Reviewed by Patricia Day for Readers' Favorite

Amber works in social services. She loves the results of the work she does, but does not always like the circumstances leading up to those results. Her workplace is Florida. Her office is the Department of Children and Families. Amber spends much of her waking hours rescuing children from abusive homes. It is not the work for the faint-hearted. Her goal is to place the children she saves into good homes, which hopefully become their forever homes through adoption. This is the goal of every good social worker, but sadly they can be deceived. When the plight of Shawna, Max and Justin come to her attention she puts her career on the line in her drive to give these youngsters a better life. They have endured horrendous abuse at the hands of people they were supposed to trust. Amber becomes embroiled in their lives, fighting for their futures against the law and so-called loving family members. To top everything, her husband does not understand her long hours at work. Her battles endanger not only her but her family also. There is despair, anger and graphic child abuse detail. It is a powerful read and is delivered with a punch.

I chose this book because I too have worked in social services, though, thankfully, not in child protection services. In this particular work field you encounter many horrific stories of neglect and need. My experience with children’s services remained minimal. My work colleagues dealt more closely with the dysfunctional families. I enjoyed this book immensely, although it certainly dredged up anger and disgust. How a person can commit such heinous crimes against another human being is beyond me, but the truth is, they do. This is a gripping story told in strong terms. Aimee accurately reveals the highly stressful workplace that is the norm for social workers, as they deal with the chronic dysfunctional ills of human-kind. There is some profanity but the story is good, so I was able to skim past ‘those’ words.