Riverbend Reunion

Author: Henry McLaughlin

Series: Riverbend Saga #3

Publisher: CreateSpace

Release Date: December 14, 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

The third book in the Riverbend Saga brings Michael Archer back to what he has been running from for years and is the best in the series!

Michael Archer feels like the luckiest man in the world. He has just married, Rachel, the woman he is madly in love with, and they have a bright future to look forward to.  He has finally decided to settle down after running from his past for years.  But when he receives a cryptic telegram from his sister Ellie telling him to come home, he feels led to go.  He is hesitant to go because the last time he was home he was saving his sister from their father, who he then stabbed with a pitchfork.  Thinking he had killed his father he runs and doesn’t look back.  Going back might just be the hardest thing he has ever had to do.

After reading all three books in the Riverbend Saga, I can easily say that Riverbend Reunion is the best.  The first two focus on Michael and all he goes through.  With the third, it starts with his sister Ellie and what led to Michael leaving home.  The story then continues for almost a third of the book with Ellie before switching back to Michael. I thought this was an interesting approach, keeping the main character from the first two books mostly absent till a third of the way through, but it worked.  I enjoyed getting the story of Ellie and how she handled all she went through before going back to Michael.  His story in Riverbend was fleshed out enough that it was easy for him to leave and go home to deal with the family issues he had been harboring for years.  I can tell that McLaughlin is growing and improving as a writer with each new book.  The characters are relatable and the story itself is much more tight with the suspense in just the right places.  I’m not sure if there is going to be another in the series, not only do I see potential with a few of the characters being delved into a little further, but also feel it has been wrapped up well if this is the end.  The nice thing about this book was there were no spots were the story came to a stop and I felt like I wanted to be done, I was invested and wanted to see what happened with the characters.  Overall it was very well written and I will be recommending this to readers that enjoy a good western tale with a lot of suspense and redemption throughout.