The Colony by Cami Checketts
To protect her sons from the mistakes of her past, Brinlee Trapper escapes to a secluded mountain home. But there are dangers lurking in the mountains she has never encountered. The little family is saved from injury by Jed, a mysterious hunter. Brinlee is drawn to him, but she worries about his involvement with a peaceful commune hidden deep in the mountains behind her property. Lance, Brinlee’s attentive neighbor, has his own troubled history. Between his obvious attraction to Brinlee and his developing love for her children, Brinlee finds it more than difficult to guard her heart against this tender intrusion. While Jed offers a life of excitement and freedom, Lance holds the key to the family Brinlee always wanted. When it comes time to choose, she learns that both men have secrets that could shatter her fledgling trust in men and the wrong decision could leave more than her heart exposed to danger.
My Thoughts: I was looking forward to Cami Checketts' book since I've quite enjoyed her previous works. I was surprised on how this book turned out to be since I was not too sure what to expect.
First off, I was very intrigued with the mysteries surrounding the characters in this book. Not only did I want to know more about the main character Brinlee's past, I found myself wracking my brain about the two men who created the triangle. Though it was obvious who Brinlee preferred and whom the reader would root for, I still found it interesting how everything was going to unfold. Would she pick Lance or would she pick Jed? Or neither?
Now, let me take the moment to gush over Lance. He was the perfect partner that a woman could ask for. Not only was he attractive but he was protective, respectful, caring, would take care of the children, AND would wash dishes. Who doesn't want that? This made me yearn for a man just like Lance, which undoubtedly had me rooting for him from the first time he appeared in the story.
I enjoyed the story and I very muck liked the characters, but I do admit that I found some minor issues with it. Brinlee's not able to trust herself and her constantly pushing away Lance made me want to shake her. She didn't trust herself because of some mistakes she did in her past that made her feel "unclean." The message about being "clean" really irked me. It made me feel that anyone who has had sexual encounters outside of marriage was seen as being unworthy. I think this was why I struggled a bit the second half of the book when these messages became the strongest. Luckily, the twist at the end of the story turned everything around. I found myself hooked right back in and wishing the very best for Brinlee and the two men.
Overall, I enjoyed this book even if I didn't agree with some of the messages. It was clean and well told. It made me swoon over a new male character as well. I rate it:
Praise "Cami Checketts is a genius! She writes about topics that aren't widely discussed, in and out of books, and she does such a brilliant job of crafting these things into wonderful stories that touch your heart and remain with you for days afterwards." ~Myra, Reviewer, Pieces of Whimsy
Cami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and reading Bernstein Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction. Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science. Cami teaches strength training classes at her local rec and shares healthy living tips on her fitness blog: http://fitnessformom.blogspot.com. Cami and her family live in the beautiful Cache Valley of Northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn’t snowing, she enjoys swimming, biking, running, and water-skiing.
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Thank you for the review! I really appreciate your insight.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Cami