Blog Tour: ASYLUM by Betsy Adams

 

Asylum

by Betsy Adams

 

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GENRE:   Contemporary Romance

 

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BLURB:

 

Adela is an immigration judge from one of San Diego’s wealthiest Mexican-American families. She was raised to believe she has nothing in common with the asylum seekers in her courtroom. Paul left behind his life as a Manhattan lawyer to volunteer at the border. He has lost faith in the system, but not those who still turn to it for justice. Adela and Paul come to the Tijuana/San Diego border searching, but neither one knowing exactly what for—until they find each other. Against the backdrop of the “Remain in Mexico” policy and restrictions on asylum, Adela and Paul fight for love in a system that seems determined to destroy it.

 

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Excerpt One:

 

Judge Adela Fernandez was curious about the new lawyer in her courtroom.  It wasn’t what he said, or the high school Spanish she overheard from the bench.  No, that didn’t impress her. 

           

It was what he didn’t say.  The way he listened to his client, the young man at his side with caramel skin several shades lighter than Adela’s.  How he leaned in and his client didn’t back away.  There was trust between them, that rarest of resources at the border these days. 

 

Adela had never seen this kind of trust in the eyes of an asylum seeker.  More common were blank, numb stares, or terrified eyes searching for answers.  Those were the eyes she saw every day in her courtroom, and every night as she closed her own and tried to sleep.

 

It took time to build trust, time that the “Remain in Mexico” policy did not allow.  This policy effectively ended legal representation for asylum seekers by forcing them to wait in Mexican border towns as their cases crawled through the U.S. legal system.  Tens of thousands of migrants from all over the world were stuck in makeshift refugee camps, preyed upon by local cartels.  Lawyers stayed away.  Except this one, apparently.  

 

“DHS Docket Number 19-24231.”  The clerk’s announcement drew Adela out of her thoughts.    

 

“Thank you, Gabe,” Adela said, glancing at the case file. 

 

The lawyer’s name was Paul Carter, and he was the attorney of record for Adela’s first asylum case that afternoon.  His client was Jorge Sanchez, a twenty-six year old asylum seeker from El Salvador.  His collared shirt was way too loose and clearly borrowed for the occasion.  Adela’s eyes lingered on the backpack at his feet.  It held everything Jorge would carry with him into his new life, if she granted his asylum claim.

 

 

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My review: Judge Adela Fernandez is an immigration judge with an asylum case for a gay El Salvadorian. She was particularly impressed with how his lawyer handled his case. Now the two must work together to resolve the legal conflict in it.

This was a fairly easy read, although some of the legalities and political policies were challenging to follow. At times, the story became much too judicial for my liking. Fortunately, the author gets back on track with the love component. I especially liked that one of the main characters was a Latina. I love Latina characters. The two characters shared a strong will and determination, which made their burgeoning romance much more appealing.

A nice read.

 

My rating: 3 stars

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Betsy Adams is a pen name adopted to honor two smart, romantic women - Betsy Ross and Abigail Adams.

 

Betsy Ross chose love over her Quaker religion and her family. At the age of twenty-one, she eloped with fellow upholstery apprentice and non-Quaker John Ross. After their union, Betsy’s family and the Quaker community cut all ties with her. In her eighty-four years, Betsy was married three times and ran a successful upholstery business. There is much more to Betsy Ross than sewing the first American flag. Someone make a biopic, please!

The love between Abigail and John Adams is legendary, and documented in over 1,000 intimate and cerebral letters. In 1776, Abigail famously told her husband that the new nation must “remember the ladies,” but in the pages of their letters, these two lovers were equals in their passion for each other and ideas.

 

Betsy Adams lives with her family in a coastal town on Long Island (New York). She is the creator of the Americans in Love romance series. In these novella-length books, couples divided by the issues of our day try to find their happily ever after.

 

Links:

Website:  https://www.americansinlove.com

 

Instagram:  @americansinlove

 

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AmericansinLoveBooks

Amazon Sale Page: https://www.amazon.com/Asylum-Betsy-Adams/dp/1735339504/

 

Reedsy Discovery Page:  https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/asylum-betsy-adams#review

 

Goodreads Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56858159-asylum?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=pZUN1rUnHw&rank=1

 

 

The book will be on sale for $0.99.

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

 

Betsy Adams will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway