I almost didn't choose to read Justice. I loved the evocative mid-twentieth century feeling portrayed by the cover—the retro streetlight, the 1950s hairdo and plain black dress, but I didn’t want to have to deal with how 1950s small-town America would deal with an unplanned pregnancy as the result of a rape.
Imagine my surprise when I realised the story is set in the present day, complete with wifi and mobile phones. That’s not bad. I prefer contemporary romance, and I figured that would put a more understanding spin on Brooklyn as she “wrestles with questions about what her pregnancy means".
But we didn't see Brooklyn wrestle about the hard things: how to recover from rape, what her pregnancy means, or how to keep following the God who allowed all this. The challenges of her personal journey were glossed over to the point of almost being ignored. Sure, they would have been hard scenes to read and even harder to write, but I think Justice missed an opportunity to speak to Christian survivors of sexual assault (including #ChurchToo).
Instead, we focus on Jake and his search for justice. But he's not looking for justice for Brooklyn. He owns a coffee shop and has inadvertently started a war with the bookshop owner across the road. Now Jake wants justice for what the bookshop owner has done. Priorities, please?
This really annoyed me until Brooklyn called him out on it and I realised the novel wasn't about her at all. It was about Jake. I'm not sure if I'd have read Justice if I'd had realised it was a contemporary romance about a man whose inappropriate quest for justice (aka revenge) leads him away from all he holds dear.
I wasn't sure what to think about Justice. It was definitely Jake's story, and that made it hard. I found myself liking Jake less and less as the novel progressed. The Jake of the early chapters was a strong Christian, encouraging those around him with lines like:
"You've got to believe redemption is possible for you, too. You've been redeemed. Even from this."
But Jake's need for revenge for Brooklyn and for the unknown troublemakers attacking his business gave me the impression of a small god, a god who needed Jake's help to make things go right. Of course, Jake learns God is God, a big God who doesn't need Jake's help. But the business subplot detracted from the novel I was expecting—a novel about God's everlasting love, His healing hand in times of personal difficulty.
I guess the old saying is true: don't judge a book by the cover. This isn't a novel set in 1950's small-town America, and the female on the cover isn't the main character. Sure, her background and actions provide the motivation, but this is not Brooklyn's story (although she is a great example of forgiveness, and the power of God to heal).
Justice fails as a romance novel, because Jake and Brooklyn's relationship wasn't the central focus. Nor is it a great example of women's fiction, because it glosses over Brooklyn's issues to focus on Jake and his #FirstWorldProblems. Some readers will be thankful Brooklyn's rape and recovery are glossed over, while others will be frustrated by the lost opportunity to minister to women who have been through similar troubles.
Justice also didn't work as a suspense novel, at least not for me. I felt Jake jumped to conclusions regarding the identity of the evildoer, and it seemed a little too convenient when he ended up being right. My issue was that the evildoer's motives seemed weak. They were later explained, but I wasn't convinced.
Having said that, Justice did work on many levels. The characterisation was convincing, as evidenced by my dislike of Jake. The Christian elements were particularly strong—Justice is definitely Christian fiction, a strong examination of some of the big dichotomies of faith: justice vs. mercy, and faith vs. works.
It's a novel about Christians who mess up, but who are forgiven and redeemed. It's also a novel of miracles—one of the few I've read where the miracles were believable (I've blogged about the use of miracles in Christian fiction: click here to check out that post and let me know what you think!)
Overall, Justice was a solid first novel which may appeal to readers looking for something a little outside the Christian romance/women's fiction norm. Just don’t expect a romance.
Thanks to White Rose Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Justice

by Emily Conrad

Pelican Book Group

You Are Auto-Approved

Christian , Romance

Pub Date 09 Mar 2018

I am reviewing a copy of Justice through Pelican Book Group and Netgalley:

The woman Jake thought he was meant to Mary Brooklyn is pregnant now and doesn’t want anything to do with Jake.

But there is something Brooklyn is afraid to tell him, something about her pregnancy. She’s afraid of how it will affect her relationship with Jake.

If the man who owns the bookstore across from Jake’s coffee shop has anything to do with it, the baby will ruin them both.

Will Jake and Brooklyn and overcome the obstacles that are hurdled in their path.

I give Justice five out of five stars!

Happy Reading

Justice is a very well written inspirational romance. Loved the plot and the realistic characters. The author is new to me and I look forward to reading more of her books. I highly recommend this book.

This story deals with a difficult issue and shows how gossip and judgement can really hurt people. It also shows how keeping the focus on God and trusting Him will help you persevere through and bring you out on the other side stronger. God can use any situation for His glory.

I hurt for Brooklyn, I hated the she felt so ashamed and felt like she had to go through this alone when she was innocent. But thankfully she had people around her who showed her she didn’t have to be alone and supported her. Her faith in God helped her move forward and she found that forgiveness gave her a peace she needed. Her and Jack have been friends forever, both having deeper feelings for one another but neither really knowing how to move forward into more now because of Brook’s current situation. Once Jack got over his initial shock and anger he stood by her. But he was blinded by his feelings for Brooklyn to be able to see how others would respond to her situation. This created a barrier in their relationship that they needed to learn how to overcome if they are going to move forward. Jack is also dealing with business challenges from fellow business owner and he must decide the best way to respond. His whole life has been shaken, how will he respond?

I did really like Jack at the beginning and the end but I was a disappointed with some of his attitude and actions in the middle part. However this made him feel real, as people are not perfect and make mistakes. It was through these mistakes that he grew, learning more about God’s desire for his life. My favourite characters were Jack’s mom and Caleb. These two were there for Jack & Brooklyn but they also challenged them to think about their actions and feelings.

Overall I enjoyed the message of the story and felt it was done well. I liked how the author did not back down from dealing with a difficult matter and incorporated scripture without it feeling forced. This was a wonderful debut novel and I look forward to more from Ms. Conrad.

I enjoyed "Justice" by Emily Conrad. Jake and Brooklyn are good friends and Jake expects to marry her one day. But then he finds out that she is pregnant and she won't say who the father is. She says she will never marry. Can Jake and Brooklyn overcome all that is against them. There is danger and a mystery. Good read! I plan to read more from Ms. Conrad.

I received this book from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

Justice was as very hard and very serious for me to go into - the book has real subject matters - serious subject matter that many women go through and many men are going though also and with having to sort of dealing with whether they are aware of it or not but if they are Christians like those in the book. In the book GOD takes care of those involved and HE guides and takes care of the situation on all ends. HE also takes vengeance - like in the Scripture where it says "Vengeance is mine saith the LORD". I would not want to be on the other end of that would you? In this story this goes through a lot more than you know, right now trust me , way more and she has GOD, that is how she is making it through it all - this is one to read if you are into a very serious book.

A powerful novel about faith! A very relatable story with points for everyone. A story about the judgement others may have and the truth of a situation. Justice may sometimes be slow in our eyes but God always has the final word. Highly recommended!