Dan Walsh’s books have never disappointed and this was no exception. I enjoy Walsh’s books because they are firmly rooted in faith without being judgmental or preachy. It may sound corny but I always feel lighter after reading his books and they almost always catch me in my ‘feels’.
This one touched on a pretty sensitive topic; feeling unappreciated in a marriage. I am sure that is something ever married person has felt at some point, even in cases where there isn’t a separation. I did find that Jim was a bit too oblivious. People are selfish as a whole. But there had to be signs that he noticed about the state of his marriage, and choose to ignore. While it may be easy to dismiss Marilyn as wimpy or too submissive she did what most people do. Whether they admit it or not most married people will put up with a lot in the sake of saving or keeping their marriage. And as with most situations, it was a tiny straw that broke the proverbial back and made her leave. Again some people may find that unbelievable but I didn’t since it tends to be the case in any relationship.
While Jim’s self-awareness of his missteps as the story progressed was well documented, the same was not done for Marilyn. She was the one who let the behavior continue for as long as she did. Even though she did become more assertive, she never had a moment of clarity. Things may not have gotten that bad had she drawn a line with Jim about anything during the course of their marriage. So they both had to admit and come to terms with their failings during the course of the marriage.
I do like at the end how everything wasn’t neatly tied together. The general story arch for this one did end. Since it is a series around the family, there were seed planted for the work that still needed be done before they can be ready to grow and walk further in their faith and life together. I will likely pick up the rest of this series as my wallet allows me to.

The legend of Sleepy Hollow has always fascinated me. One would think that it was because I watched the Disney cartoon at a young age but that’s not it. It is just something that has always fascinated me. If anything is to blame, it’s that one episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark?
That is why I was excited to pick up this book. I figured it would be another new and interesting YA take on the lore, like the Jason Crane series.

Despite what the cover indicates, it is not “teen” book. Crane in this book a high school counselor in her mid-twenties. I enjoyed Ireland as a character. She is witty and has a dry sense of humor which I can dig since it matches my own. The author also chose to use Washington Irving, Rip Van Winkle, and Ichabod Crane as real characters in the flashbacks. This helped to further add her own flavor to the Headless Horseman lore. And it did a good job of explaining how the ‘legend’ was born. It was interesting to see all the characters from the original story. There were also nods to the other movies and books about the tale. And the tension between Brom and Ichabod was still present.

And Ichabod! This version is not the neurotic one from the Tim Burton movie. It is not the waifish gold digger from the Disney cartoon either. And before you get up in arms about that statement, re-watch the cartoon and be honest. He was a gold digger. This was an Ichabod with courage and strength and is on par with the one on the current Fox show. /swoon

I don’t want to give too much away because of the risk of spoilers on this but it is an engaging read. There are quite a few twists and turns that the story takes until it reaches the climax. One complaint the ending felt a bit rushed in trying to tie up loose ends and set the stage for the next one. It was a mad dash to the end, but not enough that I felt patronized. The opening up for the next book was enough of a draw without being a complete cliffhanger. So that is always a perk as well especially in cases where you may not be able to pick up the next book right away.

I will likely pick up the rest of the series, as my wallet allows it, so I can finish Ireland’s story. If you like the Sleepy Hollow lore like me then you will not regret picking this one up.