A Gateway to Hope begins the Hope Series by the talented author, E C Jackson. I adored reading this sweet and delightful story so much. I enjoyed getting to know the true to life main characters, Neka and James. I thought there was great chemistry between the two. The love they have for one another is being threatened by family dynamics. I wanted to keep reading to see if they would allow those dynamics destroy their relationship or bring them closer together. The book is full of drama and at times emotional. It offers readers the element of faith, hope, and love. I thought the author did an excellent job creating believable characters and true to life events that so many readers would be able to find relatable. I thought this was a fabulous book to read. I was so engaged reading it that I had no problem or have guilt in taking a break from the chaos of life and reading it in one sitting. I loved every single page.

I am giving A Gateway to Hope a very well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers and fans who love to read clean and inspirational romance. I am looking forward to reading the next installment from the Hope Series, A Living Hope to see what adventures are in store for E C Jackson’s characters.

I received a paperback copy of E C Jackson’s A Gateway to Hope from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion. ( )

THOUGHTS
A Gateway to Hope by E.C. Jackson is an impressive debut novel who is real with an imperfectly perfect heroine.
I enjoyed seeing a story with realness even if there was a main character that annoyed me quite a bit for the book but I overall enjoyed it.
The faith themes were well written in a perhaps overly shown way at some points but I found it warming and I loved the family elements.
There were a few annoying things… Okay, they were supposed to be, like the selfish ex-fianceé and her trying to get back at the guy she ditched… I was also unsure of some things that happened with the families and inconsistencies with them. Otherwise, I found A Gateway to Hope to be an enjoyable read and romance readers will enjoy them.
18 recommendation due to sexual suggestions and/or comments.
I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary e/copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. ( )

A Gateway to Hope, by E. C. Jackson, is a contemporary romance and is the first in a series of four books. In this first book, readers find Nikhol (Neka) going to the rescue of a friend who has been dumped by his fiancée. This impulsive act of stepping out of her humdrum life ultimately becomes an offering for a marriage of convenience to help James in his family business arrangements. It may end up not being quite the adventure she had hoped for. I liked how the author portrayed growth in each of the two main characters. Neka is insecure, yet she pushes herself outside her comfort zone and begins voicing opinions without being judgmental. Her faith in God throughout various struggles is strong and scripturally based. James is a self-made man with a fragile ego caused by abandoned dreams and he has a difficult time with the concept of compromise. Could he learn to trust Neka with his most hidden fears? Their personalities ensure a bumpy road ahead. Would it all smooth out in the end? Could they find a life together after mistakes and bad decisions, and recognize they are not a product of the past but of God's grace? There are a lot of family dynamics in the story as well as several business-related scenarios, all of which add to the interest of the story. Readers who enjoy a contemporary love story portraying strong family ties and Christian values will not want to miss A Gateway to Hope. I read a complimentary copy of the book given to me by JustReads Publicity Tours and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are my own. ( )

This was such a sweet and heartwarming Christian romance. Neka and James seem like such opposites in so many ways, yet seem to fit together so well from the start, like each has something the other is missing. Neka took a leap of faith going to help James, and although it starts as a marriage of convenience, you can’t help but hope it’ll blossom into a love match. James is so outgoing, and attentive to Neka, it’s easy to see why she likes him. By the end of the book, you’ll get to know them so well they’ll feel like old friends. I will note that the religious theme is heavier than in some other Christian/inspirational romances I’ve read, in case that’s not your cup of tea. ( )

I had high hopes when I opened this book and sadly spent a lot of my time reading feeling disappointed. Not everything about this novel is bad, but what bothered me got to me so much that it eclipses what I did like about it, making this a tougher novel for me to review.

A Gateway to Hope is the story of James and Neka and is a very character-driven novel. One of the biggest things that bothered me about this pair was their age. When James met Neka he was in his late 20’s and she was seventeen. A minor! He would talk to her at her family’s parties and when I read that I instantly got creeper vibes that I couldn’t’ shake no matter what. James is immensely career-focused and seems like his sole motivation is to get promoted in his family’s company, so everything “nice” he does for Nika has this air of selfishness to it. It’s clear that he has self-serving intentions and though he tries to have a redemption arc I just did not buy it.

Neka’s family dynamic is strange. They did not come across as a loving family unit to me but more like manipulations to further confuse an already confused Neka. I respect and understand her parents and sisters motivations, and commend them on standing strong on their faith and holding Neka accountable, but at other times it felt more like they were using these tactics as a tool for their own personal agendas. And don’t even get me started on Neka’s relationship with her parents and the fact that they treat her like she twelve. I’ll admit that Neka is naive when it comes to love but the actions by her family were, at times, a little sketchy.

Both Nika’s family and James’s family run their own companies, so there was a lot of business jargon that I also did not care for, but that’s just personal preference and no shade to the story or author whatsoever, but the way all the characters spoke felt unrealistic and a little too over the top for me. I found myself thinking over and over, ‘Who talks like this?’ and every time I asked myself this the more agitated I felt.

In saying all of that, this is the author’s debut novel, so I am extending grace, though this was not an enjoyable read for me. The overall flow of the story was actually quite nice, and the overall storyline was pretty cute. Neka’s ambition is admirable and even though the families were incredibly overbearing the fact that they were all together was something you do not see that often, which was very refreshing. There is a lot of Scripture that is quoted, which is always something I love seeing, and it’s clear that these characters are trying to do God’s will, which is always commendable.

One of my favorite parts of reading this novel was the sight-seeing that James and Neka do throughout the story. Hearing about St. Louis and some of the attractions was pretty cool, especially since I’ve never had the opportunity to visit there, and now I really would like to go and see these sights for myself.

I really wanted so much to like this novel, but sadly it was just ok. The few gleaming qualities were overshadowed by bothersome age differences and overbearing parents and partners, and though it had a happy ending I just wish the journey getting there would’ve been better.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I read through Kindle Unlimited with JustRead Tours. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own. ( )