Hold Back the Night — Emilie Richards

Recipient of the Romance Writers of America RITA award as well as a rare 5 star review from Romantic Times magazine, Hold Back the Night (previously titled Dragonslayer) is the story of a minister who has lost his faith in God and a woman who, despite being surrounded by poverty and gang violence, has never lost her faith in humanity or the Corners, the inner city neighborhood where she grew up.

Thomas Stonehill and Garnet Anthony couldn't be more different, ice to fire, but both are determined to make the Corners a neighborhood where residents will be safe to enjoy a wealth of opportunities. After a personal tragedy Thomas, once the minister of a megachurch, forms a ragtag congregation in an abandoned store, despite his own doubts that God listens or cares. Garnet, a nurse, runs a maternal health clinic that she's carved from nothing.

When warring gangs threaten Garnet's clinic and personal safety, Thomas takes action to protect her, despite his conviction that he must remain a man apart. Neither of them is prepared for the startling outcome.

Reviewer Melinda Helfer, of Romantic Times (now RT Book Reviews) wrote: "Innovative plots can often open gateways for an author, but they can never take the place of the human experience that the very best books bring to our hearts."

Hold Back the Night blends romance, women's and inspirational fiction. But most of all it's a novel about the human heart and the mysterious healing power of love.