Litfuse blog tour stop for Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund (with bonus review)

"Unending Devotion" by Jody Hedlund | Nikon Camera Giveaway and 9/18 Facebook Party! Enter and RSVP today. Celebrate with Jody by entering to win a Nikon Camera Prize Pack!

See what folks are saying about Unending Devotion!

One “devoted” winner will receive:

• A Nikon COOLPIX Digital Camera
• $25 Shutterfly gift certficate
• Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 17th. Winner will be announced at the “Unending Deovtion” Author Chat Facebook Party on 9/18. Connect with Jody, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at a trivia contest, and chat with readers just like yourself. There will also be gift certificates, books and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group)!

So grab your copy of Unending Devotion and join Jody on the evening of the September 18th for a chance to connect with Jody and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book – don’t let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Michigan, 1883
In Her Darkest Hours, Is He the Man She Needs?

Lily Young longs to find her lost sister or will die trying. Heedless of any danger, she searches logging camps and towns, posing as a photographer’s assistant. And then she arrives in Harrison, Michigan–and the sights of Connell McCormick.

Connell is determined to increase the fortune of his lumber-baron father and figures as long as he’s living an upright life, that’s what matters. But when Lily arrives in town she upends his world, forcing him to confront the truth that dangerous men have gained too much power while good men turn a blind eye.

Vexing but persuasive, Lily soon secures Connell’s help, drawing them ever closer to each other. Will standing for what’s right cost them both everything?

Order a copy here.

My review:

This was a creative way to bring the issue of sex slavery in the sex industry to the forefront of our minds once again. While those situations and that industry did exist, this story showed that apathy about something that seems too big to impact (like changing an entire town) can be done if one person is brave enough to take a chance and fight for what is right. Lily saw them as victims, and more than that, people. She didn't reduce them to "whores" in her mind like many of the townspeople, which allowed for them to write the prostitutes off. But one of them was Lily's sister. She was the only family Lily had and she wanted to protect her younger sister who'd gotten caught in the devil's snare.

Though she annoyed me at times because of her impulsiveness, I loved how Lily inspired an entire town that had felt powerless to fight the evil in their midst, and how Connell also learned that apathy was as sinful as the people doing the sex trafficking. Doing nothing allowed it to continue. Great point and spiritual awakening for Connell. I loved how Lily realized that God could do more if she got out of the way and trusted Him more. Good stuff there!

As far as the romance went, this story was more yummy than most. The tension was delectable and I could feel the yearning on both ends. The best part was Connell actually thought like a man (imagine that) and it was not the typical feminine perspective often seen in Christian fiction. The scene where they were stranded for several days and he had to warm her up was very well done. It sort of forced an intimacy that may not have happened otherwise. And the brother Tierney, well he was just a pig. But I'll let you read the story to see why I felt that way about him. This story is definitely worth reading.

Unending Devotion was published by Bethany House and released in Sept. 2012.