Texas Roads by Cathy Bryant

I was given a copy of Texas Roads by Cathy Bryant to review for another book blog. The novel grabbed my interest from the very beginning of the book. I started the book before work, read on my lunch break and then picked it up as soon as I could that evening and finished it, in other words, I loved it and I finished it ridiculously fast.

Texas Roads is a Christian novel about Dani Davis, a woman from the big city of Dallas who embarks on a trip to visit her aunt, that she has never met, in small town Miller's Creek, Texas. Dani is searching for a place to call home and for any type of peace after her father dies and her already unhappy marriage ends when her husband is killed in a car accident.

As she nears Miller's Creek, her car runs out of gas, she locks her keys in the car and a Texas rain storm makes the situation even worse. She is saved by a cowboy who she instantly alienates with her city attire and her sour attitude. She doesn't realize until she arrives at her aunt's home that the cowboy, Steve, is a pseudo son that watches over her aunt and she will have to work to change her first impression. As time goes by, the relationship with Steve goes through several bumps as they struggle with the tension and mistrust of each other as they develop a friendship.

During her stay in Miller's Creek, she falls in love with the town and wants to help revitalize the town, which has been struggling since the railroad cut the route through town. Just as she begins to feel peace and feel like she is needed, malicious rumors begin in town and she is alienated from the town and people she has grown to love. She continues to fight for the town but feels the pain of loneliness return.

Cathy Bryant has an exceptional writing style that skillfully develops lovable characters, highlights so many traditions of small town Texans, and tells a dramatic story of a woman who struggles with trust after being betrayed by her husband and searches for meaning in her life and a place to call home. The story is inspirational and well written, I recommend it if you want a novel that portrays good values and tells a good story!

The Hand of Fate by Lis Wiehl

The Hand of Fate is centered on three friends, one is a crime reporter, one is a federal prosecutor, and the other is an FBI special agent. They work together to solve the high profile murder of a nationally known radio talk show personality, Jim Fate, who was known for making people angry with his outspoken views on his polarizing talk show. Cassidy, the crime reporter, knows Jim more personally than she is letting on, even to her friends Allison, the prosecutor and Nicole, the special agent. The secrets she keeps add interesting twists throughout the book.

Cassidy, Allison and Nicole each struggle with their own personal demons as they investigate the death of Jim Fate. Each of their stories touch on struggles that women everywhere face. Lis Wiehl skillfully crafts a thriller novel that kept me focused on the book and forgetting my to do list. I really enjoyed this book and I liked the way that she told each individual story while continuing a center focus that brought everything together.