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In The Best Interest of the Child
(In The Best Interest of the Child #1)
by
Severely injured in an accident that forever changed her life, 10-year-old Olivia becomes another faceless, underserved child in foster care. With no time to mourn or grieve, the young girl is easy prey for uncaring social workers and ambivalent foster families.
Olivia quickly learns to hold her tongue and mask her emotions. Even when exposed to neglect, bullying, and assau ...more
Olivia quickly learns to hold her tongue and mask her emotions. Even when exposed to neglect, bullying, and assau ...more
Kindle Edition, 310 pages
Published
September 30th 2016
by Crybaby Books
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What a surprising book! I knew it would be good because I've read author Felicia Denise's reviews of other novels, interacted with her on social media, and visited her blog; however, there were so many different levels and components in the story, I really connected with it beyond expectations. And that's saying a lot because I am very far removed from the primary topics and experiences it covers. Kudos to the author for capturing this reader's attention and making my flight across the country q
...more


I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
“In The Best Interest of the Child” is a romance/psychological novel by Felicia Denise. Olivia Chandler, the protagonist, is a child advocate attorney with a difficult past. At the age of ten, she was involved in a car accident which resulted in having her entered into the foster care system. She suffers through years of abuse and is nearly raped but when she leaves foster care she is determined to become a child attorney. As a ...more

Title: In The Best Interest of The Child
Author: Felicia Denise
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Psychological/Romance
Rating: 5 Wholehearted ♥‘s
I want my own Bellamy! Before you get any ideas, it’s not just for the man, himself – but his entire cray-cray, laugh-out-loud, we do everything with passion family! Grab your box of Kleenex, you’re going to cry, especially when you laugh. Grab your beverage of choice and a guilty pleasure kind of snack, because oh yeah…it’s that kind of book.
Olivia Chandler has bee ...more
Author: Felicia Denise
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Psychological/Romance
Rating: 5 Wholehearted ♥‘s
I want my own Bellamy! Before you get any ideas, it’s not just for the man, himself – but his entire cray-cray, laugh-out-loud, we do everything with passion family! Grab your box of Kleenex, you’re going to cry, especially when you laugh. Grab your beverage of choice and a guilty pleasure kind of snack, because oh yeah…it’s that kind of book.
Olivia Chandler has bee ...more

I fell upon this book by chance, seeing it listed under the 'customers also bought' category. The title just drew me in, and the story that followed did much the same thing. It didn't matter that I knew nothing about the topic (foster care and the legal system in the US) because the author filled in the gaps for me, but she did it through an engrossing story and a shedload of captivating characters.
Olivia Chandler is not your everyday child advocate; she doesn't just empathise with these kids, ...more
Olivia Chandler is not your everyday child advocate; she doesn't just empathise with these kids, ...more

LOVED IT!! In The Best Interest of the Child by Felicia Denise is a powerhouse novel, overflowing with emotion and real life messages that quite frankly NEED to be said. This book gives insight into legal AND personal prospective when it comes to DCS and the U.S. foster program. It does it in such a way that makes you feel very personally attached, not only with facts but also with very heart wrenching emotion.
The main character, Olivia Chandler, is a very prominent child advocate attorney, and ...more
The main character, Olivia Chandler, is a very prominent child advocate attorney, and ...more

Olivia Chandler is a high-powered attorney. She’s asked by a respected judge to represent a young girl Rena. Rena was injured in a car accident that killed her mother and put her father in a coma. Her situation is so similar to Olivia’s childhood experience that it raises old trauma. While Olivia dedicates herself to making sure Rena doesn’t end up in the foster care system, the case changes her life.
But the story is only half legal-drama. The other half is romance, almost too good to be true ex ...more
But the story is only half legal-drama. The other half is romance, almost too good to be true ex ...more

In The Best Interest of You to Read This Book!
Debut novelist Felicia Denise definitely knows how to capture her readers’ attention with the depths of the characters she presents along with the layers of subplots that support the main storyline very well.
Without giving away too many Easter eggs, Olivia Chandler, lawyer and child advocate, is a complicated and tough woman who has no time for games. But the reader soon discovers the "why" behind Olivia's approach to life and those around her. It's ...more
Debut novelist Felicia Denise definitely knows how to capture her readers’ attention with the depths of the characters she presents along with the layers of subplots that support the main storyline very well.
Without giving away too many Easter eggs, Olivia Chandler, lawyer and child advocate, is a complicated and tough woman who has no time for games. But the reader soon discovers the "why" behind Olivia's approach to life and those around her. It's ...more

This story is full of heart. Olivia is a woman who works so hard to protect children but she carries the weight of her past and we wonder if she'll ever find love and happiness. That's until Bruce.
...more

Book Title: In the Best Interest of the Child #1
Book Author: Felicia Denise
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Source: K.U.
Rating: 5 stars
NOTE: This book is intended for 18+ only due to language, sexual activity and scenes of child abuse and near-rape. Those with emotional triggers should reconsider purchasing this book.
Side note: R&R Blog Tours shared with me a sign-up for a cover reveal for the second book in the series by Felicia Denise. I decided to read the first book before being ...more
Book Author: Felicia Denise
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Source: K.U.
Rating: 5 stars
NOTE: This book is intended for 18+ only due to language, sexual activity and scenes of child abuse and near-rape. Those with emotional triggers should reconsider purchasing this book.
Side note: R&R Blog Tours shared with me a sign-up for a cover reveal for the second book in the series by Felicia Denise. I decided to read the first book before being ...more

Wow, what a heroine. Olivia Chandler is an amazing woman. She's got such a wonderful mind and heart. Not to mention her iron-will and determination to see a goal to the end. But she's so understated, so natural, so relatable that this fact slips up on the reader as the compelling, emotional story moves along. I just couldn't wait to turn the pages and continue the journey with her. I love this kind of story within a story. The mysteries she must solve are not only to save a young girl but are al
...more

A dedicated child lawyer finds love and healing
A sweet (and spicy) love story housed within a story of child protection. Olivia had faced the dangers when child protection falls short of its goals. She passionately commits to protecting children through the practice of law. The legal pieces were my favorite, the spots where the writing really glimmers. As a warning, there are two explicit sex scenes, which took me by surprise. Overall, a lovely story about how we can (and should) protect our ch ...more
A sweet (and spicy) love story housed within a story of child protection. Olivia had faced the dangers when child protection falls short of its goals. She passionately commits to protecting children through the practice of law. The legal pieces were my favorite, the spots where the writing really glimmers. As a warning, there are two explicit sex scenes, which took me by surprise. Overall, a lovely story about how we can (and should) protect our ch ...more
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Writing has been a hobby of Felicia’s since grade school, but other than serving as editor and writing for her high school newspaper, she never publicly shared anything until the early 2000s when she began writing fan fiction.
At the urging of a good friend, Felicia took on the challenge of NaNoWriMo in 2015, writing what would become her first published book, In the Best Interest of the Child. It ...more
At the urging of a good friend, Felicia took on the challenge of NaNoWriMo in 2015, writing what would become her first published book, In the Best Interest of the Child. It ...more
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In The Best Interest of the Child
(2 books)
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