Six years ago, Olivia’s husband divorced her, leaving her with nothing, not even custody of their daughter, Emma. But Daniel is now dead, forcing Emma to leave her friends, her school, and her home in Florida to live with her mother in Bethlehem Springs, Idaho. Predictably, there is a lot of conflict between Olivia and fifteen-year-old Emma. Olivia is an excellent parent, and never criticises her dead ex-husband no matter how easy that would have been or how much he deserved it, but there is still tension between the two. After all, they are virtually strangers.

Tyler Murphy grew up in foster care, and now works for a law firm, investigating families to make sure the children are being protected. Conveniently, his newest case is in his home town, hired by Peter Ward to investigate the daughter-in-law he’s never met. That was an obvious set-up for future conflict, and was perhaps a little too predictable.

And, given this is a contemporary romance, there is the obvious building relationship between Olivia and Tyler, and Tyler’s inevitable  big reveal that goes exactly as well as I’d expected. I have to admit that I’m not a fan of plots where there is a big secret that you know is going to go down like a lead balloon when it’s revealed. Yes, I know we want to see some tension in the novel, but I still want to be surprised.

That all made sense. What didn’t make as much sense was the inclusion of journal extracts from an unnamed woman writing in the 1930s, as the Great Depression took hold of California. It wasn’t clear who was writing the journal until around the halfway point. As such, I didn’t find it nearly as interesting as the contemporary plot … and I probably thought it detracted from the overall plot for most of the novel.

As it turned out, the journal was an excellent choice for showing the story’s spiritual arc, as the journal writer shared her thoughts on and struggles with God in mini sermons. While I still preferred the contemporary arc, I do think the journal was a clever literary device.

Overall, Like the Wind was a strong contemporary romance with excellent writing and lots of strong characters. It’s also nice to see an older couple in Christian romance (Tyler is forty and never married; Olivia is a little younger).

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Robin Lee Hatcher

Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. Winner of the Christy, the RITA, the Carol, the Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and many other industry awards, Robin is also a recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards from both Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers. She is the author of 75+ novels and novellas with over five million copies in print.

Robin enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, reading books that make her cry, and watching romantic movies. Her main hobby (when time allows) is knitting, and she has a special love for making prayer shawls. A mother and grandmother, Robin and her husband make their home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with Poppet, the high-maintenance Papillon, and Princess Pinky, the DC (demon cat).

Find Robin online at:

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About Like the Wind

A life in pieces. A hundred-year-old journal. And a chance for love to be reborn.

Olivia Ward arrived in Bethlehem Springs alone—with no job, no home, and no money—after her manipulative ex-husband used his power and wealth to destroy everything. Six years later, the peaceful life she rebuilt is once again turned upside down when she learns that her fifteen-year-old daughter, Emma, will be coming to live with her. The reunion should be a dream come true, but years of deception have driven a wedge between them. And Emma seems more interested in an old diary she discovered than reconciliation with her mother.

Tyler Murphy knows what it’s like to lose everything. Propelled by his history in the foster-care system, he’s determined to root out dishonesty and protect the most vulnerable through his work as an investigator. When he’s hired to investigate Olivia Ward, though, he finds himself longing to believe she’s exactly who she appears to be, and he soon realizes that his desire to learn more about her has nothing to do with his job. But how can he pursue a relationship that began with a lie?

In this latest novel from award-winning author Robin Lee Hatcher, an antique diary, a family-fueled investigation, and unexpected feelings collide to create a promise that’s worth fighting for.

You can find Like the Wind online at:

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