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Balance Keeper #3
After the Darkness
Kidnapped and beyond afraid, she hides an awful secret. When he bumps into her in a chance meeting at a coffee shop, she awakens his heart, but her abductor gets in the way. Can he overcome his brokenness? Will she fight the forces of evil? Is there a way for them to find each other again?
Six months later, driven by the desire to avoid a second trip and possibly an eternity in the torturous underworld, James is fighting against the dark forces threatening to reclaim him. But he struggles to find his place on Evie's team, to stand shoulder to shoulder with good people, and to forget the brown eyes haunting his mind.
There’s no way he can ignore the brunette who raised red flags in his heart, the desperate look in her eyes, but his team is tasked with holding back the surge of evil pouring out of the thinning barrier between the realms. James knows they can't drop everything for one girl. Not when the world is at stake. But his heart says otherwise.
She’s a ghost. There’s no way to find her, or to be certain she's in serious danger or not.
All he's certain of is he must fight his way back from the darkness, face his demons, and risk everything to find her.
Hopefully in doing so, he'll save her and maybe even himself . . . after the darkness.
If you love wounded characters in need of healing love, a good comeback hero, and love found on opposite sides of the track, then you'll love the apocalyptic battles, angelic epics, and fearsome warriors in J. L. Burrows Balance Keeper Series.
Grab your copy today to find out if some wounds really are too deep to heal.
Six months later, driven by the desire to avoid a second trip and possibly an eternity in the torturous underworld, James is fighting against the dark forces threatening to reclaim him. But he struggles to find his place on Evie's team, to stand shoulder to shoulder with good people, and to forget the brown eyes haunting his mind.
There’s no way he can ignore the brunette who raised red flags in his heart, the desperate look in her eyes, but his team is tasked with holding back the surge of evil pouring out of the thinning barrier between the realms. James knows they can't drop everything for one girl. Not when the world is at stake. But his heart says otherwise.
She’s a ghost. There’s no way to find her, or to be certain she's in serious danger or not.
All he's certain of is he must fight his way back from the darkness, face his demons, and risk everything to find her.
Hopefully in doing so, he'll save her and maybe even himself . . . after the darkness.
If you love wounded characters in need of healing love, a good comeback hero, and love found on opposite sides of the track, then you'll love the apocalyptic battles, angelic epics, and fearsome warriors in J. L. Burrows Balance Keeper Series.
Grab your copy today to find out if some wounds really are too deep to heal.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2023
1 person is currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
J.L. Burrows
18 books112 followersJ. L. Burrows has a master's degree in education and has taught English for nearly twenty years. She is a member of ACFW, an editor for Scrivenings Press, a columnist and reviewer for Clean Fiction Magazine, and co-leader for Charis, a local writing group, and sponsor for her high school's Creative Writing Club. She’s been writing about the connection of God’s love to human conflict and pain for over twenty years, weaving stories designed to help people find Truth, faith, and love. When she's not enjoying quiet time with her husband or helping her daughter and son, she's taking care of her sweet Shiapoos who require miles of tender love and care. And when the sun is set and the day is done, you'll find her living the thrills of a hundred lifetimes with a thousand characters. Learn more about the things she’s written at jlburrows.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 24, 2022
I have been waiting for this book and it did not disappoint! The main character is awesome! I love this series. I’m glad topics such as human trafficking is being discussed.
September 22, 2022
This book touched deep in my heart, dealing with the horrendous issue of human trafficking, so prevalent in the world today. The war between Light and Darkness, evil and good, and the refusal to give up, pressing on to deliverance, directs the reader to hope and the knowledge of the love of God. Frank Peretti has nothing on this author! A truly divinely inspired story from the Throne of God Almighty.
October 3, 2022
knowing the real hero
No hero can be great without his greatest weapon, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. If He can use both James and Rhia, He can use both you and me. If God is for us, who can be against us? Absolutely no one! What a great book this is! I need to read the others as well!
No hero can be great without his greatest weapon, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. If He can use both James and Rhia, He can use both you and me. If God is for us, who can be against us? Absolutely no one! What a great book this is! I need to read the others as well!
October 3, 2022
This is the first book that I have read by this author and I really liked it. The whole book had to do with good versus evil and the Christian walk. I felt like James finally learned that he had to trust God to manage to do the good he wanted to do. The story was excellent and kept my interest. I'm looking forward to more books by this author. There was plenty of action also.
September 20, 2022
This was a very well done YA book! J.L Burrows writes with intensity; in the style of Frank Peritti and Ted Dekker. While she draws back the curtain and reveals the ugly darkness, she also shows the Light (and Hope) which dispels the darkness. This is all wrapped up in a riveting story. I would highly recommend this book.
October 17, 2022
Awesome book! Great message! Highly recommend!
November 20, 2022
First let me state that I accidentally read out of order. This is the first book I read. Oh well, now I will go back & start at the beginning. I really enjoyed this book. I loved that the author did her homework on the topic of human trafficking. About an hour from where I live we have a big problem with this. It scares me. One of my worst fears would be to get dragged into that. I love James. With the pull he felt so strongly to Rhia I thought they would have been soulmates like the other couple. James is recovering from a traumatic kidnapping where he was tortured. He is on his first outing with his team of new friends when he runs into Rhia & Dawn. Two women who are stuck in abusive relationships. All it took was one pleading look from Rhia for James to become obsessed with saving her. It took everything in him to control his temper & not get into a fight with the guy who grabbed her roughly. James is tortured by nightmares of Rhia & not getting there in time to save her. What I didn't mention is James is part of a group that helps the angels save people. And the abuser is part of a crime family. Ian & his brother Ivan are both abusers but they are nothing compared to their mother! She has twisted her Catholic faith to suit her needs. In her version there are a lot of punishments for what she sees as wrong doings. Those punishments are beatings. James is trying to heal from his trauma.while getting ready to save Rhia. God gives him an intuition or pull inside that helps him figure out where she is & who the guy she was with is. God teaches James that everything is about the right timing. He teaches him trust in his teammates & his new powers. I can't wait to read the story in the right order now, lol!
October 30, 2022
This book is proof that you don't need spice to make a great fantasy book. This is book #3 in a series, and definitely cannot be read in a standalone. Deep themes of faith so may not be everyone's cup of tea, but a great option for those who find fantasy books to be a little too much.
November 13, 2022
Such a great story!
I haven't read the first two books yet, but can't wait to get into them.
James' struggle pulled me right into the story and there wasn't a moment where I regretted picking up the book or felt like I could have done something better with my time.
I really related to James' struggle to wait for God's timing and not quite understanding why he had to wait. I came across many encouraging moments in the story that seemed to be God's perfect time for me to be reminded of these things, especially Abigail's comments to James about healing and how it comes in baby steps. James' desire to do something... anything to move towards fulfilling God's call on his life, but not knowing what to do and having to wait for word on the right time, was very relatable.
I loved how Rhia, even though she was hurting, still felt that desire to protect others and did whatever she could to do so. The struggles, challenges, and choices she faces in these moments and in the fight or survive moments were written so well.
There were a few moments where James seemed almost bipolar... which may have been intentional. I'm not sure. But I did feel a little like I just wanted him to pick a thought process and how he felt and stick with it. But I also understood how it fit in with his situation. It was just a little too back and forth for me.
The other thing I wasn't fond of was that I didn't quite feel like there was complete resolution on the spiritual side of the final battle. (Trying to write this without spoilers) It is possible I was just reading so fast that I missed something, but I felt a little... almost let down... by the way the spiritual side of that ended... But all in all, it was an awesome scene!
J. L. Burrows overlays the spiritual world with the physical world in such a realistic way and the giftings that the characters have seem like they could easily be something that you'd come across in a person who is deeply involved in spiritual warfare. I also loved all the information about trafficking that she included in the back.
Definitely worth the read!
I haven't read the first two books yet, but can't wait to get into them.
James' struggle pulled me right into the story and there wasn't a moment where I regretted picking up the book or felt like I could have done something better with my time.
I really related to James' struggle to wait for God's timing and not quite understanding why he had to wait. I came across many encouraging moments in the story that seemed to be God's perfect time for me to be reminded of these things, especially Abigail's comments to James about healing and how it comes in baby steps. James' desire to do something... anything to move towards fulfilling God's call on his life, but not knowing what to do and having to wait for word on the right time, was very relatable.
I loved how Rhia, even though she was hurting, still felt that desire to protect others and did whatever she could to do so. The struggles, challenges, and choices she faces in these moments and in the fight or survive moments were written so well.
There were a few moments where James seemed almost bipolar... which may have been intentional. I'm not sure. But I did feel a little like I just wanted him to pick a thought process and how he felt and stick with it. But I also understood how it fit in with his situation. It was just a little too back and forth for me.
The other thing I wasn't fond of was that I didn't quite feel like there was complete resolution on the spiritual side of the final battle. (Trying to write this without spoilers) It is possible I was just reading so fast that I missed something, but I felt a little... almost let down... by the way the spiritual side of that ended... But all in all, it was an awesome scene!
J. L. Burrows overlays the spiritual world with the physical world in such a realistic way and the giftings that the characters have seem like they could easily be something that you'd come across in a person who is deeply involved in spiritual warfare. I also loved all the information about trafficking that she included in the back.
Definitely worth the read!
September 26, 2022
This book was interesting, and has an intriguing premise. I liked that there was no question where the humans' power came from: it was from God, through Jesus.
It took me several chapters to get into the book, but once I did, I could FEEL Rhia's pain. When Ian made her put her hand in the pan, my heart was POUNDING with hers.
I love that this is all about James' second chance, and that we always have forgiveness if there's true repentance.
It took me several chapters to get into the book, but once I did, I could FEEL Rhia's pain. When Ian made her put her hand in the pan, my heart was POUNDING with hers.
I love that this is all about James' second chance, and that we always have forgiveness if there's true repentance.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews