Book Spotlight (and a Giveaway!): Just Another Home by Kimberly Banet

JUST ANOTHER HOME by Kimberly Banet
SERIES: Family Forever #1
GENRE: Contemporary Fiction/Foster Care (Christian)
PUBLISHER: Scrivenings Press
RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2024
PAGES: 288

Sixteen-year-old Sam Keller has lived in foster homes and group homes most of his life and has long ago given up on the dream of a stable, forever family. Adults have always let him down, and so has God, and he has no use for either.

John and Abbie Grayson are a respected, successful couple in their fifties with two grown children. They live in their dream home in Franklin, TN, an idyllic suburb of Nashville, where John is a successful college basketball coach, and Abbie works part-time at their local church. But Abbie feels something is missing from her life and convinces John they should become foster parents.

Their worlds collide when Sam is placed in the Grayson home for a few days. Days turn into months, and Sam thrives with the Graysons and allows himself to dream of a forever family, while John and Abbie realize the teen has found his way into their hearts.

As the Graysons begin to investigate the possibility of adopting Sam, an evil agenda emerges, and a secret past is revealed. Nothing short of a miracle can save Sam from a harrowing ordeal and keep the Grayson family together.

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Sweat broke out on Sam’s forehead as he imagined walking into another unfamiliar home to live with people he didn’t know. The fear he’d been suppressing took over. He couldn’t catch his breath, and he grew lightheaded.

“I can’t… I can’t do this again,” he uttered, his voice barely above a whisper. How could he? He’d seldom lived in a foster home that turned out okay. In the best-case scenario, the foster family left him alone, and he merely survived day to day, with no plans, no dreams, no real life of his own. He simply existed on the fringes of someone else’s life. He quickly shut down thoughts of the worst-case scenario.

“It’s okay. Try to relax.” His long-time caseworker, Jamie, put the car in park and looked at him. “I know this is hard, but I came to know this couple well during their training, and they are genuine, good people, who just want to help.”

Sam fought the urge to yell at her and ask her if that’s what she believed about all the foster parents she’d worked with, even the ones who proved abusive or neglectful. More than anything, he wanted to ask her if she realized this was his 3,304th day in foster care. Without warning, the tears of anger he’d held in all night escaped and slid down his face.

“I’m sorry,” he said, more to himself than to her. He quickly swiped the tears away with the back of his hand and took several deep breaths.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Sam. You’re exhausted, and once you get a shower and a good night’s sleep, you’ll feel better,” Jamie said gently.

Yeah, then tomorrow morning I’ll wake up in a strange house with people I don’t know. He needed to get a grip. None of this was her fault, and she couldn’t comprehend what his life was like. His gut told him Jamie tried her best and cared about what happened to him.

They sat in the car for a few minutes so he could compose himself. The lightning and thunder had moved beyond them, and the rain had dwindled to a light drizzle. He had no choice but to go into the house, so he drew one more big breath to prepare himself for whatever was to come.

“Okay, I guess I’m ready.”

He was certain Jamie had no idea what number today was.

Kimberly Banet, Just Another Home
Scrivenings Press, LLC © 2024. Used by permission.

Kimberly Banet stepped out of the corporate world and into the world of writing in 2020 and has never looked back. Her passion is to write faith-based and hope-filled stories that deal with worldly issues through the lens of God’s grace and mercy.

Her favorite things to do when not writing are spending time with her family, friends, and dogs, reading, crafting, drinking coffee, and watching Hallmark movies.

Kimberly resides in beautiful southern Indiana with her husband of nearly 36 years, Jeff. Together they raised two children Nicole and Brandon, and they have two spoiled dogs, Daisy and Winnie. Connect with Kimberly at her website.

Revell is offering a print copy of Love on a Whim by Suzanne Woods Fisher to TWO of my readers! (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What makes you want to read Just Another Home by Kimberly Banet?