I enjoyed this story so much! A second chance at life, love and happiness. A beautiful story.

I received an arc via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Friar by Samantha A. Cole

Notes:
* Christian Romance
* Second chances
* Mystery
* Suspense
* Evil
* Preconceptions/Misconceptions about ex-convicts
* Choices
* Anger
* Justice
* Penance
* Believable & Unbelievable
* Community/communities

Adam Westfield gave over twenty years of his life to the church as a celibate friar. One day he reacted to something he saw and his choice after the fact led to five years in prison. Upon his release he spent time on the road working, thinking and coming to terms with himself while trying to figure out where his future would be.

Sage Hammond, a widow, is doing her best to keep Heaven’s Pastures Ranch viable as appaloosa ponies are bred and sold. She is behind on the mortgage and someone is eager to buy the ranch whether or not she wants to sell. When Adam shows up on her doorstep looking for work she plans to send him away due to his past but…changes her mind.

As the two spend time together a romance blooms, the ranch is threatened and so are they. They rely on one another, their friends and the community to make it through some rough situations and in the end find a HEA that includes security for all.

I enjoyed the book and would like to thank NetGalley and Suspenseful Seduction Publishing for the copy of this novel – this is my honest review.

4 Stars

Thought and Plot

There was a lot going on in this 167 page book (at least that's what it was once I was done adjusting my text settings).

Adam Westfield is a former Friar who resigned from his position because he felt a sinner like him had no business being a friar. Recently released from prison he's wandered through three states looking for a new purpose in life.

Sage Hammond is barely holding on to her ranch which has been in her late husband's family for generations. She's late on her loan payments after a stillbirth from one of her prized horses makes her short on cash. Ranch hands keep leaving her because she can offer only a little pay. But when a strange man comes walking up her driveway, claiming the reverend said she might be looking for help, she sends him packing, worried for the safety of her two kids, Mathew and Jenna.

But fate intervenes, and Sage almost immediately hires him after sending him packing. He proves him self to be a hard worker and a kind man to both Sage and her children. He awakens something in Sage she hasn't felt since her husband died and she stirs something in Adam that makes him question God's plans for him.

All in all this was a pretty good book. I had a few little issues with it, but that's mostly because I'm a little bit crazy and enjoy watching any sort of documentary I can get my hands on about prisons and the prison system. My first out loud "Uhoh, that's not good," was brought on by the idea that an inmate could be considered a friend by a guard. As a prison documentary watcher I can tell you those types of relationships are strongly discourage and there are stiff penalties for both staff and inmate if they are 'friends'. Best you could expect is 'mutual respect and courtesy.' I also kind of doubt that the inmate cooking staff could get permission to make him a going away cake, but whatever.

My next problem was, I'm relatively sure with the crime Adam plead guilty to, there would be a parole officer involved, particularly if he got out early for good behavior. He can't just be hopping state lines as a wanderer. But I could be wrong. I'm not overly familiar with New York laws and their juridical system.

Other than that, I quite enjoyed Adam and Sage's growing relationship and the little bit of suspense the author worked into her story. The sex scenes were okay (I wouldn't call them mind-blowing, teehee).

In Conclusion

I thought this was a cute romance about a man who feels guilty for a moment of lost control and fully shoulders the blame that he really shouldn't have and a widower who rediscovers love...and sex. lol