My review

I picked up this book reading the blurb, thinking this is about a strong woman, Olivia who, after being jilted at the alter when her fiancé dies in an accident on a road 50 miles away from the church with a baby gift in the back seat, and going through various hardships, discovers life again. The premise of the story sounded so interesting that I started the book in the middle of the night. 

The author, Christa Allen, had a great plot in mind when she started writing this book. The entire book is Olivia‘s story and the hardships she goes through after her fiancé’s death. The author has conveyed main character Olivia’ s doubt about Wyatt’s intentions, pain at her loss, insecurity about her future, her inability to connect with her mother, all emotions pretty well. 

But this comes through the book only in bits and pieces. The main character, Olivia is a bit of an escapist, she dithers between wanting to know the truth and to hide in her ignorance. She doesn’t appear strong throughout the book, does not take control of her life, in fact, she procrastinates everything. I wanted her to be a woman of substance, and to grow up, be a bit more mature especially in the face of adversity. But she manages that only occasionally. 

The supporting characters have their own ideologies and their own reasoning though they do not make valid sense, especially the mother. But to each his own. The only character I enjoyed Olivia’s grandmother, Ruthie. She was a delightful character, more fun, more enjoyable than any of the other characters. She had more joie de vivre than anyone I have recently met, both fictional and non fictional. 

Overall an enjoyable read

My rating : 3 stars

About the Author 

A true Southern woman, Christa Allan is an award-winning author who writes stories filled with hope, humor, and redemption. Her novels include Test of Faith; Threads of Hope; Walking on Broken Glass; Love Finds You in New Orleans, Louisiana; and The Edge of Grace. Christa is a mother of five and grandmother of three, and she recently retired after twenty-five years spent teaching high school English. She and her husband live in New Orleans and they spend their time dodging hurricanes and pacifying their three neurotic cats and Herman, their dog.

Book blurb 

One moment, Olivia Kavanaugh is preparing to walk down the aisle, the next, she learns that her fiancé, Wyatt Hammond, has been in a fatal car accident. Then comes a startling discovery: Wyatt’s car wasn’t heading toward the church. He was fifty miles away…with a baby gift in the backseat.

Her faith shaken, Olivia pores over the clues left behind, desperate to know where Wyatt was going that day and why. She also navigates a tense relationship with her judgmental mother and tries to ignore the attentions of a former boyfriend who’s moved back home. 

When an unexpected path forward appears, will she be strong enough to let go of the past and move toward it?

Product Details 

Publication date : 11th October 2016

Publisher : Waterfall Press

Language : English

Available on Amazon 

Free with Kindle Unlimited