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Finding Hope
A treasure worth having is a treasure worth facing your fears for.
Claudia Lewis was a survivor. She and the two women she had met at the
shelter had done all of the classes and had decided to start over in a new place.
They’ve come to Coopers Sand and the wounded women have vowed to thrive in spite of their past.
When Claudia meets Austin as one the first customers in her Baby Registry
she’s sure he’s got to be taken. Not that she’s interested in a relationship.
It’s been two years of school and four years since she escaped her toxic relationship.
Claudia can’t even think of Austin like that…can she?
Austin believed in waiting until the right one came. When shy Claudia came into town
he knew she was the one. The only thing he has to do is convince her of what he already knows,
she's the one.
Grab your copy now!
Claudia Lewis was a survivor. She and the two women she had met at the
shelter had done all of the classes and had decided to start over in a new place.
They’ve come to Coopers Sand and the wounded women have vowed to thrive in spite of their past.
When Claudia meets Austin as one the first customers in her Baby Registry
she’s sure he’s got to be taken. Not that she’s interested in a relationship.
It’s been two years of school and four years since she escaped her toxic relationship.
Claudia can’t even think of Austin like that…can she?
Austin believed in waiting until the right one came. When shy Claudia came into town
he knew she was the one. The only thing he has to do is convince her of what he already knows,
she's the one.
Grab your copy now!
- GenresContemporary
Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2021
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Susan Warner
59 books106 followersSusan Warner was born in New Bern, North Carolina. These days she lives in the melting pot of the United States, New York. She writes about sweet small-town romance as a way to remember her roots. She has been blessed with four grown children and a man who cares about her enough to understand when the voices start-up in her head, it’s time for her to go to work.
She originally started telling stories to her kids to benefit from learning about country values even though they weren’t raised there. As time went on, she found others who wanted to hear her stories. Stories that believe in the goodness of people, the sanctity of love, and understand that forgiveness and compassion make us better human beings.
When Susan isn’t writing, she reads voraciously, volunteers to help the homeless and animals when she can, and is eternally trying to get the gauge right in her knitting.
She originally started telling stories to her kids to benefit from learning about country values even though they weren’t raised there. As time went on, she found others who wanted to hear her stories. Stories that believe in the goodness of people, the sanctity of love, and understand that forgiveness and compassion make us better human beings.
When Susan isn’t writing, she reads voraciously, volunteers to help the homeless and animals when she can, and is eternally trying to get the gauge right in her knitting.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 22, 2022
Finding Hope is a romance about falling down and getting up again. About not letting something horrible you went through get in the way of finding happiness. And also, about how hard it is to try again when your memories get in the way.
The story actually touches a lot of very delicate subjects, including getting out of an abusive relationship and how it is to continue your life after it. Claudia is a woman who put her walls up after getting out of an emotionally abusive relationship and she is trying to get her life together. Austin has given up his old and successful fashion life in the big city but then he falls in love with Claudia's design... and Claudia, in the process.
I loved the idea of the book, but I didn't really feel connected to the characters. Also, although it touches so many delicate subjects, I felt like it lacked some depth. I really wished I liked this more, some of the characters had a lot of potential, but in my opinion, it just didn't get where it needed to go.
Thanks to Grey's Promotion and the author for the advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
The story actually touches a lot of very delicate subjects, including getting out of an abusive relationship and how it is to continue your life after it. Claudia is a woman who put her walls up after getting out of an emotionally abusive relationship and she is trying to get her life together. Austin has given up his old and successful fashion life in the big city but then he falls in love with Claudia's design... and Claudia, in the process.
I loved the idea of the book, but I didn't really feel connected to the characters. Also, although it touches so many delicate subjects, I felt like it lacked some depth. I really wished I liked this more, some of the characters had a lot of potential, but in my opinion, it just didn't get where it needed to go.
