature dogs on the cover. If they are a part of the story, that is even better. I just couldn’t resist this book once I saw the cover. It was a heavier story than I expected from the cover but it was so worth it. I am so glad that I gave this book a try.

Tessa works as a librarian driving a bookmobile all over San Juan Island. She is single but open to a relationship so when she meets Nick Payne through a dating website, she meets him for drinks and things seem to go well. They plan to get together again for dinner at his house. She wakes up the next morning having no memory of anything that happened after drinking two glasses of wine. She soon realizes something isn’t right and goes to the police to report a sexual assault. Will is a prosecutor assigned to her case. While he believes her accusation, he isn’t sure that there is enough evidence to win at trial. Will is Hope’s primary handler. Hope is a retriever trained to provide comfort to anyone going through something traumatic at the justice center. Hope has several handlers and stays very busy trying her best to make people feel better.

This was a rather emotional novel. Tessa goes through a lot in this story and it broke my heart that she had to deal with the trauma that she did. I thought that all of the women that were a part of her support group were incredibly strong and I thought that the author did a great job of showing just how much sexual assault can impact the victims. I also thought that the trial was very well done and I could understand how traumatic it would be to pursue justice after an assault.

I would recommend this book to others. It might be a difficult read for some because of the fact that it deals with sexual assault and its aftermath. I would definitely read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Kensington Books via NetGalley.

Tessa Jordan is single, takes care of feral cats, and drives a bookmobile. She meets a man, Nick Payne, a respected leader in the community, online, and they meet for coffee. He invites her over to his house Saturday night to meet his brother and his wife. When she goes, she has a glass and a half of wine and wakes up the next morning, not remembering anything. She is naked and huts all over. She leaves and goes home.
The author tells her story, through all that happens after she decides to come forward and press charges against him for rape. Will Armstrong declines to pursue her case, citing lack of evidence, and while she is in his office she meets Hope. Hope, a courthouse dog, trained to comfort victims, and she went and comforted Tessa. Hope also gave her strength and courage, to stand up for herself, and Will decided to take the case.
It wasn't easy going through all she had to go through and endure, but Hope was there every step of the way. Will and Tessa became friends during this time, and when the verdict was read, Will and Tessa saw things differently.
Tessa joined a survivor's group, and it was part of the process of making it through all that she has had to go through. She still finds hope and strength from Hope, and wants to heal and begin to move forward, and you will need to read the book to find out if she is able to. I learned many things from reading this book and think that someone who has been through what Tessa had to go through, could find some healing.
I received an ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley.

This is an intense, heart-wrenching, journey of a young woman named Tessa and a beloved pup named Hope.
Tessa meets Hope following a traumatic event in her life that causes insecurity, fear and distrust to the max!
Hope is a trained courthouse dog that has the job of comforting people. She feels a person's anguish and knows when a hug is necessary. Tessa absolutely is in need of Hope and her friends to help her survive this heinous incident

It has triggers for those who have been involved in abuse.
However, it shows strength, compassion and love.
The character of Tessa challenges the system to advocate for her rights and what is right.
She is strong!
I was anxious to learn of the ending of Tessa’s story and therefore it was a very quick, but intriguing book.
I will remember this novel for a long time!

I read an ARC of this important and timely book and am amazed and impressed by the amount of research that must have gone into writing it. Of course, I adored Hope, the wonderful support canine. She is the epitome of what it means to be a “good dog,” and an emotional support animal. Will, one of the other main characters, is a moral, empathetic, and hard working man. He’s the type of guy we all wish we knew. Tess is our heroine. She is kind, caring, intelligent, and growing as we travel with her on her path to triumph over trauma. If you love dogs, wonderful, supportive people, and a heroine who triumphs of horrific trauma, you’ll love A Reason for Hope too! Thanks for another wonderful book, Kristin von Kreisler. Well done!

It wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be, but it turned out to be exceptional! Loved the way the author wrote the story, and now I want to read the rest of her books! Highly recommend to everyone!

A Reason for Hope is an extraordinary book and also my first read by this author, though now I am wondering why. This is an emotional book, my emotions were all over the place with it.
Hope is an emotional support dog who comforts people when they are in court. She is very good at her job and makes people find hope again.
A young woman who is a librarian lives alone and takes care of feral cats living in the woods next to her house. . She is not afraid by herself at home having all she needs in her cats. Her previous relationship ended two years ago and she's ready for another signing up for online dating.
She hits a match with a man in her town and they have their first date, not looking for anything more than conversation that night the unthinkable happens. She sees signs of it but doesn't remember a thing.
The woman is devastated and at the urging of her friend pursues the matter through court and Hope and her trainer are there for all the way plus her support group is a phenomenal help.
We follow her ups and downs and see her go deep within herself to find courage and healing.
Excellent read! Recommended!

Pub Date 28 Dec 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I read only non-fiction books written by dog owners. They have always been high quality literature. Unfortunately this novel was not up to that standard.
There are so many non-fiction books written by dog lovers and that is one of my favorite genres. Novels can never convey the same feelings and emotions of a live dog and a human companion.

Starring a yellow Lab named Hope, a trained courthouse dog, this beautiful book is about justice, healing, and the impact a caring animal can make through its sheer presence. You’ll be gripped by the drama of this story as you root for Tessa and Will, the feral cats, and, of course, Hope. Kristin’s writing is so vivid, you feel like you could walk right into the pages and pick up life on San Julian Island, right alongside these loveable characters.