Books,  Reviews

Radiant Blog Tours: Justified by Varina Denman

23168525Justified by Varina Denman
Radiant Lit Blog Tours
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: David C. Cook
Release Date: June 1, 2015

In a small Texas town ruled by gossip, Fawn Blaylock believes others are justified in condemning her untimely pregnancy. Stifled by guilt, she yearns for grace while the local football coach treats her with gentle respect.

Fawn has a problem. She has many problems actually, not the least of which is her outside of marriage pregnancy in a small town where everyone knows far more than just your name. The father of the baby is generally considered Mr. Popular around town and it’s just assumed that Fawn’s going to marry him. But she knows that isn’t going to happen. And she’s not getting rid of the baby. Her parents have ousted her from home and now she’s scrounging in a house that’s just this side of being condemned on an income that’s barely enough to get groceries. So what could happen next?

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. Honestly, if it weren’t for Radiant Blog Tours, I doubt I would have even picked it up because it just doesn’t seem my speed. But once I started reading, I really enjoyed it. The small town atmosphere is captured pretty perfectly and Denman does a good job at highlighting each personal struggle along the way. Life in a small town isn’t easy and when there are expectations of your behavior and you miss those expectations, that can be far more than just difficult. It can seem like everything’s ruined. Denman captures the essence of a small town and highlights the quirks in the best way.

The main character is obviously not perfect, but neither are those around her and it helps keeps things fresh.  With some of the storyline, you can see it coming a mile away, but that doesn’t diminish the enjoyment of reading. And with some others, the twists are completely unexpected.

All in all, I’m glad I picked up the book and read it. It was enjoyable enough that I passed it along to my 16 year old daughter and she liked it as well.  This one’s a solid read with good values and enough entertainment factor to keep it interesting.

Varina Denman is a native Texan who spent her high school years in a small Texas town. Now she lives near Fort Worth with her husband and her five mostly-grown children.

 Justified is available for purchase here from Amazon.com.

 Note: I received this book as part of the Justified  blog tour from Radiant Lit.  I received no compensation for this review and only received a copy of the book for review purposes.