Claire's Hope

Love's Enduring Promise #3

by T.K. Chapin

A Christian Romance about redemption.

Follow the lives of the men and women who have a unique connection with a little country town in Eastern Washington, and watch as their lives unfold as they face challenges of life, faith and love.

"Sometimes hope comes when we're least expecting it."

Claire Vander might be only eighteen years old, but she's learning how hard life can get. What was supposed to be an amazing time in her life with graduation just around the corner, turns into a downward spiral she cannot get out of.

Sometimes God has to let us hit our bottom in order to bring us back up, and that's just what happens to Claire. Starting with the death of her parents, Claire's life soon begins to unravel quickly as she continuously tries in her own power to bring it all together. Sex, drugs and alcohol can't solve her problems, but they are an easy distraction from them. Can Claire break her destructive cycle and find hope, redemption and what true love really means?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian

327 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2015

About the author

T.K. CHAPIN writes Christian Romance books designed to inspire and tug on your heart strings. He believes that telling stories of faith, love and family help build the faith of Christians and help non-believers see how God can work in the life of believers. He gives all credit for his writing and storytelling ability to God. The majority of the novels take place in and around Spokane Washington, his hometown. Chapin makes his home in the Pacific Northwest and has the pleasure of raising his daughter with his beautiful wife Crystal. To find out more about T.K. Chapin or his books, visit his website at www.tkchapin.com

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given and pre-release copy of this eBook to read for review.

Life for eighteen-year-old Claire and thirteen-year-old Todd Vander was turned upside down when their parents were killed in a car accident. Todd went to live with their Aunt Jennie and Uncle Dale and even though they both asked Claire to live with them she thought since she was eighteen, she was old enough to take care of herself. Claire dropped out of school and moved in with her boyfriend Matthew. Not too far into the relationship things quickly began to go downhill, beginning with sex, abuse, drugs, alcohol and losing her job. Claire found herself pregnant without any money or friends. She kept thinking she didn’t need anyone, because she could take care of herself, but God let her hit rock bottom before she realized His mercy was there for the asking.

This book is truly about redemption, learning to forgive and be forgiven. As I read Claire’s story I felt this book would be an excellent advocate for prolife. Even though Claire felt she had no place to go or anyone to help her she could not think about aborting her baby. So many times teenagers find themselves in the same situation as Claire, but this book shows God will be with you each step of the way if you are willing to yield your life to His will. The way will not always be easy, but the faith-filled journey is worth it. This is such a wonderful story of love and hope. Although this is the third in the series you do not need to read the others in order to read this. One of the most profound things about this book was the ability of Claire’s Aunt and Uncle to not be judgmental but to be supportive even when they disagreed with Claire’s choices. This would be a great book for families that are going through this situation.

It is a beautifully written book about making wrong choices in life…with a happy ending.

Disclosure: I was given a copy of this eBook by the author, T.K. Chapin, for an honest review. I was not required to write a favorable review nor was I compensated for my review. The opinions in this review are my own.

[bonnie vansandt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too long ,and boring

The author made the main character too foolish. I read it only to see if she would ever use her brain. It made me wonder if 18 year old girls are really that 'stupid'. Hopefully not or our world is in very serious trouble.

[Renee McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read! Out of all the books in this series, this one I had a connection with the main character & some of the things she dealt with. Since I been reading your books, I'm becoming more & more of a fan & I can't wait to read more. If Only is going to be my next one of yours to read since I got it on my Kindle. Thanks for writing such great books!!

[Sally Carignan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgiveness and persistent support and love of other Christians to help them find God.

I loved this book. It reminded me of the many women in the world who need to find a God that is able to change their life. I highly recommend this story. I had a difficult putting it Dow because I wanted to discover how the author ended the story. Thanks autor.












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[Judith Seale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard reading

I did not rate this book as high as his others. The first half to three quarters of the book was about drugs and sex. This was very uninspiring to me. I know where it was leading to,but it was a bit much to continue reading.

[Shackarah Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read

I liked Claire's journey. It wasn't easy but in the end Got got the glory. I loved the light of the family. It was a realistic depiction of a Godly Christian family. Not judgmental. Christians always get a bad rap for being that way and not showing God's Grace

[Katy Jo Vasbinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it!

What a great story of pain, poor choices, God’s unceasing love for us, and redemption! I highly recommend this book. It took me a while to read, but it was definitely worth it and the story will stick with me a long time.

[Heidi Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic Contemporary Christian fiction book in the series. The story was believable and the characters heartwarming. I was able to read a copy of this book via Overdrive, but it did not in any way affect my review. All opinions are my own.

[Benedicta · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good read.Finished the book in one sitting.
I wasn't convinced at first but I was curious to see how it will end.
I'm going to pick up another book from the author and see how it goes..

[Debra Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book

Very emotional book concerning the choices we make and finally figuring that only through God's grace can we truly have love.

[Emma Fleming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire’s Hope was a realistic view of how tragedy, adversity, and love can lead to redemption, overcoming life’s challenges, growth, and leading to God. At the beginning, I was a little skeptical on how much I was going to enjoy this book, but as the story went on, I grew to enjoy it. T.K. Chapin is an incredible author who understands reality as it truly is. *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Claire is the main character of this story. In the beginning, life is just normal in her household and then suddenly her life takes a turn. After partying one evening, she gets a call from her Aunt Jennie who tells her that her parents have died in a fatal car accident. What is she going to do? What is her brother Todd going to do? Claire decides instead of living with her very Christian aunt and uncle, she goes and lives with her boyfriend Matt. Her little brother Todd, decides to live with his aunt and uncle. Claire, being a high-school dropout, has to find a way to survive. One day, Matt comes home furious with Claire because he had seen her talking with another boy named Joshua. Matt starts to talk to Claire and becomes very violent. He becomes so violent, that he slaps and strangles her. Luckily Todd was there and intervened slightly, but just enough for Claire to gain consciousness and get away from Matt.This abusive incident sends Matt to jail . Even though Claire had seen the signs of an abusive relationship with Matt, she still wanted to make their relationship work and obviously, it would not work out.
Joshua is a boy who is madly in love with Claire, no matter her faults. He had always been a friend to her but then they started to become more than friends. Claire has fallen in love with him, but in order for her to love him, she must love herself first. Joshua doesn’t care about she has done in her past and chooses to love her anyway, even if it will take time, he is set on making their relationship work. Claire tells Joshua that she is pregnant with Matt’s child and he still wants to help her any way he possibly can.
Now what was Claire to do? She decides to go live with her friend Nicole, which doesn’t quite go as planned and decides to go live with her aunt and uncle. Claire chooses not to tell anyone about her pregnancy until she finds the right moment. One day, Claire decides to go to church with the family and overhears girls talking about how a girl is pregnant. Instantly, Claire thinks that Joshua has leaked her secret, even though he hadn’t. Claire runs away and decides to stay in a homeless shelter with her unborn child, named Hope. She struggles through life’s challenges, but keeps going. One day, she goes to her OBGYN to have a look at her child. Her doctor tells her that she needs to have her baby that day, because she is afraid that an infection could be spreading. Claire makes her way over to the hospital and asks her aunt to come. Claire goes into labor, but after having her child, she goes into a coma for a month. When she awakes, Joshua is right there next to her.
As the story comes to an end, everything comes together. Claire finds God and begins to love herself, which allows her to accept love from other people. Joshua and Claire get married and begin a new life together with Hope. Everyone is living a life that God had intended for them and continue in the path of faith and love.
I enjoyed reading Claire’s Hope, usually realistic stories aren’t my thing, but this is definitely a fabulous read. The thing that I enjoyed most, was the love that existed between Joshua and Claire. Even though Claire had a hard time accepting love from other people, she eventually came to love herself. I would rate Claire’s Hope a four out of five, I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved how T.K. Chapin is able to truly understand life’s challenges. I would recommend this book for teens and up.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire's Hope by TK Chapin is a contemporary Christian novel, and I was blessed to receive a copy. It tackles hard hitting themes while delivering a strong Christian message.
Eighteen year old Claire has her whole life ahead of her, when suddenly her world is turned upside down. Claire is not a Christian and she tries to fill the empty space inside her with many different things. She is unaware that the hole inside her is God shaped.
Claire has a Christian aunt and uncle who live out their faith, but they do not ram it down her throat. Claire must recognise her need for God herself.
Claire's Hope covers a great many themes including that of friendship. Claire has a best friend Nicole, but when the chips are down, how reliable will she prove to be? At the parties that Claire goes to, she keeps coming across Joshua. Joshua is a Christian who also lives out his faith. He drives people home when they have drunk too much, and he is always looking out for the person in need. He wants to be Claire's friend, even though she doesn't think she needs him.
The theme of forgiveness is also present. People hurt us and we need to forgive them. Sometimes it is easy to do, and sometimes we need God's help to forgive, but we must do it. Claire has actions in her past that need to be forgiven. Hardest of all to forgive is the face in the mirror.
Linked to forgiveness is the theme of judgement. Judgement is to be left to God. As Christians we are never to judge others, we must dispense love not judgement. Claire has a tendency to judge not only others, but herself and even God. Claire believes she is not good enough for church and for God. A bad experience in church when she was younger, turned Claire from not only church but God too. She needs to know that the church is made up of people, imperfect people who make mistakes just like her. Covering these mistakes is God's grace. Claire will never be 'good enough' for God, but she doesn't have to be because she is covered by His grace.
TK Chapin was not afraid to tackle the grittier, seedier side of life in Claire's Hope. It does not always make for easy reading, especially the scene of physical abuse. However bad things do happen to good people. It is an excellent Christian novel, extolling the virtues of Christianity whilst remaining grounded in the realities of life.
The novel was written in the first person through Claire's voice. The reader therefore really gets to know her personal struggles. I felt a great deal of empathy for her, as she stumbled through life. All the characters were fully developed and believable. I loved Joshua as he lived out his faith. And Claire's aunt and uncle portrayed how the Christian family could offer support, even when it sometimes meant stepping back and letting go.
I read Claire's Hope in just one sitting, as once I started it, I just could not put it down. I can thoroughly recommend it, and I look forward to reading more by TK Chapin.

