I _love_ it. This is the Justine Davis I fell in love with with the Trinity Street West and Redstone series. OK, I'm a sucker for the "abused person learning to trust again" trope, which comes up in spades here (heroine of this book, hero of previous book (which I now own, thank you very much - read soon), several other characters in a sideways fashion). But from the first pages, we have solid characters doing things for their own reasons, not by author fiat, and interacting richly with other characters. Hope's choices make a lot of sense (remember, she was 16...), and the way she gets shaken out of her rut/obsession/tunnel vision by interacting with True, and Zee and Kelsey and Deck and everyone in Whiskey River, is perfect. There is lust at first sight - and it gets suppressed, put aside, left out of the equation until they've got lots better reasons for wanting to be together. And the end is fantastic - not a magical happy ending, but one they both worked for and worked through to get. Wish we'd gotten a glimpse of the bad guy in court, though...I was expecting it. Great story, now I want to read the previous one and I'm eagerly awaiting the next (Jamie and Zee! Yippee!). ( )

Great story! Whiskey River Runaway had me hooked from the start. The story of Hope and True has just the right mix of romance, mystery, heartache, and happy ending. Plus faith that there may still be good people in this world. ( )

In the small Texas town of Whiskey River, Widower Truett Mahan finds a young runaway camping out in a vacant home he is hired to renovate. But he soon realizes that Hope Larson is no teenage waif, but a woman running from deep trouble. Drawn to her by his innate need to fix broken things, he soon starts to experience warmer feelings that he hasn’t experienced since his wife’s death six years previously.

Hope Larson is on the run in a desperate bid to protect the people that she loves. With True in Whiskey River, she begins to realize that she desperately wants to stop running, face her fears, and ultimately find a home.

This is a warm hearted story, with characters that the reader empathizes with and roots for. The story is simple and predictable, but quite enjoyable nonetheless. This is the second book of a series, and despite a lot of references to the first book (the couple from that book are supporting characters in this one), it isn’t necessary to have read it to appreciate this story.

Bottom line, this novel may not be an enduring classic, but it will leave the reader with a warm and happy feeling.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )