Spotlight Read: Love Inspired- Shattered Trust by Margaret Daley

Thanks, Fake Frenchie (I love the cat picture--I have three).

I'm excited that my first online read is out finally.

Margaret 

Whoa... that was a great start... can hardly wait for the next chapter!

Congratulations on posting your first ebook. It's been great so far.

The first Chapter was absolutely awesome Margaret!

OM! Can you believe that Penny's guy (Penny's husband {if you want to call him that}) is attempting to sneak into the public area of the women's shelter?  To find out about Penny?  To see what's going on?  To find out how well the place is guarded?  Will Maddy kick his you-know-what?  Will she call Detective Sean O'Neal for help and back-up?  What about Penny?  Oh man!  We want -- no -- we NEED more of this story!

Thanks, Fake Frenchie and HockeyJock.

What would you all do in Maddy's place--face with the problem she had?

Margaret 

They are awesome.  Really looking forward to reading more!

...why Maddy is refusing to go to the hospital.  Is it because sh doesn't want to abandon her shift at the shelter?  Is it because she doesn't like that Sean is insisting on it, rather than asking?  I'll be anxious to find out why and whether she caves in and goes, after all.  I suspect she's fairly iron-willed and won't budge until and unless she wants to.

That was a very exciting second chapter as well!  Great story so far, Margaret!

JV and Jessica, glad you're still enjoying the story. I love writing cliffhanging scenes. I hope you all will come back next week and see what happened to Maddy and Sean.

Margaret 

Perhaps, and I freely admit this, I am a bit sensitive to violence.  I see a very real beginning here.  The most poignant part thus far, for me, is when we look at the door opening when Maddy was being held hostage.  Kelli came through with a baseball bat.  I commend the author for understanding that one of the things violence does is it grinds away on those who experience it until the victims become ready to use and/or threaten violence themself.  Austensibly the argument is that you are protecting yourself and others from the agressors.  In reality however what we have is a context that expects violence, prepares for it, and not just guards against it, but prepares to meet it on its own terms.  The horrible thing is, you wind up participating in the violence yourself, not neccesarily by using it directly, but by showing that there is no other defence you could employ to keep it at bay.

The police protector is the first one to pull a gun.  He actually brings one of the deadliest symbols of violence into the area.  Why?  Not sure.  I suspect because he is a police officer, he expects violence.  He pulls his gun and confirms that he will use violence to stop the threat of violence.  The husband grabs Maddy.  Would he have if there wasn't a gun pointed at him?  Did the police really need to come in that manner?  Yes.  Because the violence he has observed over the years has made him ready to use it.  Experience with violence breeds violence.  (I should quit now before I get into my professional wrestling and how it worships violence rant.)

Ms. Daley doesn't mess around with how brutalizing exposure to violence can be.  This should be a very bumpy ride.  I'm kinda already shacking.

I hadn't noticed it until you posted, Randus. I thought Margaret did a great job conveying the fear and level of violence that happens in domestic situations. In a perfect world, it would be nice to not have to use violence, but the reality is that men like Penny's ex are not stopped without a degree of force. It's pretty standard procedure for the police to have their guns drawn, particularly in a domestic situation. I spent time volunteering for an organization that helps women in domestic violence situations, and it's not pretty. Seconds mean the difference between life and death. Especially when we're talking about an ex who wants his woman back. They have a violent man invading a domestic shelter. They have to go in with the assumption of violence because of the very real possibility that otherwise, he's got a chance to hurt and/or kill one of the women. So yeah, I see your point that it would be nice to have to resort to force, but that's simply not realistic. I've worked and talked with enough police officers to know that this is the difference between life and death.

I'm enjoying this story so far. Such a real look into what women in domestic situations go through. And I'm loving the tension between  Sean and Maddy. :)

Like you, I'm very much opposed to violence.  However, as much as I abhor it, I would be that person with the baseball bat, like Kelli, in a similar situation.  Working in shelters and such teaches that one had best be prepared to deal with violence.  While it would be great to be able to talk the person inclined to commit a violent act down, I would not be willing to risk my own personal safety to take that chance without some means of protecting myself if necessary.  Sometimes it is only the threat of personal harm to the perpetrator that permits talking them down because that type of rage completely suppresses rational and compassionate thinking.  Otherwise, the perpetrator has the upper hand and is not willing to back down until he gets what he wants.

You're right that violence does grind us down.  Exposure to enough of it makes us immune to it to a certain degree and even promotes acceptance of it, which may be what is happening in some of our most violence-infested neighborhoods to the children who grow up there, exposed to danger daily and fully expecting not to live to adulthood (as well as to children who witness abuse in their homes).  It's sad. 

At the same time, we need awareness that it exists to take steps to minimize it or prevent it altogether.  There's all the difference in the world, to me at least, between being cautious and encouraging or glorifying violence.  The police officer, having a world of experience with such situations and knowing how quickly they can turn deadly, draws a weapon in case he needs to use it to protect himself and others but hopes not to have to.  (And I do understand that there are those policemen who use violence unnecessarily, but I believe they are far outnumbered by those who want the situation to end without violence -- at least I hope so!) 

Now as for video games and sports that encourage violence, that's another topic, as you say. 

I just opened my Love Inspired book club box and right on top was a copy of Together for the Holidays.  I guess this topic is going to take up some thinking time.

I am thankful that the issue of violence can be written about without it being seen as being intertaining.  I posted an anti-violence missive on another site, and the women who responded to it accused me taking the fun out of the whole thing.  My argument was that violence, or aggression, used as entertainment in my view just wasn't funny.  Ms. Dailey isn't making the shelter a source of entertainment, nor even preferable:  it is a necessary thing as long as people treat each other the way they do.  We don't see the terminator coming in and killing everyone in sight.  I think we see that it is not a 'fun' place for anyone.  I am glad we aren't in the collosium mind set.

I'm also glad that this topic can be brought up.  My ex-wife used physical and emotional violence to belittle and abuse me.  I was told that if I ever said anything, she would accuse me of violence to the police and they would believe her because she was the woman and according to them, because I was the guy, I must be the guilty party.  The stress of not being able to go to the police myself, and also not having the confidence to stand up to her ate me alive.  I often lay in bed praying that she would just kill me and get it over with.

Thank god there are now places where people can go when they simply can't fight back themselves.

Sometimes I wonder if there really is a way out of this cycle.  The children in that shelter are learning that you can only counter the bad person with a good person with a gun.  Thank god, there is a god, or how could we possibly get outside this mind set.

I'm inclined to agree with you that the child is not Maddy's biological child, though I can't quite put together a scenario that I think would fit.  Perhaps Maddy's sister (or a close friend, perhaps) was in a abusive marriage and was killed, leaving a child that Maddy adopted.  That would also provide a compelling reason for her to volunteer at the women's shelter, as well.  Just a thought.

In any case, I will be interested to find out.

Randus, I'm glad you're out of that relationship, too.  Sounds like the ex not only hurt you physically but damaged your spirit as well.  I'm glad you've been able to overcome that and relearn to value yourself.

the baby is.  When Maddy was thinking about her past husband, she was thinking that they had both wanted lots of children but hadn't been able to before he passed away.

Margaret, you did pick an excellent place and people to show how ugly violence is.

Randus, I am so sorry to hear that you lived with a woman like that and experienced violence at her hands.  I know it hurt to lose her, but she really could have killed you.  You are well rid of her.  Thank you for sharing.

Definitely an emotional story... come on, Margaret, you can tell us about the baby!  We won't tell, I promise!

What would I have done in her situation?  Probably got my neck broken, but my first reaction to being grabbed from behind would have been to slam the back of my head into his nose, deliver a sharp elbow into the gut, and reached down to squeeze what ever I happened to grab... hard.  Ideally at that point he would have let go and been doubled over allowing me to spin and get him in the face with my knee.  There was a reason that when they were getting freshmen with markers, I never had marker all over my face.  I was in Civil Air Patrol when I was younger and they taught self defense in with our survival training (they had a theory that we couldn't help others if we couldn't take care of ourselves).  Between that and growing up with two brothers, I can be very hard to hold onto.  So like I said, I would have probably just made him mad and he would have broken my neck.    

I agree with JV, wow Northwind. But like JV I'm so short I don't know if that would work unless the man was short. What a story, JV.

Jessica and Cathy, thanks for posting. My lips are still sealed about the child until the end then I'll tell all.

Margaret 

Randus, it was more of an expression--Maddy, her daughter and Maddy's mother.

Margaret 

Maddy certainly speaks of the child as if Carrie is her daughter, and her MIL certainly claims her without any hint that it might not be her son's child.  Still, I wonder whether they didn't adopt her because of the way Maddy was thinking earlier in the story about how she and her husband had wanted children but hadn't been able to have them before he died.  As someone else said, that could just mean they didn't get to have all the children they wanted, but I still have the feeling there's more behind Carrie.  I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I don't think there's any question that Bart is going to come after Maddy.  Thank goodness she has Sean to look after her!

April,  I was thinking the same thing after reading about the MIL wanting to visit with her granddaughter... maybe in-vitro!   Although Carrie is a toddler and around 2 yrs old, so I guess it might be possible she is their baby naturally and that the comment was referring to them not having the large family they wanted or the fact that her Dh would not be around to raise Carrie!      I'm wondering if Bart followed them to Tulsa...I am sure there will be a confrontation again, especially since Penney pressed charges now.   And then there's Sean... he's getting in deeper than he'd like and now he's spending even more time with Maddie.  Lots of things to ponder in these last two chapters...

Randus you're not a coward!!!!!!!  I admire your non-violent stance and your courage for putting up with the crap from your ex.

I'm so glad you all are enjoying the story. There's quite a bit still to come. Tell you a secret--I had to go back and reread the chapters because I'd forgotten what I put in each chapter. I remember the story but didn't remember the breakdown of each chapter.

Margaret 

This is the first "Love Inspired" story I've read.  I really like it so far.  I'm a "Tender Romance" catagory reader usually so I hope it doesn't get to heavy and tragic...  I do think the characters are very well written.  I'll definately read all the chapters as they are posted.

If you haven't tried love inspired go dowload the free read in the downloadable books from eharequin here

http://www.eharlequin.com/store.html?cid=1317

There is Hide In Plain Sight by Marta Perry It is a Love Inspired suspense

A Special Delivery by Linda Goodnight it is Love Inspired

and Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart.

They are free downloads and I think you will enjoy them.

You can download on to your comp and read them in PDF format or you can download them onto an Ereader.

Just read the chapters so far and I'm really liking this story. I've read all the Fostered by Love books except the Christmas one, but have it waiting to be read. It's a really great series. 

I wasn't even speculating about the little girl, but after ready everyones thoughts it's got me going too.  It's going to be interesting when we find out. I would love it to be April's suggestion. That way Maddy and her husband could have a baby together, but I'm sure when we find out it'll be good. 

I was on edge in the garden scene waiting to see whether Sean would end up kissing Maddy or not.  I thought the emotional timing of that scene was just right.

Then I was (am) on edge when Maddy returns home and Carrie races off to her grandmother.  I was kind of cringing, waiting to see whether Bart was waiting in the shadows.  He still could be, I suppose, just biding his time until Sean drives away, except I left that last paragraph without the feeling of imminent danger.  I still think Bart is going to be there lurking at some point ready to threaten Maddy (or worse), but I hope it won't be a time when Sean is driving away.

And I still want to know the story about Carrie!