Long and Short Reviews

Winter’s Journey by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
The Wild Rose Press
Contemporary Romance, Suspense/Mystery, Action/Adventure
Full length, Sensual
Review by Frangipani

To keep the bank from repossessing her eighteen-wheeler and putting her and her daughter on the street, trucker Loretta Brennan takes a dangerous route to Wyoming with a winter storm approaching. She worries if she can make the deadline and navigate the icy roads since her driving partner husband died in an accident the year before.

At a truck stop, Loretta meets handsome hitchhiker Sam Emerson, who helps her out of a bind. She feels compelled to return the favor and offers him a ride to Cheyenne. Blizzards, a series of trucker murders, and a sinister truck haunt them along their route. They grow close despite Loretta’s fear that Sam may be aligned with the killer. Is Sam a good man down on his luck or is she falling in love with a murderer?

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Loretta is a trucker’s widow with a child to support and bills to pay. It is easy to empathize with her. The accident that killed her husband was bizarre. While he changed a tire on his truck, someone ran over him. The driver and truck that caused the accident were never found.

When Loretta is offered a job, by a large company with an exceptional reputation, she is overjoyed. Then, she sees the problems. Two years ago her husband was killed on the same route, it’s winter, the deadline is almost impossible, the cargo is fragile, and a blizzard is on the way. While reading, I wanted to shout, don’t do it! Knowing it’s her big chance, she agrees to take the run from Oklahoma to Wyoming.

From the start she’s plagued with mechanical problems and harassed by another driver. When he grabs her, a tall cowboy steps out of the shadows and rescues her. Sam Emerson needs a ride, and Loretta needs another driver.

When truck drivers are murdered, she starts doubting Sam. Is she riding with a serial killer that has already stolen her heart?

This is an easy read that has a good flow. It provides a sweet and tender romance while keeping you on the edge of your chair. Winter’s Journey has a totally different setting that shows us the dangerous life of a trucker. I don’t want to give away the plot, but when someone tries to kill them, your imagination puts you in the driver’s seat.

I liked the way the author weaved her story and developed her characters. It kept me reading late into the night. Sam is a hero whose shoes you would like to put under your bed. Loretta is beautiful, and a woman to admire. This book offers romance, suspense and a glimpse into a life filled with danger. After reading this book, I have a lot more respect for the men and women who supply America.