Thanks to Grey's Promotion and the author for the advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
August 24, 2022
This is part of the Hidden Treasures Series but is read as a standalone. This is is Claudia and Austin's story and it's very emotional at times. She's returned to her small home town after a bad relationship that left her with lots of internal scars. Her clothing design business is taking off mostly because of Austin. He's a businessman who's attracted to her and wants to help her with her business. She's wary and has walls around her heart. He's determined to break them down. I enjoyed this book but the characters were lacking something. I read an advance copy via Grey's Promotions and voluntarily chose to review it.
August 29, 2022
This is book five of the Hidden Treasures series and the main characters are Claudia Lewis, an abuse survivor who has opened her own little boutique shop in Coopers Sand, and Austin Brogan, who used to work in the fashion industry, but had decided to leave it all behind and hoped to open a business back in his small home town doing what he loves. He keeps visiting Claudia’s shop, Chrysalis, and is drawn to Claudia and wants her as his business partner but can tell she is wary of him for some reason. Her former partner was handsome and did all the right things, until it all became too much and she ended up in a women’s shelter. Seeing Austin, a stranger to town, suddenly coming in to buy baby clothes and clothes for the new mothers as well, she can’t believe he has that many new mothers in his immediate family and believes he has an ulterior motive to coming in so often. Her assistant Jillian is very protective of her, as are her fellow abuse survivors she met in the shelter, Tamara Watkins, who was left scarred on her face and only goes out at night, and Tanya, both now good friends to her. She doesn’t trust anything a handsome man will say to her and has lots of issues with honesty and trust.
Austin only finds out slowly, from Jillian and her friends, how reluctant she is to deal with him and why a wealthy and handsome man like him might be getting the cold shoulder! Her designs have given him just what he needed to tie down his ideas for a small town design and production business. His Grandma Basil was the one who spotted his talent for drawing, that started him off on his career, but it was three famous sisters who worked in the fashion industry and had retired, that encouraged him with his new ideas. Now he has found Claudia and she is the one he needs to complement his own talents. He just has to make sure he doesn’t scare her off! She doesn’t want any sort of relationship with a man, but finds herself having thoughts and feelings about Austin that she shouldn’t be. Austin wasn’t looking for a permanent relationship on a personal level, but the more he interacts with Claudia, the more he realises he wants her to be his one and only. She is the type of woman you marry and he hadn’t thought like that before. Retired fashion guru Sasha, one of the three sisters well known in the fashion industry, is there to help him set up the building he has bought, right across from Claudia’s own shop. I loved the small town gossip and rumour mill, with everyone in town knowing what has gone on, almost as soon as it happens. Sasha even ends up giving Austin a load of advice on getting his woman, as he tries too hard to consider her feelings and go at her pace, without letting her know how he really feels about her! The storyline and concept are lovely. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Austin only finds out slowly, from Jillian and her friends, how reluctant she is to deal with him and why a wealthy and handsome man like him might be getting the cold shoulder! Her designs have given him just what he needed to tie down his ideas for a small town design and production business. His Grandma Basil was the one who spotted his talent for drawing, that started him off on his career, but it was three famous sisters who worked in the fashion industry and had retired, that encouraged him with his new ideas. Now he has found Claudia and she is the one he needs to complement his own talents. He just has to make sure he doesn’t scare her off! She doesn’t want any sort of relationship with a man, but finds herself having thoughts and feelings about Austin that she shouldn’t be. Austin wasn’t looking for a permanent relationship on a personal level, but the more he interacts with Claudia, the more he realises he wants her to be his one and only. She is the type of woman you marry and he hadn’t thought like that before. Retired fashion guru Sasha, one of the three sisters well known in the fashion industry, is there to help him set up the building he has bought, right across from Claudia’s own shop. I loved the small town gossip and rumour mill, with everyone in town knowing what has gone on, almost as soon as it happens. Sasha even ends up giving Austin a load of advice on getting his woman, as he tries too hard to consider her feelings and go at her pace, without letting her know how he really feels about her! The storyline and concept are lovely. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
July 21, 2022
This is book five in the Hidden Treasures series. Austin is a successful business man but wants to start doing things his way for himself. He meets Claudia and is smitten by her. Claudia has pulled herself out of a bad situation and is now making a better life for herself. She is very Leary of Austin and is cautiously building a working friendship with him. There are several layers to this book and many characters are going though their own challenges. I really liked the idea of this book, but unfortunately it fell short. The characters definitely have their own lives and personal struggles, but they were extremely wishy washy. I couldn’t find anything to hook me on this story. The stories bounced back and forth and dragged on. I wanted so hard to like this book. Some of the characters were endearing, and I wanted to love their stories. I would definitely give this author another chance.
July 18, 2022
Emotional story about a woman learning to trust again after suffering emotional abuse from the one person she thought was supposed to love her. 4 stars for this one.
Claudia has come a long way in her quest to heal herself, she's designing clothing that people are buying up left and right. She's comfortable doing this in her little store front, but still guarded, so when a guy, Austin, comes around and starts buying her stuff, she's got her hackles up and is trying to find out all she can about him.
Austin knew it wasn't going to be easy staying under the radar in the small town, but he loves Claudia's designs and wants them to get a bigger reach, and he's just the one to do that for her. But he's also attracted to her, and he knows she's got walls up, so now he not only wants her to succeed with her work, he wants to knock those walls down also. Can he do that?
Claudia has come a long way in her quest to heal herself, she's designing clothing that people are buying up left and right. She's comfortable doing this in her little store front, but still guarded, so when a guy, Austin, comes around and starts buying her stuff, she's got her hackles up and is trying to find out all she can about him.
Austin knew it wasn't going to be easy staying under the radar in the small town, but he loves Claudia's designs and wants them to get a bigger reach, and he's just the one to do that for her. But he's also attracted to her, and he knows she's got walls up, so now he not only wants her to succeed with her work, he wants to knock those walls down also. Can he do that?
July 24, 2022
First of all, I’m really thankful to Grey’s Promo & Susan Warner for providing me an ARC.
Having said that, I did not like this book at all. The plot line obviously had a lot of potential and would have been a great book if the events hadn’t been so disconnected & choppy. The story just kept jumping from one point to the other & there was no segue whatsoever. I like to be immersed in my stories & this just felt it wasn’t developed at all. I had a hard time even comprehending what was happening!? Rather than enjoy the book it felt like work and that I think had a lot affect on my reading experience. It just became annoying & there came a point where I just wanted to get done with the book.
Considering it dealt with domestic abuse, I wanted to feel the emotions but it just felt like words on paper & nothing more. I could not even feel an ounce of the supposed attraction between the MCs. I found it to be more like a draft outline than a finished book.
I love small town romances because of the close-knit community where everyone supports one another but there was nothing in that front here. There were great potentials to show the dynamic between the MC & the side characters but were just not pursued.
Overall, I think this book just wasn't for me.
Having said that, I did not like this book at all. The plot line obviously had a lot of potential and would have been a great book if the events hadn’t been so disconnected & choppy. The story just kept jumping from one point to the other & there was no segue whatsoever. I like to be immersed in my stories & this just felt it wasn’t developed at all. I had a hard time even comprehending what was happening!? Rather than enjoy the book it felt like work and that I think had a lot affect on my reading experience. It just became annoying & there came a point where I just wanted to get done with the book.
Considering it dealt with domestic abuse, I wanted to feel the emotions but it just felt like words on paper & nothing more. I could not even feel an ounce of the supposed attraction between the MCs. I found it to be more like a draft outline than a finished book.
I love small town romances because of the close-knit community where everyone supports one another but there was nothing in that front here. There were great potentials to show the dynamic between the MC & the side characters but were just not pursued.
Overall, I think this book just wasn't for me.
July 22, 2022
This is the fifth book in this series and is Austin and Claudia’s journey. Claudia is a survivor, who with two other women she meets in a shelter, moves for a fresh start in Cooper Sands. From the moment Austin sees Claudia, he knows that she is the one for him. This is a story about woman surviving trauma, and taking back control of their lives, and learning to trust again. This is an emotional roller coaster, with trust, surviving, trauma, healing, heartbreak, and is a heartfelt page turner. I look forward to reading more from this author whose work I recommend.
