What happens when a couple has the perfect life and then that life is jostled by something unexpected? Will they be strong enough to survive it together?
Series: Caribou Crossing series, Book 1
Categories: Contemporary Western
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Release Date: June, 25 2013
ISBN: 9781420133363
Star Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Free eBook acquired from Barnes and Noble for Nook, read from my TBR Mountain Range.
This contemporary western novella takes place in British Columbia’s Cariboo Region during the years of 1994 through 1995, in a fictional town called Caribou Crossing. I was drawn to the book by its cover, assuming that it would be about ranching and it sounded like a series I’d enjoy. It was also a free read when I downloaded it.
Wade and Miriam Bly fall in love as teenagers and marry early in their adulthood. Life is “a dream come true” until the “moment” that changes everything. The book follows this couple back and forth through their history together, often through Miriam or Wade’s memories of their past. So the reader is dropped into the “moment,” not really sure what has happened, but you can guess a couple scenarios so you’re not completely surprised when it does occur. That doesn’t make it any less emotional, though.
Even though I didn’t know exactly what happened until more toward the end of the book, it wasn’t in the forefront of my mind. Sometimes when you’re taken back and forth through a person’s life, it can be distracting for the reader but this wasn’t the case for me. I forgot about that and concentrated on their unfolding story.
Miriam and Wade had the perfect relationship, the perfect home, the perfect jobs, the perfect sex life…everything was a little too perfect and I began to wonder what would happen to them when reality hit. A little foreshadowing, perhaps?
I’m not normally fond of books that focus on a couple after they’ve found their happy-ever-after moment and go on to live their lives, because that’s not always as uplifting or as engaging to me. I much prefer the journey up to that happy-ever-after moment, rather than follow life’s disappointments and how they survive them. And because this couple “seemed” so perfect, it wasn’t as realistic for me. I kept wondering if they ever argue or if either one of them ever forgot to put the cap on the toothpaste.
At first, I was ready to bail on this story just because I felt the sadness coming and couldn’t relate to their perfect world, but I was curious about their daughter and her best friend…especially the best friend, who seemed to be a boy with a difficult upbringing, so I continued to read to the end. The best part of this novella is getting to know their daughter and her best friend as children. The second best part is getting a peek into the second book in the CARIBOU CROSSING series, HOME ON THE RANGE, and realizing it’s about the children as adults. Just from reading that first chapter, I think book two will land in the TBR Mountain Range sometime in the future.
Overall, the novella did its job in creating interest for the next book, a full size novel, and because I received it for free as a special promotion, it was worth reading to introduce me to the next book.
And for those who are wondering, fun fact per the author, Cariboo region is the correct spelling and it’s the reason for the difference of Caribou and Cariboo within my review. You thought I made a typo, didn’t you? LOL
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What’s on your TBR Mountain Range? Do free books entice you to try a series if the first book is offered for free?
