Book Review: Over The Falls by Rebecca Hodge

 SUMMARY:

It's early June in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee, and the idyllic beauty of the landscape belies the darkness that lurks beneath the surface. Bryn Collins has been living in isolation for fourteen years after her fiance, Sawyer, jilted her for her despised sister, Del. Although a life-threatening accident ended her days navigating the perils of whitewater, she still finds refuge kayaking in the local lakes.

But Bryn's placid life hits the skids when an unwelcome cast of characters reenters her life. Del goes mysteriously missing, and her fourteen-year-old son, Josh, arrives to ask for Bryn's help finding her. His father, Sawyer, had been killed in a plane crash and he has no one else to turn to. Carl, an unruly punk the sisters knew years before, is desperate to find Del because she owes him money.

Bryn and Josh follow an ever-elusive trail to Colorado, and at the annual Mountain Games competition in Vail, they finally confront the truth. For Bryn, all roads lead to the river, and on vicious Colorado whitewaters, she must muster every ounce of courage and strength to save what she most loves in the world.

TEE'S THOUGHTS

This was the first book I have read by Rebecca Hodge, and after the thrill ride that I just went on I know it will not be the last time I pick up one of her books.

I really enjoyed the setting of Eastern Tennessee, I have been there on vacation several times so it was easy for me to picture the surroundings, even though Hodge did a great job of describing the area. I espececially enjoyed the peaceful farm like Bryn lived, and have craved that for myself many times. I saw why Bryn was so reluent to give up that peace to help her nephew Josh.

The characters are all well rounded. Bryn is the unfavored child in the family, her parents more douting on her sister Del, who Bryn herself remembers fondly as they were growning up, in reality Del is just pure evil and the book proved that point. I liked the growth of the characters and the bonding betweent Bryn and Josh. They are also somewhat easy to relate to, showing faults and weaknesses, something everyone has, but at times books seem to leave them out.

There is some good action to keep you turning pages, for instance the white water rafting. The intensirty of the scenes will have you holding your breathe.

The story is a bit of a slow burn, and takes a bit to get started, but it is engaging and well written. At times I did feel that the story was in places repetitive, so some of the twists and turns were easy to figure out beforehand. But all in all this was a good introduction to Rebecca Hodge and I look forward to checking out her back books and what she writes next.