[Pam Graber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claire's Hope is a story of forgiveness, redemption and, yes, hope through some pretty extreme circumstances. Claire Vander is a spoiled, self-centered 18-year-old who believes God is a crutch for weak people which she most certainly, is not. She lives her life as if nothing can touch her. Drugs? Absolutely! As much as she can, as often as she can. (Although, she does draw the line at meth.) Alcohol? Sure, drug use and drinking go hand in hand, don't they? Premarital sex? How else can she keep her "hot" boyfriend?

When her world crashes, it does it in a spectacular way. First, her parents die and she is left with her Christian aunt and uncle, two people she feels nothing but contempt for. Her parents are no sooner buried than she decides she can't live with her aunt and uncle's rules. She deserts her little brother, quits school mere months before graduation and moves in with her boyfriend, Matt. The two proceed to party harder than ever which results in Claire showing up to the job she's held all through high school hung over and late. Since it wasn't the first time or even the second, she is summaril y fired. She takes a job at the call center where her friend Nicole works and gets to know her former classmate, Joshua, who also works there part-time.

Her friendship with Joshua is both her saving grace and the trigger that nearly kills her. Joshua is a Christ follower. He attends the same parties Claire does but he goes as the designated driver for those who plan to overindulge. When Matt sees her talking to Joshua he beats her nearly senseless almost as soon as she walks into their apartment. Her aunt and uncle take her in so she can heal but the "God talk" scares her away. She moves in with Nicole's family where her mother makes her feel less than welcome. When that situation finally comes to a head, Claire finds herself in a homeless shelter serving meals at a soup kitchen in order to stay. To top it all off, she learns she is pregnant, 5 months along.

As I read this story I found myself wanting to shake Claire until her teeth rattled! Her decisions were so far from being good for her that they were almost laughable. And yet, without Christ in her life, what moral compass could she use? Her pregnancy is her turning point. She knows she can't continue her previous lifestyle and have a healthy child.

This story kind of reminded me of the poem, "The Hound of Heaven." Christ chased Claire in this story until she couldn't stand without Him. How He finally captures her attention is worth the read.

I was given a copy of Claire's Hope by the author in exchange for my honest review.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Claire’s parents die in a car accident during her senior year of high school, her life changes dramatically. She refuses to live with her aunt and uncle even though her younger brother does, claiming their rules, such as attending church and curfew, are too extreme. Instead, Claire chooses her own path, making independent decisions that end up making the already difficult situation much worse.

I enjoyed Claire’s Hope, by T. K. Chapin. It was definitely a tale of pain, redemption, and love, showing the consequences of bad decisions and the hope Christ’s love can afford. I especially appreciated the title’s double meaning, which I will allow the readers to discover themselves.

There were many difficult situations in this novel. The characters dealt with death, drugs, abuse, and more. It pained me how much hardship Claire had to endure even though many of them were the results of her own foolish actions. But, the author addressed the situations very well and made the hope of Christ evident and clearly presented. Claire went through a journey of growth that ended in hope and happiness. Only through belief and trust in God and the good people around her did Claire’s life begin to improve.

I appreciated the setting. It is always nice to have a novel set in a not-so-well-known city, especially when the reader is somewhat familiar with it! I suppose I am a little biased, but I believe the author did a lovely job with the setting, varying the locations between city and country and describing them well.

Overall, I enjoyed Claire’s Hope. I would recommend it to fans of contemporary YA, inspirational novels.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Cassandra Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the untimely death of her parents, Claire Vander struggled with her losses; supporting herself; betrayal; plus, drug abuse. Her Christian family and friends encouraged her to believe in God. But, Claire remained convinced that God did not exist, until a surprise dismantled her destructive mindset and lifestyle. Eventually, Claire discovered that the miracles bestowed upon her would never have occurred without God acting through her loyal family and friends.

Through dialogue, Chapin refuted misconceptions about Christians by showing that they are unconditionally loving, forgiving, and sincere in their beliefs. Though often depressing at times, Claire’s Hope reinforced the importance about being connected to God. Whether Claire initially found hope in family, her friend Nicole, or her boyfriend Matthew was questionable, until she experienced another life-changing event. Also, Chapin modified his syntax to describe the personality of Claire. Shorter sentences made events pass quickly, which makes sense when told from the perspective of a self-centered eighteen-year-old. Longer sentences in which Claire analyzes people; her personality, and the choices she makes indicated maturity.

[Susan Snodgrass · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to be the odd man out here, but I just couldn't seem to connect with this book. First of all, there were a few swear words here and I don't want to see that in a Christian fiction book. I know they are what people might call 'minor' swear words, but they were unnecessary. I believe that you can say anything anywhere without resorting to profanity. That's my opinion and I'm fully aware that others will disagree, but I'm entitled to it. We are cautioned in Scripture to not use coarse language. That's why I read Christian fiction.

I just couldn't seem to grasp the characters. They did not seem very real to me. The story line just wasn't there for me. Maybe because I've just finished several awesome books, but it just didn't 'grab' me. I won't let this stop me from reading another book by this author, however. I will give him another try at a later date. Maybe it was just not my cup of tea and another will be better for me.

*I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review, which I have given.

[Janice Sisemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire's Hope

This was a book for me that could not hardly stop reading once I started it. Claire is eighteen and has a younger brother, they lose their parents in a car accident. Todd her brother goes to stay with their aunt and uncle but Claire goes to live with her boyfriend who is very cruel at times. Then something happens and she stays with her aunt and uncle for a few days and then stays with her friend Nicole. Her and her friends are into drugs and drinking. Then she moves out from there, goes to a homeless shelter. She goes thru so much in a short time. There is a lot of christian friends and family there to help but doesn't want to accept it. This is amazing book, lots of emotion, about forgiveness and love. I definitely recommend this book. This is a 3rd in a series but is a stand alone book so don't have to read the first two books, which I haven't but plan to read them too.

[Linda Rainey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire's Hope by T.K. Chapin is a very inspirational romance. It could be called Christian Women's Fiction but is written by an amazing man of God.
This book documents the journey of Claire, an eighteen year old that finds herself immersed in sex drugs, alcohol and domestic abuse, after the death of her parents. She tries to help herself but hits bottom when she discovers she's pregnant.
She finds God and with his help and the support of her Aunt ,Uncle and church family she begins her healing and finding her self worth.Also, along the way she finds herself in a romance with Joshua.
I enjoyed this book, and all the characters.
This book is not a fluffy romance bu tells of how a person sins before they find God.
Thank you for a nice book that was given me in exchange for an honest review.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered how you could survive your parent's death, you boyfriend beating you, and then to top it off you are pregnant? Claire was not raised in church yet has beliefs that are part of her life. Without these beliefs, a devout Christian Aunt and Uncle, and friends Claire would have been in trouble. Even though for a while she tries to do things on her own she finds out that only Forgiving herself can she really love anyone including herself. I really enjoyed reading this book and will look forward to reading others by T.K. Chapin.

[Bhriv · Rating 5 out of 5]

T.K. Chapin did an outstanding job on Claire's Hope! Claire was 18, thought she had everything going her way, then LIFE smacked her in the face. She faced many struggles that forced her to make choices. She made many mistakes because of her lack of believing in God so she had no hope. Finally it all spins out of control. What a struggle to get to the point where true Hope is found! But for the grace of God, Claire could truly be anyone!! I recommend Claire's Hope...you won't want to put it down!!

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written story about a couple who have lost each other and through the grace and knowledge of God's word are able to come back to that loving relationship they had in the beginning. Of course some issues of trust pop up their head and issues of showing your love in the little everyday things of life.

[Robert L. McKamey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Good book to read with a great happy and loving ending One that would bring Christ into your life, if you already have Christ in your life this story will bring you closer to showing your love for HIM

[Sierra Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review up soon!