Married Till Monday (By: Denise Hunter)

Married 'til Monday
By: Denise Hunter

Married 'til Monday is the final book in the Chapel Springs series by Denise Hunter - a series we have devoured and loved. This book was a wonderful conclusion to the McKinley family sagas and introduces us to some new characters and settings for Denise's upcoming Summer Harbor series.

Storyline

Ryan McKinley - brother to Madison, Jade and PJ, the heroines of the first three Chapel Springs books - is still in love with his ex-wife, Abby, and regrets letting her go three years ago. Problem is, she won't give him the time of day. He has bought her dream house, but it is empty without her there to share it with him. When he finds out that Abby's parents still believe them to be married and have invited them up to Maine for the weekend, he decides to accept the invitation and forces himself along on Abby's road trip. 

As they travel together in a cramped car for hours on end, they begin to address the baggage they left packed all those years ago. Is reconciliation even possible, or is it too late? Denise Hunter is a polished, seasoned author and the reader is almost guaranteed an engaging, interesting story will lift up off the pages. No exception here!

Depth

Tackling a failed marriage is no easy feat, either in real life or in good fiction. Marriages often fail because of the little, everyday things that build and build until they explode. Author Denise is incredibly realistic with her characters hashing through their issues. Grief, loss, anger, jealousy, child abuse and self-worth are confronted and dealt with in this story, as Ryan and Abby boldly - albeit reluctantly - face the problems that brought them down in the first place and still haunt them three years later.

Faith

When her marriage failed, Abby also walked away from God, believing herself unworthy of His love. As she and Ryan visit her hometown, her deeper beliefs about God are brought to the surface, largely as a result of her tricky relationship with her parents. But God is faithful to never let go of His children, and He uses her pain to draw her to Himself and shower her with the love of a Father. Faith plays a major part in all the characters' development.

Squeal Factor

As Ryan and Abby rediscover their love for one another, they aren't immune to the physical attraction that drew them together in the first place in college. Although their squeal factor runs high, this time they do it God's way and their love is beautiful to read!

Overall

This book was a great, solid read. Literally every page was interesting and we kept turning them at every chance we got! Married 'til Monday was raw, real, messy and loving - just like marriage in real life. Kudos to author Denise for telling it like it is and not giving easy, pretty resolutions. In fact, some of the issues in this book are not resolved - again, just like real life. But we were satisfied with the book and inspired to press on in the hard things in our own lives. What could be better to take from a book?
 
Find it on Amazon: Married 'til Monday

Please note: We were given this book in exchange for our honest review.