No River Too Wide

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.