No River Too WideByEmilie RichardsThe main and most important characters in this book...The characters that really carried this book were Harmony and her mom Jan...Taylor was a key character, too, as was Adam...and of course the non present husband of Jan...and Harmony's father...Rex...creepy Rex.My very brief story summary that includes bits and bobs from the beginning, middle and end of this book...Jan is trying to run away from her cruel, abusive and controlling husband. She is working with an underground women's group and she is finally ready to leave. Just as she is leaving something horrible happens but she leaves anyway. She wants to see her daughter and her granddaughter before she goes totally underground and before her husband finds her. What happens to Jan as she interacts with her new group of friends is heartwarming.My actual most favorite part of this book...I loved seeing Jan grow from an obedient placid abused woman to a woman with strength and courage. My actual true feelings about this book and whether or not other potential readers will enjoy it...This was a nice sweet predictable book. I enjoyed reading it. But one of these kinds of books is pretty much it for me. That is not to say other readers won't love it...my mom would have loved this book and bitten her nails while she was reading it. She would have hated Rex and she would have wanted to discuss him. So...for me...ok...for my mom...a nail biter! 3.5 stars. I have loved Emilie Richards since she was publishing romance novels in the 1990s and eagerly followed her transition to women's fiction. Her Goddess novels are a little too long and wordy but this one is probably my favorite. After three books in the series, I have gotten to know and care about the women, and appreciate the relationships among them and the men in their lives. One thing I like is the nuances - for example, Harmony's ex-boyfriend and baby daddy is kind of a jerk, but he means well and he is trying to improve. I don't see him as Harmony's true love, but he plays an important role in her life. Richards always has at least one "issue" plot along with an understated romance, which in this case is domestic violence. Having worked for a battered women's shelter, I was familiar with the type of story told by Harmony's mother, Jan, but it's worth showing again and again how a woman can be roped in by an abuser and why it is so hard for her to leave. I hope Richards is planning to focus on unconventional minister Annaliese next.
What do You think about No River Too Wide (2014)?
Great story I'm so glad she continued with writing this series!
—bubblgum0809
