Crossroads - A Review

Published - April 2015
Series - Miller's Creek Book 6
Author - Cathy Bryant
Title - Crossroads
Format - ebook, paper
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Summary (from Amazon):
After a devastating divorce, a bitter single mom and atheist starts her own real estate company in the nostalgic and picturesque town of Miller’s Creek, Texas. Then her young daughter’s disturbing symptoms lead doctors to discover that her leukemia has relapsed. With her new life now turned upside down, Mara Hedwig struggles to keep her business afloat. And her daughter’s worsening condition forces her to rethink her beliefs about Carter Callahan and his God. Will Mara make the return to Christian faith in the face of life’s greatest challenge? 

An ex-military operative struggles with the return to civilian life while coping with his rebellious teen-aged daughter. During a house-search, Carter meets Mara, a headstrong Realtor who wants nothing to do with his God. But when Mara’s little girl is diagnosed with leukemia, the clock begins ticking for him to convince Mara to return to a life of faith. Just as he seems to be making headway, circumstances beyond his control throw his efforts into a tailspin. Can Carter learn to rest in the sovereignty of God?

My Thoughts:
I've read most of the Miller's Creek novels. They are very well done. This one is no exception. The topics in this one seem heavier than most of the others, but it was still good. It took me a while to read it, because I actually forgot I had it.

Like each of her other books that I have read, Cathy Bryant's newest is also a novel that brings one to tears. And that's because of all of the emotion and the heart-wrenching that goes on in the book. I'd probably relate this to the Karen Kingsbury books I've read over the years. So for fans of drama, this is a book for you.

Yet this one didn't capture my attention like some of her others. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. But I didn't find that the characters drew me into their world like they have in previous novels. Maybe it's because I've just finished reading a really strong character driven novel that had me comparing this one to that one. But while I cared about the characters and they interested me, I didn't find myself invested in them. 

I'm not saying that I didn't like this book, because I did enjoy it. I'm really saying that this particular book is probably not my favorite in the series.

I received a free Kindle version of this book from the author for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of contemporary fiction, drama, Cathy Bryant, Karen Kingsbury

Rating - 4 stars

A Pilgrimage of Promise - A Review

Bo Miller has cancer and it's eating away at him. His wife, Mona Beth, refuses to accept that the man she's loved since high school is going to be taken away from her after only a few years together. He wants to make sure that she truly understands why he broke the promise they made to each other all those years ago. She feels that it's the past and it shouldn't be brought up. Yet a packet of letters may hold the answers she longs for and bring peace and healing to them both. Will she have the strength to take a journey through the past?

This is the fourth book in the Miller Creek novels and the first that I've read by Cathy Bryant. It's a combination of contemporary and historical fiction as Bo and Mona Beth's stories are told. Beautifully written, I was quickly engrossed into this tender, heart-breaking story. The events of the 1960's are handled in a way that help the reader to understand why the characters made the choices they did. Mona Beth's faith as a young woman was so strong. Even when life didn't work out the way that she'd planned it, she clung to her faith. Then as an adult watching her husband suffer so, her faith was more rocky. Yet Bo's faith at that point was the stronger of the two. I read this book in a couple of days, I was so engrossed into the story. Once I finished it, I did a search on my Kindle and discovered I had books one and two already on my Kindle, so I moved them to a folder of books currently reading. Even though this is the book 4, it's not necessary to read them in order. Sure you gain a bit more depth into the characters of Steve, Dani, Trish, Andy, Mona Beth, and Bo, but I was able to enjoy the book without reading the others.

I received the Smashwords Kindle version of this book for free from the author for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of Karen Kingsbury's older novels, contemporary fiction, Melody Carlson, Susan May Warren

Rating - 5 stars