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Competition is tough at the Savannah law firm but Tami's work sets her apart and the firm's partners see something special in her.

Good book - this author obviously knows about Pentecostal worship and receiving revelation from God! I am looking forward to reading the next one in this series! ( )

It's always interesting to skim the list of people who add or add review a book on their feed. Sometimes you find a new perspective on an old favorite or a reason to pick up something you couldn't or didn't finish anew. Other times, you take a moment to reconsider a book or consider a new take on a book.

And then there are times when you wonder if you're not exactly the target demographic for a certain title.

As I skimmed the reviews and readers for Robert Whitlow's "...more It's always interesting to skim the list of people who add or add review a book on their feed. Sometimes you find a new perspective on an old favorite or a reason to pick up something you couldn't or didn't finish anew. Other times, you take a moment to reconsider a book or consider a new take on a book.

And then there are times when you wonder if you're not exactly the target demographic for a certain title.

As I skimmed the reviews and readers for Robert Whitlow's "Higher Hope," I felt this might be the case. And I can see how a novel about a young woman's personal journey both professionally and romantically might not be the first book of choice to a lot of male readers. But since the series is by Robert Whitlow, one of my favorite authors, it wouldn't matter to me--I'd still pick up and read the book.

"Higher Hope" is the second installment in the Tides of Truth series, following our hero Tami Taylor as she continues her summer clerkship at a prestigious Savannah law firm and continues her journey of choosing between two single male suitors. Interestingly my biggest criticism of the first installment in this series--too much interpersonal drama--is the biggest strength of this story. Part of it could be that since part one dispensed with introducing us to Tami, her family and her worldview, this novel has more room to get down to the business of telling its story. And the moments in which Tami is torn between her two suitors are some of the strongest in the novel. Whitlow makes an interesting choice of making you both root for and against both suitors at various points in the story and not telegraphing who Tami's eventual choice could or should be.

Meanwhile, the legal aspect of the novel is where the novel let me down. Tami is brought in on a case of a local preacher whose church is on a site desired by a local developer. The preacher has made some comments that could be meet the legal definition of slander and the plan is to use the system to get the land from her that way. Tami is brought in because of her religious convictions as a ringer on the case and the more she discovers, the more torn she becomes about whether or not she's doing the right thing and how this case could impact her pursuit of the law in later years. At times, the story is a fascinating, insightful one--mostly when we're looking into Tami's motivations and internal conflict. Where things fall down a bit are when Whitlow shifts the point of view to the preacher or during some of the legal maneuvering being done to try and win the case. And since the legal system and its nuances have been a strength of many of Whitlow's previous novels, it makes that shortcoming in this story even more apparent.

In the end, Tami is left with some decisions for her life and while the novel does wrap up one story, it leaves a lot of things open for the next installment. The first novel had one pretty dramatic unresolved situation and this one has at least two. ( )

The Tides of Truth series follows law student Tammy Lynn Taylor, known as Tami at the law firm where she is a clerk for the summer. She has a strong Christian faith and very conservative background. We are watching Tami come of age, and learn how to walk by faith in a world that doesn’t support or always accept her beliefs. This time around, the case she is working on involves an abrasive, outspoken preacher who tells people what God shows her, and they don’t always like what she says.

The story was interesting and plausible. The best part may have been seeing how the preacher self-censors herself, knowing that sometimes what she knows isn’t complete enough or the other person isn’t ready for it. Plus seeing how the people she does talk to react to what she says. Some repent, some work to reconcile with family and friends, and some deny that it’s the truth. Her deposition by the lawyer is a great scene. The books are thoughtful and well done. ( )