I received a free copy of this book via Greys Promotions and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Greys Promotions and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 20, 2022
Finding Hope is book five of the Hidden Treasures series of standalones. I’m not going to lie, I struggled with this book. I don’t like not finishing a book so I pushed through. I liked the story but I never felt connected with either Claudia or Austin. I liked that Claudia came from a bad past and was able to build herself back up plus run her own business…my favorite stories are ones where the heroine becomes stronger after a fall! Overall this was an okay book for me. I just wish I could have connected with the characters more.
July 29, 2022
ARC!
This book was really hard to rate, i honestly didn't even know how to rate it.
I love simple books, I'm all for them, but this one felt too simple. Like the characters were good, even the plot line is good but without a well executed work.
The book follows Austin and Claudia, they both have insecurities they must work before getting together and they do, but I just felt like it could've been more developed.
Austin has all the money in the world, and he decides to go to his hometown and develop a new business, with the help of Claudia who's on the fence of his intentions.
Hey, im right here with her. After their relatioship starts to develop you get to know his heart and all, but I honestly needed more. I wanted to finish it so fast, because he even felt boring.
What honestly save this story was Tanya and Tamara, first because we share a name and second I could relate to her and Tamara was just in a need to live through her friends life, and I honestly wanted more of her story.
This story with a little more of rework or editing could be an amazing book, cause the storyline already its.
Tropes: Starting over, small town, tragic past, billionare MMC.
This book was really hard to rate, i honestly didn't even know how to rate it.
I love simple books, I'm all for them, but this one felt too simple. Like the characters were good, even the plot line is good but without a well executed work.
The book follows Austin and Claudia, they both have insecurities they must work before getting together and they do, but I just felt like it could've been more developed.
Austin has all the money in the world, and he decides to go to his hometown and develop a new business, with the help of Claudia who's on the fence of his intentions.
Hey, im right here with her. After their relatioship starts to develop you get to know his heart and all, but I honestly needed more. I wanted to finish it so fast, because he even felt boring.
What honestly save this story was Tanya and Tamara, first because we share a name and second I could relate to her and Tamara was just in a need to live through her friends life, and I honestly wanted more of her story.
This story with a little more of rework or editing could be an amazing book, cause the storyline already its.
Tropes: Starting over, small town, tragic past, billionare MMC.
July 22, 2022
Claudia has a business making infant and new mother clothing when she meets Austin who is a businessman.
Claudia has gotten out of a bad relationship and is cautious with Austin, but Austin falls for Claudia.
This story has a lot of emotion with characters who have issues that need to be worked out. Good story.
Claudia has gotten out of a bad relationship and is cautious with Austin, but Austin falls for Claudia.
This story has a lot of emotion with characters who have issues that need to be worked out. Good story.
July 26, 2022
This is the first book from this author that I have had the opportunity to read. I enjoyed the story line of overcoming a past abusive relationship, which I can only imagine is a tough subject to overcome. I felt there was a need for added details that were missing throughout. This caused me to not connect with the characters and the main reason I gave this book 4 stars and not 5.
July 27, 2022
While I had a hard time connecting to these characters, I did like how well the delicate subject matters in this book were handled. The story kept jumping from one thing to the next, which I found frustrating. I thought the storyline had so much potential, but unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
August 24, 2022
Susan has done it again with a great read. The story is enjoyable, realistic, and holds your attention. The characters are easy to get to know and well developed.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 22, 2022
Claudia and Austin’s story is both charming and emotional, A story of healing of trusting and finally healing.
Claudia is on her guard when a handsome man comes into her shop buying up her clothes she designed, after being hurt and betrayed Claudia isn’t opening her heart anytime soon - Austin is not only bowled over Claudia’s designs he is also intrigued but this beautiful woman, the more she pushes back the more Austin vows to make her his.
Claudia is on her guard when a handsome man comes into her shop buying up her clothes she designed, after being hurt and betrayed Claudia isn’t opening her heart anytime soon - Austin is not only bowled over Claudia’s designs he is also intrigued but this beautiful woman, the more she pushes back the more Austin vows to make her his.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews