Time For Hope — Maxine Billings

In her poignant and insightful new novel, Maxine Billings explores the nature of faith and of friendship, and the ways in which each can change us -- and even save us . . . Two years ago, Hope Mason discovered her husband was having an affair with her best friend. Crushed by his betrayal and by her friends' lack of emotional support, Hope threw herself into working to provide for her three teenagers. With a full-time job at Mercy Medical Center and a part-time position at the local supply store, she's got no energy for socializing. Besides, Hope has learned her lesson about friends: the fewer you have, the better off you'll be. When Hope is put in charge of training Tyla Jefferson, the new emergency room clerk, she resists the younger woman's efforts to befriend her. Confident, bright and filled with optimism, Tyla is everything Hope used to be. But Tyla's life is not as uncomplicated as it appears. And as these two very different women gradually open up to one another, sharing their pain and their joy, Hope wonders if she can learn to trust again -- in friendship, in God's purpose in her life and in the promise that dawns with every new day.