Family Secrets and Trauma in Maine Lodge

Dark Rivers to Cross by Lynne Reeves is an emotionally charged thriller that follows the story of Lena Blackwell and her two sons, Jonah and Luke. For two decades, Lena has kept her sons at her side, teaching them everything about running their successful river lodge in Northern Maine. The plot thickens as Jonah, adopted by Lena, begins a quest to uncover his biological parents, which threatens the stability of their lives.

Dark Rivers to Cross excels in its portrayal of complex family relationships and the psychological impact of hidden truths. The characters are well-developed, and the themes are handled with sensitivity and depth. The novel's strengths lie in its emotional intensity and suspenseful narrative. However, some readers may find the heavy themes and emotional weight of the story challenging.

Overall, Dark Rivers to Cross is a compelling read that offers both a thrilling plot and a profound exploration of family and trauma. Lynne Reeves' skillful storytelling and the richly drawn characters make this novel a standout in the domestic thriller genre.

3⭐
Genre ~ domestic thriller
Setting ~ Maine
Publication date ~ November 8, 2022
Publisher ~ Crooked Lane Books
Est Page Count ~ 283 (28 chapters)
Audio length ~ 7 hours 48 minutes
Narrator ~ Laura Jennings
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ multiple timelines, secrets, domestic abuse, off page rape, murder, slow moving

Content warning from the author:
~ Sensitively explores issues of family violence and inherited trauma

Lena is on the run with her sons, Luke & Jonah. They think they're adopted, so now that they’re grown up, Jonah is interested in finding his biological parents.

While I do applaud Lena for leaving an abusive marriage to protect herself and her children, it was just a bit slowing moving for me in finding the answers of why. I can see keeping the secret from the boys when they were young, but I saw no reason to keep it for so long. They seemed mature enough, so I feel like they could have handled knowing where they came from.

It's not hard to guess how domestic plots with women on the run like this will turn out, which was great because I was ready for my heart to start pounding in the this 'thriller'. And it did for a few minutes, but it's just too bad there was a slow moving middle to get me there, making me not super invested in how it would obviously play out.

So overall, it was okay because like I said I do applaud a woman that gets away, but it just didn't fully captivate me. Maybe it was all the timeline jumps, not sure if it was trying to be too suspenseful with that.

flew through this book. I loved the twists and turns and the writing is stellar. Complex characters and a morally fascinating conundrum

This was a quick (albeit heavy) read that I finished in one sitting. It centers on Lena and her 2 adult sons, Jonah and Luke, whose birthright is a secret she would rather they never know. When Jonah gets curious and starts digging in, their long buried past threatens to disrupt the life they built.

While the characters were likable, I did have many questions about some of the decisions they made. What was a tense cat and mouse game seems like it could have been solved in a much easier and safer manner, leaving less lingering questions and certainly less hurt feelings. While I did feel that the meat of the story was unrealistic, it was an entertaining read and I was satisfied with how it ended.

Overall, this was a quick and decent read that was still interesting despite my need to suspend my disbelief. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dark Rivers to Cross was a bit of a heavy read for me. I loved the mother's love aspect, as well as the sibling relationship. This was my first read by Lynne Reeves.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

DARK RIVERS TO CROSS by Lynn Reeves

This emotionally charged thriller explores long-buried family’s secrets absdvthe deadly reckoning that often follows their explosive reveal,

I loved this novel. What a woman will do to protect her children. A lot of adventure, and suspense. I recommend this book.

for almost twenty years Lena had kept his boys by herself, telling them that though they are much loves, they're adopted, and everything is fine until one of the boys fells the need to find his birth parents. Lena reacts almost irrationally to this news and finds her perfect and quiet life at the edge of collapsing. so what is her secret and why boys should not dig up the past?

the thriller of the book was good but the logic was way off for me. while reading it I kept saying, why? why did you? why didn't you? WTF? so, yeah. kept my adrenalin up, but in an unrealistic way.
but seriously why she kept that secret from her boys? she could tell them. she could!

Thanks to NetGally for providing my copy of the book.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me advance access to this title. I really enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading more from this author. As a reader, I am really motivated by character driven stories and I found myself quickly becoming immersed in these characters’ lives. Full review to come.

How far would a mother go to protect her children?

I’m sure any mother would tell you, they would stop at nothing, including murder to protect their children . Lena, is no different.

Lena adopted Luke and Jonah as babies and raised them alongside her business at a lodge in Maine.

Some secrets should remain buried.

When Jonah expresses interest on meeting his biological parents. Lena knows this can’t happen.

Dark Rivers to Cross, is a highly suspenseful thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Jam packed with secrets, lies, and ties that bind, you’ll never be bored. Told between dual timelines (my favorite) you’ll have a front row seat to the secrets exposed.

Don’t take my word for it, pick up your copy now. Here is a bit of a teaser :

For two decades, Lena Blackwell has kept her sons at her side, teaching them everything she knows about running their successful river lodge in Northern Maine. But what she really wants is to keep her boys in the dark about their tragic past.

Her son Luke is right where he belongs, working at the family inn sheltered by acres of pine forest that stretch along the Penobscot River. So when his adopted brother, Jonah, threatens to upend their peaceful life by searching for his biological parents, Luke refuses to help.

Lena is determined to thwart Jonah’s search to uncover his own history. But the unexpected arrival of old friends at the inn for a weekend off the grid throws her plans into disarray. Little does she know, Jonah has already gleaned enough information to set in motion a deadly reckoning.

Luke may not want to know anything about his family, but he’s caught between the hard truths his brother is determined to expose and the devastating secret his mother is desperate to keep—at any cost.

Dark Rivers to Cross sensitively explores inherited trauma and the stories we tell the ones we love. It’s about what one mother is willing to sacrifice for her children.

A story with family secrets, Lena has hidden her past from her boys for twenty years in order to keep them safe.
This book was excellent with the twists and the turns. When you think you have figured it out. You haven't. This was a very easy read for me and very enjoyable. However I do feel the author tried to hard with this book to try and make it reach a thriller and I didn't get that thriller vibe from this book. I feel this is a 3.5 🌟 rating.

I flew through this book. I loved the twists and turns and the writing is stellar. Complex characters and a morally fascinating conundrum. Five stars for sure! Highly recommend!

Lena has hidden her truth about her past from her sons for the past twenty years, but she still doesn't feel safe. She worries constantly that they will find out the truth, and is worried about how that will affect them, and their relationship with her. Reeves takes the reader down a twisting and convoluted path as she tries to ensure that her secrets will not be revealed.

This book has a good story at the base, but I felt that the author was trying too hard to take the book up to a thriller level. Some of the twists were unnecessary. The characters felt flat and two-dimensional to me. The story has the potential to be a strong dark suspense, if the characters were a bit more developed, and if there were fewer twists for the sake of twists.

Thank you to Crooked lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Very twisty and I loved the plot.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was intense. I had to take a breather from time to time because the suspense of the "family secret" left me feeling some type of way for most of the book. Its always interesting to me when a storyline speaks of kids being raised in such a secluded bubble because you just know some crazy stuff is about to explode. The intensity of this book kept me going and the ending did not disappoint! Highly recommend!

☆☆☆☆
“For women torn between impossible choices”— Dark Rivers to Cross by Lynne Reeves

“Dark Rivers To Cross” is a story that explores the emotional bond between a mother and her children, the lengths she will take to protect her children, and the boundaries children will push to uncover the secrets meant to shield them.

Lena Blackwell has been running a fishing lodge in Maine since her two adopted sons were in diapers. Now they are grown and her older son—Jonah—wants to find his biological parents. Lena needs to find a way to stop him before it ends badly for all of them.

The story covers different timelines, with the main story taking place in the present. The flashbacks fill us in on Lena’s history and some shocking surprises from her past that explain her secrecy.

Sincere thanks to Lynne Reeves and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this gifted ARC through NetGalley. The opinions are my own.

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3.5 rounded up to a 4- TW: domestic abuse, loss of pregnancy and murder. the story is about a mother who is on the run with her two young boys trying to hide the details of her past to keep her boys safe. the story is good, but man, it was SLOW. Also felt like once the boys were older and started to figure out their moms past - it was immediate and no build up or anything. I didnt get much of a "thriller" vibe ,but it was a good story. Thank you Netgalley and crooked lane for the ARC !

Lena has kept a secret from her boys all of their lives. Adopted at a young age and growing up in a secluded campground, Jonah and Luke know little about their previous life. Questions asked as they grew up were quickly averted. Jonah is now in college making a documentary about his life, digging for answers, answers Lena doesn’t want to answer. The deeper he digs the more he finds out about a life Lena has tried to hide for years. Lena had gone to great lengths to protect Jonah and Luke, but life as they know it is about to come crashing down on them, are Jonah and Luke ready for the answers? Will Lena be able to protect them if the truth comes out? A story of family and the depths a mother will go to protect her children. While a short read, the story just didn’t have the impact it could have. The characters felt like cardboard cutouts and lacked the depth necessary for such an emotion packed plot. An OK read, but not as good as it could have been. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Searching for Answers

A story of one family with secrets, one mother's attempt to ensure the safety of her sons and one son's quest to find the truth.

After living in a rental lodge run by their adopted mother Luke and Jonah are finally off to college. They have grown up into young men and are finally looking forward to adulthood. Luke loves the forest and the river and decides not to go to college but to work at the Inn where they rent cabins to those visiting.

Jonah decides he wants to find his real parents being that he is adopted, Luke is not interested in knowing and does not want to hurt his mother's feelings. Eventually he reluctantly helps Jonah in his search.

What they find out endangers both them and their mother. Who are they really? What lies have they been told?

This story had a lot of twists and turns. The ending seemed a bit rushed and not as well put together as the rest of the book. I did not guess the ending it was not as I would have guessed. I really enjoyed the book right up to the last portion which was a bit disorganized in content. It is a good story otherwise.

Thanks to Lynn Reeves for writing the story, to Crooked Lane Books for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

For two decades, Lena Blackwell has kept her sons at her side, teaching them everything she knows about running their successful river lodge in Northern Maine. But what she really wants is to keep her boys in the dark about their tragic past.
Her son Luke is right where he belongs, working at the family inn sheltered by acres of pine forest that stretch along the Penobscot River. So when his adopted brother, Jonah, threatens to upend their peaceful life by searching for his biological parents, Luke refuses to help.
Lena is determined to thwart Jonah’s search to uncover his own history. But the unexpected arrival of old friends at the inn for a weekend off the grid throws her plans into disarray. Little does she know, Jonah has already gleaned enough information to set in motion a deadly reckoning.
Luke may not want to know anything about his family, but he’s caught between the hard truths his brother is determined to expose and the devastating secret his mother is desperate to keep—at any cost.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.