The Promise of Forgiveness

March 1, 2016
Ruby Baxter isn't the sort of woman who's been able to commit to one man. She didn't have any good role modelsher adoptive dad shut her out of his life when she turned 16, and what little she knows about her birth parents doesn't paint them as upstanding citizens. On her way to Kansas to start a new life with her daughter, Mia, Ruby decides to visit her birth father for the first time. Hank McArthur is a grumpy old rancher living in aptly named Unforgiven, Oklahoma, but Mia immediately takes a shine to the old man and his horses. As Ruby watches her decidedly dysfunctional family learn more about themselves and each other, she reconsiders her abilities to trust, commit, and love. Thomas, a prolific romance writer, has crafted an introspective and touching women's-fiction novel. While some of the story's loose ends are tied up a bit too tidily, the growth of the main characters feels genuine and sincere. Fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Fern Michaels will enjoy this family-focused story of betrayal, growth, and acceptance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)