Sunrise Crossing by Jodi Thomas
Series: Ransom Canyon, #4
Romance Contemporary/Womens Fiction
September 1, 2016
HQN Books
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote:
“I have so many dead relatives floating around upstairs, I may have the Baptist preacher do an exorcism.”
“Don’t you mean a priest?”
“No, I asked him. He said if he cast out all the ghosts in this county, he’d lose half his congregation.”
Yancy Gray ran away from home at 14 years old and after a stint in prison and an unexpected inheritance, he has found a home in Crossroads, TX. He spends his days helping out at the local retirement home and his nights working on his homestead. When he discovers a stranger hiding out in his loft, he is surprised by the sense of home and peace she brings to him. But the secrets she’s hiding may spell trouble for them all.
Parker Lacey is all business while running one of the top art galleries in the country but when a friend and client comes to her begging for help, Parker looks towards the town of Crossroads and a stoic cowboy she met so many years ago.
Gabe Santorno aka Galen Stanley has spent his life drifting from place to place in an effort to escape a violent piece of his past. When he is contracted to find someone, the trail takes him back to Crossroads, the place where it all began, and discovers the town wasn’t the only thing he left behind.
Victoria (Tori) Vilante is a famous artist who’s being held hostage to her fame by her mother and stepfather. Longing for freedom, Tori strikes out on her own with some help from friends and finds a place to hide in Crossroads. But her family isn’t going to let her go without a fight.
Jodi Thomas’ stories are like reconnecting with an old friend. No matter the amount of time that has gone by, once you start talking again, it’s as if you never left each other’s sides. Small town contemporaries with sweet romances that run side by side with some intriguing mysteries. Each book focuses on a group of people within a small town; some there by choice, some lead there by chance. Each one an island unto themselves, until Thomas gently reveals the ties that bind them together. An easy steady pace, appealing characters, and a strong narrative opens the door to allow readers an intimate view into the town, the people, and the circumstances that brought them to this point in life.
As with all of Thomas’s stories, she skips through her towns and the lives of the residents that live there, building simultaneously upon multiple character’s lives. Every person is left content with the assumption being there may be more to come. Very rarely will Thomas focus on one single character/storyline from beginning to end through the series. So if you are disappointed to see that main characters from previous installments aren’t in here, don’t worry…you’ll see them again.
Sunrise Crossing picks up two years after the events in Lone Heart Pass. This heartwarming contemporary offers a healthy dose of mystery, suspense, and humor as it slowly reveals and resolves the main conflict. Acceptance, forgiveness, and redemption are the main themes while love, compassion, and trust help to flesh it out. Multiple voices tell their stories, each one out to steal your heart as you watch them rise to the challenges life is throwing at them. New and old faces come out of the woodwork to offer help, advice, or just some general observations while lessons learned are that while the past has carved out the road you’ve come down, it doesn’t have to decide the road you will travel.
Three romances intertwine and though not racy or explicit, the sentiment is sweet and sexy with some playful innuendos and fade to black scenes. A tense flurry of action towards the end resolves the main issues and leaves us with the knowledge that these characters are in a good place, happy with the choices they have made with the people they have found to love. I do wish that we could have seen what happened when one particular character goes home to straighten some things out. I was really shocked by the motivations involved and the lengths some will go to keep the status quo.
As always, Thomas’s stories quietly entertain. I recommend her to everyone who enjoys small town contemporaries with intriguing characters, charming romances and strong friendships that will have you waiting anxiously each new visit. I look forward to my next visit to Ransom Canyon.
Grade: B
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