Kari@ From the TBR Pile

Woodrose Mountain is the second book in the Hope's Crossing trilogy by Ms. Thayne. I thoroughly enjoyed this one as much as the first one, Blackberry Summer. It is beautifully written story about hope and forgiveness. Hope's Crossing may be a tourist destination, but at its heart it is still a small town. It's a small town that has endured a lot of tragedy and is in need of finding major healing and forgiveness.

Evie and Brodie are great together. On the surface, they seem like total opposites. While they are pretty different, they compliment each other very well. Evie seems to bring a sense of calm to the chaos that Brodie constantly feels inside. Brodie helps Evie open her heart again to let love fill it. I loved them together and was so rooting for them.

The character I loved the most was Taryn. She has a lot of courage and strength. She shows this not only in her fight to recover from the accident, but in what she does for Charlie in the end. Her ability to forgive is one that I think anyone would have to admire. My heart broke for Charlie. While he was the person who ultimately caused the tragedy, there were a lot of outside factors that contributed to the accident. In the end, I was happy and satisfied with how things turned out for him. It was just, but it was also fair.

Even though this is the second in the trilogy, I felt like this could be a stand alone novel. Ms. Thayne did a great job of catching the reader up along the way. I have read Blackberry Summer, but I didn't get the sense that I would have been lost had I picked this one up first. I like that in a book.

I definitely recommend this book as well as the first one, Blackberry Summer. That one is Claire and Riley's story; another couple who are so right for each other. Their relationship just sizzles right off the pages. The final book comes out in the fall. I can't wait to see who the Angel of Hope turns out to be!