Over the Falls by Rebecca Hodge

Over the Falls published on September 7, 2021 by Crooked Lane Books.

About the Book

It’s early June in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee, and the idyllic beauty of the landscape belies the darkness that lurks beneath the surface. Bryn Collins has been living in isolation for fourteen years after her fiance, Sawyer, jilted her for her despised sister, Del. Although a life-threatening accident ended her days navigating the perils of whitewater, she still finds refuge kayaking in the local lakes.

But Bryn’s placid life hits the skids when an unwelcome cast of characters reenters her life. Del goes mysteriously missing, and her fourteen-year-old son, Josh, arrives to ask for Bryn’s help finding her. His father, Sawyer, had been killed in a plane crash and he has no one else to turn to. Carl, an unruly punk the sisters knew years before, is desperate to find Del because she owes him money.

Bryn and Josh follow an ever-elusive trail to Colorado, and at the annual Mountain Games competition in Vail, they finally confront the truth. For Bryn, all roads lead to the river, and on vicious Colorado whitewaters, she must muster every ounce of courage and strength to save what she most loves in the world.

Librarian Laura’s Review of Over the Falls

Bryn Collins is enjoying her quiet farm life, alongside her faithful dog, tending to her goats and getting to know her kind, next-door neighbor Landon. Landon is a good, hard-working man who Bryn knows would treat her right, but she isn’t ready to make the leap into an official relationship yet. Her last relationship ended fourteen years ago, when her fiance Sawyer cheated on her with her estranged sister, Del, and got her pregnant, to boot. Bryn has tried to move past the painful memories and finds solitude enjoying nature and kayaking. But when a 14 year old boy shows up on her farm, claiming to be her nephew Josh, painful memories are brought to the surface and Bryn knows she has to help what remaining family she has. Though she hasn’t spoken to her sister Del for 14 years, there’s no denying that Josh is Sawyer’s son. Now with Sawyer dead from a plane crash a few years before and Josh’s mother missing, he has no one else to turn to but Bryn. When a dangerous man comes looking for Del, and more specifically, the drug money that Del owes him, Bryn and Josh realize that the situation is a bit more serious than they first thought. A small trail of clues begins to lead the pair to Colorado, the last place Del was said to be. Danger lurks around every corner for Bryn and Josh as they dig up buried secrets about both Del’s and Sawyer’s past, but they have each other, and they come to find that they really like spending time together.

Fans of Taylor Adams and Chevy Stevens will enjoy this fast-paced, well-plotted thriller. There is a strong theme of family being what you make of it in this book. Though there is a chance of a relationship developing between Bryn and Landon, there is absolutely no romance in this book. It is an action-packed, outdoor adventure with dangerous stakes. It’s a nail-biting, edge-of-you-seat kind of thriller you won’t want to put down until the final page. I loved it and I hope that you do, as well.

Thank you to Rebecca Hodge, Crooked Lane Books, and Kate Rock Book Tours for the early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.