Cara’s Law by Samuel Ridley is a gripping, heart-wrenching, terrifying and realistic fiction novel.
There was a time when Cara Grace, a single mother, and domestic abuse survivor wanted to end her life. She could not see a way out after leaving her abusive boyfriend Matthew Lyle. Her children were being withheld from her and she did not have the means to support them, Matthew came from a wealthy family and was financially sound.
With nowhere to go, she moved in with her sister, Bianca, and began the long process of fighting the system to get her children back. What she encountered was a convoluted system obsessed with a profit motive, she had gone weeks without seeing her children and that needed to change.
Cara lodged applications for legal aid, grants and put an IVO order against Matthew, she was scared her allegations would be dismissed and evidence ignored. When Cara met with lawyer Dana Bennett her life changed, she had found someone who was willing to do battle with her.
Weeks turned to months with many legal proceedings and court hearings, day by day Cara was changing her life. She went to a therapy group, found employment and enrolled to study counselling. Meeting someone was the last thing on Cara’s mind until she met and fell in love with her fiancé Richard.
I really liked Richard’s character, whilst other men would see it as too much baggage, he was kind, caring, and her greatest support.
I marveled at how brave Cara was to have had the strength and the courage to leave an abusive relationship, especially not being able to take her children with her. The story is an important one, showing the true struggle that battered women fight every single day. Although victims never think they will make it, the ones that do become survivors, determined to help other victims live through their ordeal and restore peace and hope where there had been none for so long.
The author did a wonderful job at narrating Cara’s situation, her abusive ex, the proceeding downward spiral into the abyss as she battled him and the courts, fighting so hard for her children, and then her emergence out of the darkness and finally into the light.
A child custody battle may very well be one of the most stressful experiences a parent can endure, especially when you don’t know what to expect. Even if you’re not the one making it a battle, you must go into court with a solid plan of action to prove your case and Cara did this.
From personal experience and insight, Samuel Ridley sheds light on the terrible injustices and male biases that women of small children who have been mistreated face, especially when separating from abusers.
Cara’s Law shows that perseverance and strength is the greatest power that you own and to never give up. I highly recommend.
Thank you, Beauty and Lace and Shawline Publishing for the opportunity to read and review.
Author: Samuel Ridley
ISBN: 9781922594549
Copy courtesy of publisher: Shawline Publishing Group
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Cara’s Law by Samuel Ridley. You can read their comments below or add your own review.
My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Cara’s Law by Samuel Ridley.
This is a story about Cara who escapes a violent marriage and her journey to get custody of her children.
This is a story of heart ache, hope and devastation.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Shawline Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Cara’s Law by Samuel Ridley.
I was hooked from the start with this book and couldn’t wait to see how it ended. I could feel the stress Cara was feeling while I was reading!
A great read, highly recommend.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the offer to review Cara’s Law by Samuel Ridley.
Cara Grace is a domestic violence survivor and single mother. Her children are being withheld from her by her wealthy ex-partner whom she was also in an abusive relationship with.
It is a very sad story of Cara’s journey and all the struggles she has to go through. Social Services are not helpful, lawyers are corrupt and she battles relentlessly with judiciaries to get her children back.
I really enjoyed this book as it touched me so much being a mother myself. I could not even imagine going through so much like Cara did. It was eye opening and sometimes incredible that she had to endure so much more pain even when she wasn’t in an abusive relationship anymore.
Cara’s Law by Samuel Ridley is a work of fiction. However, it is that well written I kept thinking it was actually the author’s personal story. Perhaps in part it is.
Cara Grace has escaped a violent relationship, leaving her children behind when she did. After hitting rock bottom, she makes the decision to seek help and get her children back. Cara’s Law is the story of her journey through the Federal Circuit Court, the trials and challenges she faces in her quest to gain sole custody of her children. Cara never gives up and stops at nothing in her quest.
If you have experience with Federal Court ,or indeed any court, you will be nodding your head at the play between the lawyers, the bidding to get the report writers you want, the nit picking and black and white nature of the law. This book had me reminiscing about the early days of my career, watching the various solicitors play their roles like actors on a stage in a court not unlike the Federal Circuit Court. I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would given the heavy theme.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace, Samuel Ridley and Shawline Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Cara’s Law is a great read. It is a depressing story which shows how difficult it is for anyone going through a violent marriage breakdown and fighting the court system for custody of children.
It also shows what mothers will do for their children.
It is a well written book and clearly shows the author’s knowledge of the judicial system in Australia.
I definitely recommend this book.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Shawline Publishing Group for my copy of Cara’s Law to read and review.
This book is an emotional insight into the family court system in relation to the custody of children. It shows how hard it is to get justice for either party. The turmoil that is faced in the preparation, court dates and proceedings thereafter.
I found this book to be really interesting and quite confronting. There are a few twists that keep you guessing about what is going to happen next.
It is hard to say too much about this book without giving it away so I will let you read it to find out more.
I really enjoyed reading Cara’s Law by Samuel Ridley. This story was written very well and follows the plight of a mother trying to get her children back after leaving an abusive relationship. It’s sad how the courts do drag out issues like this and the only real winners are the solicitors who get paid. Once I had finished the book I went back and re-read the prologue which gave the ending better clarity for me. A mothers love is beyond anything you will ever know. Highly recommend!
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Shawline Publishing Group for giving me the chance to read and review Cara’s Law.
The story line was very interesting and kept me wanting to find out more. There are a few twists and turns that keep you guessing.
Cara leaves a so-called abusive marriage and leaves her children in the care of their father, in another state. She then fights to get custody back.
I found the court proceedings very interesting, and not always in favour of the childrens best interests.
Also a very interesting outcome. Good read.
Cara’s Law is a book that encapsulates the struggles many mother’s face dealing with marriage breakdown, custody battles and navigating the Family Law system.
A very close friend of mine recently dealt with a situation that almost mirrors that of Cara Grace and many of the situations in this story are bang on how it plays out in real life.
I found this book very well written – hard hitting and emotive but also soft at the same time. You really did feel like you were cheering Cara on and hoping things turned out for the best.
Samuel Ridley had done a great job turning a tricky and emotionally driven subject matter into an interesting and immersive book.