🚗🏍️🏞️🏨 "The Road to Happenstance" 🏨 🏞️🏍️ 🚗 (2020) - Book Review
MY REVIEW
Series:
The Mosaic Collection (Book #7)
The
Happenstance Series (Book #1)
Paperback:
254 pages
Publisher:
Tansy & Thistle Press (January 23, 2020)
Language:
English
ISBN-10:
1777000505
ISBN-13:
978-1777000509
Click Picture for Purchase Link
“One man
running from his past, two women he’s attracted to, and a peculiar town that
won’t let him go. Matthew Sadler rides his ’77 Harley into Happenstance, intent
on passing through, but people and events conspire to prevent his leaving.
The
elderly Barlow sisters consider Matt their knight on a motorcycle. Matt is
entranced by Roni, the other lodger at the Happenstance Hotel, who bears an
uncanny resemblance to Matt’s beloved, deceased wife. The young doctor in town,
Paula Percy, adores Matt’s motorcycle. However, she is suspicious of the woman
from the hotel.
As the
days pass, the quaint little town, with its unique residents, begins to show
its sinister side. When evidence of multiple thefts leads to Matt’s door, he
must deal with a mystery and yet more false accusations. Do the old diaries of
Amanda Rutherford Barlow hold the answers Matt so desperately seeks? Will
Happenstance finally let him go, or does he have a reason to stay?”
Thank you in advance to The Mosaic Collection
and JustRead Publicity Tours for providing a complimentary advance review copy.
A positive review was not required. All words and thoughts are my own.
While this is part of the Christian and
Faith-based “The Mosaic Collection”, the previous novels are not connected to
this one, and not required to be read.
This is the third Mosaic Collection book I’ve
read (previously “A Beautiful Mess”; “More Than Enough”). Each one is
different, but each one contains an element of faith.
A widower running from his past; two lovely
older ladies; and a charming town. A town that one can trust. This book has a
mystery and a bit of intrigue to it as well. You wouldn't know it by the first
few pages though. That is what makes this story interesting.
“The Road to Happenstance” takes a different
turn than the other two I read – this one also has a mystical element to it.
The cover depicts an old fashioned, wooden
bridge which can depict a calm and peaceful place. Maybe for relaxing, maybe
for settling into a new life. It can be frightening or it can be renewing. It
can stand for separating the past or merging past and present.
As stated, Matthew Sadler ends up in Happenstance,
without an intention to stay. For some reason; and this is where the mystical
happening comes in; he is unable to leave. He becomes attached to the Barlow
Sisters, friends with Bear, and close to Veronica (Roni).
There are other characters as well, each
central to the story.
As the story progressed it went from a mystical
type story, to one of mystery. After one of the sisters fell ill, suspicions
arise. Perhaps it was done on purpose.
The Barlow sisters are also having financial issues,
and Matt is determined to help them – then he plans to leave town. It’s always “I’ll
leave after …” with no efforts to leave.
The writer then starts taking the reader on a
mystery, loaded with secrets, that ends with a suspenseful surprise. The writer
also tackles the subject of a spousal death, false allegations, and mental
illness.
It was difficult getting into this book at
first, and I actually had to re-read it again to give a more thorough review. Once
I was finally able to get well into the novel, it picked up and definitely held
my interest. There were times it was hard to put down.
Matt's plan to not stay as long as he did was
interesting. I liked how the reader kept the plans changing without it being a cliché,
while remaining relevant to the story.
The Barlow sisters were old-fashioned, if not
prudish. The faith element was strong, but not overwhelming. The characters
went to church, and even Matt started going back to church as well. It was
known that there were faith elements, but they were not a central theme of the
novel.
Bear was well-named, and definitely a good
friend despite getting some idioms wrong. Sandy was a bit of a character as
well.
The one character I couldn’t stand from the
beginning was Roni. I don’t know if that was the writer’s intention. But, I
honestly disliked this character right off. She came off as too nosey, too
moody, and definitely too pushy with helping the sisters. In chapter 24, my
suspicions were confirmed. So, that didn’t come as a surprise when she showed
her true colors.
This was a unique read and one that I will say
was not as I expected, but more or less in a good way. I thought it had a darker
element to it, despite the faith theme. However, it didn’t stay dark for too
long.
While not a series with a connection to “The
Mosaic Collection”, this is part of the writer’s “Happenstance Series”. As the
ending was “open” (not really resolved) – the reader, if interested will
definitely want to read the next book.
I would’ve preferred a more closed ending,
however I am eager to see where the writer plans to take Matt, Paula, the Barlow
sisters, and Bear in the next segment.
Janice L. Dick's "Road to
Happenstance" is a perfect reminder of God's plan for our lives.
RATING:
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐–
Goodreads
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐–
Bookbub
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐–
Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)
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