Third Strand of the Cord
Catherine Richmond
File Size: 4417 KB
Print Length: 291 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Catherine Richmond; 2 edition (September 29, 2016)
Publication Date: September 29, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B01LWQIPZ1
BOOK BLURB
She prayed for a fairy godmother and got a… karate instructor? Hard-working single mom Caroline Jameson wonders why her son is so unruly. Weren’t children with Down syndrome supposed to be cuddly and compliant? Her ex says the boy belongs in an institution. Caroline will do anything to prove him wrong, even sign her son up for karate classes with a know-it-all instructor.
Lee Marivaux is an expert at reading people. He knows his feisty new student will thrive with firm guidance – and he’s right. He pegs the boy’s mother as a clueless socialite who loafs at the country club – and he’s never been so wrong.
It’s a battle of wills and misperceptions – until Caroline’s abusive ex shows up, demanding custody. Can Lee and Caroline join forces to keep the boy safe? And in a town called Liberty, will love give them the freedom to braid themselves into a strong new family?
REVIEW
This was a story I enjoyed a lot. It was nice to meet characters who are so fresh and completely against stereotypes. Caroline is a complicated person, and through most of the story we suspect that there was something that happened in her past that made her like a skittish colt shying away from any type of relationship. Can she get over that and trust Lee, this calm wonderful man who teaches Karate to kids with special needs?
From the first time Lee stepped on stage, I was saying, “Yes, Caroline! You must let this man into your heart and your home.” He is such a calm presence in the midst of the chaos of Caroline’s life. Caroline is doing the best she can to raise Trent as a single-mother, but the job would be easier if she could clone herself. Then one mother could be at work to earn a living while the other was with Trent 24/7.
Carolyn’s mother is a hoot, and I loved what she says when she sees the pictures of Lee that were taken shortly before Caroline came to visit. The older woman smiles and says, “I’ll visit you this summer. I must see this guy in shorts.”
There is plenty of humor dropped into the story and places where I chuckled out loud. I laughed when Caroline’s mother talks to her about satisfying “certain needs”. Caroline is so shocked, she almost drills a hole in the wrong place while hanging new curtain rods. This is made even more humorous since Caroline is an engineer, can repair cars, and has a garage full of tools that would make Tim the Tool Guy jealous. She would not drill a hole in the wrong place.
Another nice bit of humor comes at a time when things are particularly tense after Trent has gotten seriously ill and is in the hospital. Caroline and Lee have just exchanged a few lines of light banter to ease the tension, then suddenly he changes the subject and turns away. “If that man shifted gears any faster, Caroline thought, her transmission would fall out.”
This is a wonderful, feel-good story that I highly recommend.
About The Author
Catherine Richmond is the author of three other Inspirational novels that offer a wonderful testimony to the power of love, from God and from each other. The message of faith and hope is coupled in stories about people to whom we can relate, and written in a style that is quite engaging. Her other books are: Spring for Susannah, Through Rushing Water and Gilding the Waters.
More information about her books and free excerpts can be found on Catherine’s WEBSITE. Do check them out. You won’t be disappointed.