The Art of Rivers

Rivers Sullivan bears both visible and invisible scars—those on her shoulder from a bullet wound and those on her heart from the loss of her fiancé during the same brutal attack. Not even her background as an art therapist can help her regain her faith in humanity. Still, she scrapes together the courage to travel to St. Simons Island to see the beach cottage and art gallery she’s inherited from her fiancé. When she stumbles upon recovering addicts running her gallery, she’s forced to reckon with her own healing.

After the tragic drowning of his cousin, James Cooper Knight spends his days trying to make up for his past mistakes. He not only dedicates his life to addiction counseling, but guilt drives him to the water, searching for others who’ve been caught unaware of the quickly rising tides of St. Simons. When he rescues a peculiar blond woman and her sketch pad from a sandbar, then delivers this same woman to his deceased grandmother’s properties, he knows things are about to get even more complicated.

Tragic circumstances draw Cooper and Rivers closer, but they fight their growing feelings. Though Cooper’s been sober for years, Rivers can’t imagine trusting her heart to someone in recovery, and he knows a relationship with her will only rip his family further apart. Distrust and guilt are only the first roadblocks they must overcome if they take a chance on love.

My thoughts: I was blown away by this book! I've enjoyed Janet's previous stories, but I think she outdid herself with this book. The Art of Rivers deals with some hard topics, like losing a loved one and addiction. I appreciated that Janet doesn't sugar coat either one. When Rivers goes to clean out the cottage left to her by her departed fiancé. When she finds out that part of her inheritance is tied to a ministry that helps recovering addicts, she is forced to face her perception of loss and grief.
I thought this story and the characters were well written and that Janet does a wonderful job of reminding us that addiction is no respecter of persons, but affects people from all walks of life. I highly recommend this thought provoking story!
I received a copy of this book from JustRead tours. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

Purchase a copy:

This post contains affiliate links.