In His Hands

What an intense read! This sort of reminded me of the movie "The Village" by M. Night Shyamalan. Abby is in a cult like church where the leader does not believe in outside influences. No doctors, no medicine, what happens is the will of God. They are all on a piece of land in the mountains and locked behind a prison like fencing.

The problem is Abby isn't willing to just follow along. Sammy is a boy with Down Syndrome who has seizures. No one will help him and Abby is determined to get a job so she can help get Sammy out before it's too late.

This is where she meets Luc. He owns the adjoining land and cultivates a grape field for wine making. She has seen him out there working and she is convinced he will hire her to earn money. She cuts a hole in the fence to sneak out everyday and work for Luc.

Luc isn't exactly thrilled about Abby's intrusion but he's just as drawn to her and her tenacity and ends up hiring her. Luc is a very anti social person. He's lived next to the church for two years and had no clue what was happening in his own back yard.

This story is wild! You learn piece by piece what is really happening behind those fence lines. So many of them have grown up there and know no other way. The more I learned about Isiah, the leader, the more angry I got. He's basically the devil in sheeps clothing. This is definitely a story that will get your emotions charged.

A few warnings for readers with triggers: There is a lot of religion talk. Even though Abby is an adult, she has child like innocence. Luc has to explain a lot to her. There is abuse. The author did a good job of not going into too much detail but still expressing some of the abuse so you know what Abby has suffered.

I've read and liked all three of the books in this series but this one was the most intense. It's well written and can be read as a stand alone. ARC provided by NetGalley.

I really hate cults. A lot. I am super uncomfortable with cults and cult themes. I don't even like Amish books because any group of people who pretend you're dead if you leave their church are pretty whacka-doodle to me. I didn't realize that this book would have a cult theme before I started reading it. I had read the other books in the Blank Canvas series so I wanted to read book number 3 in the series.

Anyway, enough about my cult hang ups, In His Hands is actually a good book. I really enjoyed watching Abby and Luc (our heroine and hero) fall in love.

I did find the tension a bit too much at times, but the book was still entertaining and I don't see how the book could have come to a conclusion without all the angst. By the end of the book I was convinced that Abby and Luc belonged together, and that they would have a happy and healthy forever after.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance with a bit of tension.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Adriana Anders is on my must watch list: an author who carefully brings serious and topical elements into her stories, while making readers long for more: more for her characters, more story, more moments. In the third book from her blank canvas series, she brings us yet another set of characters who have tried to move past their insecurities and make new paths for themselves. Easily read in any order: the series name of Blank Canvas truly defines the connections and romance for the characters – they have to choose what to cover those canvases with, and they do so in ways that are gripping, compelling and engaging.

Abby has been raised in a cult: with a leader who alternates between compelling and cruel, she’s finding that the world beyond the relative security and support within the life she has always known may be little more than an illusion. Innocent in all the ways of the world, she harnesses her fear of the unknown in an effort to escape and find a way to pay for treatment, denied by the cult, for a young boy in desperate need. The uniqueness of Abby: her innocence despite the horrific abuse she suffered during her time in the cult, the religious overtones where the word becomes a hammer, twisted and forged for control, and her actual unfamiliarity with many everyday situations. In the company of anyone other than Luc, an honorable man who won’t allow himself to ‘need’ another, even though he’s adopted a dog (Le Dog), and claims to avoid people. There’s just something about Abby – not just her willingness and need to work, her curiosity and the hints of sadness he sees, that allows him to gently guide her through the many pitfalls that her new existence brings.

This did start slowly: there is plenty of set-up as we get a feel for each character: Abby so open and guileless in her sharing, and Luc, a bit more reserved with his quiet moments spent with old recordings that were his grandfather’s favorites. His every waking moment is spent gently tending his vines as a seller of wine grapes with a sense that the grape lives in his soul as a native of Bourdeaux. But soon, with Abby’s sharing and the pressure from the cult to bring her back, the revelations as she understands the repercussions of her own treatment and deciding how to feel, as well as her growing affections for Luc, bring us a slow-growing story where both Luc and Abby find themselves meandering down the path of love. At the same time, the pressures from the outside increase, and the story starts to build tension and keeping readers wondering just what is next. With Abby and Luc, their relationship is decidedly as friends that grows into more: less from Abby’s reticence and more, it seems, for Luc giving her the opportunity to grow, learn and make a choice. As choice seems to be a new-ish concept for Abby, you have to love Luc’s willingness and understanding: even as he guards and guides her forward in this new world. Incredibly emotional and sensual, Anders allows those moments of discovery, growth and sharing come organically and doesn’t rush; you can actually see that these two are well-suited, and the slower development of the relationship gives them a solidity that wouldn’t have appeared had they jumped into the ‘couplehood’ any sooner. Perfectly suited as an installment in this series, keeping it on my favorite series list for characters, writing and unique elements that aren’t common to romance.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.