Watercolorist Olivia Rutherford fashioned her image as an avant-garde artist to appeal to the region's wealthy art-collectors. When she lands a lucrative contract painting illustrations of Yosemite National Park for a travel magazine including its nightly one-of-a-kind Firefall event, she hopes the money will lift Olivia and her sisters out of poverty.
After false accusations cost him everything, former minister Clark Johnson has found purpose as a backcountry guide in this natural cathedral of granite and trees. Now he's faced with the choice of becoming a National Parks Ranger, but is it his true calling?
As Clark helps open Olivia's eyes to the wonders of Yosemite, she discovers the people are as vital to the park's story as its vistas-- a revelation that may bring her charade to an end.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When this book landed on my front porch, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not. In fact, I set it aside and read half a dozen other books before I spotted this one again and thought I had probably get around to reading it. I'm so glad that I did.
The Good -
I fell in love with not only the well developed and well written characters, but with the location as well. It made me want to jump in my car and drive across the country so that I could perhaps experience just a bit of what Clark saw every single day. It takes a talented writer to bring a location to life and that's just what Karen Barnett did.
The Bad -
There was just one little section on the end that made me pause and say, "Umm...how did that happen? It wasn't covered." I can't tell you what it was though or it would give too much away. Honestly though, it was one sentence among hundreds or thousands so it certainly didn't keep me from finishing the book.
The Summary -
I loved this book from the first page to the last. I still want to go back and look up the hotels and locations mentioned in the book to see if they still exist. I would love to stand where these characters did and explore the area. Who knows...it might be the perfect get away for this writer!
I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments, and opinions are my own.
If you like what you've read here, please share it with others using these buttons:
