Monday, April 13, 2015

Crossroads Book Review, Trailer and Giveaway with Cathy Bryant

CROSSROADS
A Miller's Creek Novel ~ Christian Contemporary Texas Romance Bk 6
by Cathy Bryant
Publisher: Cathy Bryant
Published: Apr. 6, 2015
ASIN: B00U8KE12K

Amazon Synopsis:

A Miller's Creek novel and Christian contemporary romance

A former soldier battles for the soul of a prodigal...

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?

Book Links




My Thoughts:

Crossroads is an emotionally touching story as we become involved in the lives of Mara and Ashton Hedwig and Carter and Chloe Callahan who live in the small community of Miller's Creek.

I enjoyed the characters that the author created because they were not perfect (okay, Ashton was very sweet and precocious, but other than her, everyone else had their issues). The author made it clear in her writing that God accepts us the way we are, flaws and all.

There were many issues that Mara faced that were realistic obstacles to deal with in her journey of faith. Though her story is fictional it could easily be used to assist someone else in a similar faith-crisis.

Mara and Carter initially meet when Mara, a real estate agent helps Carter look for a place to rent. Their families become more involved when Chloe comes to work part-time for Mara.

When Ashton's leukaemia returns, Carter sees the pent up anger towards God that is built up in Mara's heart and because he has begun to care for her, and refuses to become involved with a woman who is not following the Lord he seeks to help her find her way back to Him.

There are many heart wrenching twists and turns in this story and you may want to have a box of tissues close by if you are subject to cry easily. I thought the author did a very good job of bringing together some spiritual, teenage health, medical as well as the circumstantial issues that life throws at us into a cohesive whole.

The writing was excellent. It was clear, concise and well-edited. The only errors I noticed were that leukaemia is a disease where there is a lack of red blood cells, so why was the donor taking injections to increase her white blood cell count?

Crossroads was a moderately fast-paced book. I thought its speed was appropriate for its genre. Enough time was taken to let us get to know each of the main characters and their backgrounds enough to care about them and what happened to them. That emotional connection with them is what made this book and its message so powerful.

While Crossroads is a clean romance novel, it is much more than that. It is the story of the hope we have of the forgiveness of redemption in Jesus Christ if we turn our hearts back to Him. It is about overcoming the same kinds of issues that Carter and Chloe faced. It's about putting our faith back in Jesus.

I thoroughly enjoyed Crossroads. I highly recommend this book to you if you enjoy Christian fiction and clean romance. I gave this book 5 stars out of 5.


Thank you to the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.


About the Author:

Amazon best-selling author Cathy Bryant writes Christian fiction set in the heart of Texas. Her popular romance and romantic suspense novels take place in the fictional town of Miller's Creek, where folks are friendly, the iced tea is sweet, and Mama Beth's front porch beckons. All the Miller's Creek novels have been on the Amazon Best-Seller list and are rated at 4.5 stars or higher on Amazon. Her debut novel, TEXAS ROADS, was a 2009 ACFW Genesis finalist. Since then five other stand-alone novels have been added to the series, one of which was a reader-nominated 2013 Grace Award nominee (PILGRIMAGE OF PROMISE). Readers have compared her work to that of Karen Kingsbury and Nicholas Sparks. 

A native Texan, Cathy currently resides in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico with her minister husband of over thirty years. She's written devotions for The Upper Room devotional magazine, two devotional books in collaboration with other Christian authors, and for online sites. She also has released a Bible study book, THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS. In addition to her writing, she enjoys thrift store shopping, romping in the great outdoors, and mini-farming. To learn more about Cathy and her books, visit her website at www.CatBryant.com or make contact with her in these places:
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ABOUT THE BOOK LAUNCH PARTY/KINDLE FIRE HD6 GIVEAWAY:

YOU'RE INVITED!

What: CROSSROADS Book Launch Party

Where: Facebook (from the comfort & convenience of your own home)

When: April 30, 2015 ~ 7:00-8:30 p.m. (Central time)

Why: To celebrate the book launch of CROSSROADS (a Miller's Creek novel and Christian Romance by Cathy Bryant)

LOTS of Fun, Games and Prizes!

Prizes Include: Miller's Creek pens, tote bags, t-shirts, mugs, digital books, autographed print books, Amazon gift cards, and
an Amazon Kindle Fire HD6!
Click here to RSVP and enter the Kindle Fire drawing.


Giveaway 

Ebook Giveaway Ends 15/04/30 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an ebook. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathryn from Shelf Full of Books and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2 comments :

  1. Kathryn, thanks so much for being a part of the virtual book tour for CROSSROADS and for taking the time to read and review the book. I'm so glad you enjoyed Carter and Mara's story! :)

    Blessings to you and yours,
    Cathy :)

    ReplyDelete