SHADOW BOXING by Karen Wiesner

Joshua and Justine grew up together. Justine's life was full of responsibility between keeping up with school, keeping house and taking care of a dying father. The only respite was seeing and being with Joshua. When Justine finds out she's pregnant, she and Joshua marry. Now their daughter is grown and ready to leave for college. So where does that leave their marriage when all that's held it together is caring for their daughter. Can a marriage born out of responsibility ever be more than that? They just might find the answer to that in an unexpected missions trip planned by their daughter.

What an emotionally packed tale! I read this very quickly because I found myself so immersed in the lives of both Joshua and Justine. You can tell (feel actually) that they love each other very much but don't really know how to express it. Once again this author allows you see inside the heads of our lead couple so you know just what they're thinking and I really do enjoy that. I loved Joshua. He was all the things a good hero should be. Kind, gentle and protective but he really had difficulty with expressing his feelings. I liked Justine. She was very capable and yet unsure. I enjoyed watching this couple strive to redefine and save their marriage, grow as individuals and learn how to be with each other. I also loved their daughter Vashti. She was so bubbly and interested in helping her parents. There is a little twist near the end that was great. I must confess that the missions trip is my favorite part in this story. I can see myself going back and reading that again. Great dialog. If you've ever had problems in your marriage many aspects of this story will be relate-able. It deals with sin, guilt, forgiveness and love. Shadow Boxing is the second book in the Family Heirlooms Series. A thank you goes to the author for providing this complimentary copy for review.