For inspirational romance readers... Across the Bridge by Kristin Neva (Review & #Giveaway)


You'll find my review of this sweet story and a giveaway sponsored by the author below...

Across the Bridge
(Copper Island #3)
By Kristin Neva
Christian Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 306 Pages
November 4th 2018 by The Christmas Tree House

Summary

When Marcella Seppa meets her new tenant, widower Drew Smith, a spark ignites, but she won't consider dating him. She doesn't want his son, AJ, to experience the hurt she felt when she was young. Marcella lost her mother when she was fifteen years old, her father quickly remarried, and her stepmother pushed too hard to foster a relationship with Marcella. Well-meaning people used Christian platitudes in an attempt to comfort her, but it resulted in Marcella having a faith crisis. Is love worth the risk of loss, and how can you hold on to faith when questioning the idea of a puppet-master God?

Drew Smith moves to the small town of Quincy so that his in-laws can help raise his son, and he plugs into a local church where the leader of a boys group -- and his deceased wife's high school boyfriend -- looks strikingly like his son. Drew fears losing part of his son's heart to a man who even he admires for his height, charm, and cool job as a State Trooper. What does it mean to be a father, and what is the balance between protecting and preparing your child?

(Affiliate link included.)

My Review

ACROSS THE BRIDGE is a story about battling illness, aging, loss, new birth, faith, and risking your heart. Told from two different perspectives and set in a small town, readers will be invited into these characters' lives, with their struggles and hopes. Recommended to inspirational women's fiction fans.

This story was bittersweet and centered on some fun characters. AJ or "Andy" was probably my favorite character from this story, although Drew comes in a close second. I loved seeing this son and father pair try to work through their loss, moving to a new place, and opening their hearts to new relationships. I also liked Marcella with her own quirks and her connection to nature. There were also quite a few other interesting characters to keep things entertaining. The plot moved slowly along as these characters tried to work through things. This story definitely had a stronger inspirational element, but it was woven through the story well. I found the ending particularly sweet.

Much of this story circled around a sweet elderly lady who was losing her battle to illness. Those who have dealt with similar loss and those who question why God allows these things to happen will easily relate to this aspect of the story. It was heartbreaking in many ways, but also lovely as Marcella and others surround Louisa with love as she faces this struggle.

I did have some issues with the story. A lot of the time I felt like I was being told what a character was doing during their day (i.e. they went here, they packed this for lunch, etc.) that didn't' always have any bearing on the story and mad it feel like I was being told the story versus experiencing it. There were a lot of characters and I didn't really have time to figure them all out, making it difficult to really form a good connection with the main characters. This may not have been as big of an issue if I'd read the other books before this one. There were also a lot of facts and scenes that I didn't feel were important to the story and then parts that I felt were important seemed to be skimmed over or worked out off script. I would have liked to have dug deeper along with these characters instead of issues just being glossed over or not really worked out. I still feel like there were things that weren't resolved or they were, but not in the story so they felt unfinished. I think delving deeper into those parts would have made this a more emotional story and would have allowed me to better connect with the characters.

In the end, was it what I wished for? This story had its faults, but I enjoyed it overall.

Content: Clean
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the author, which did not require a positive review nor affect my review in any way.

Other Books in the Series


About the Author


Kristin Neva grew up in an old farmhouse on Copper Island in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula where the hard-working, rugged residents persevere through harsh winter weather, sustained by friendship and family, surrounded by natural beauty. As an adult, she lived in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas for seventeen years before returning to the her hometown with her husband and two children.


Giveaway

- 1 winner will receive an ebook of ACROSS THE BRIDGE (open internationally)
- 1 winner will receive a print book of ACROSS THE BRIDGE (US only)
- Provided by the author
- Ends February 22, 2019

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you have this on your TBR? Have you read any of the other books in the series? Any thoughts on my review?

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