The Baxters by Karen Kingsbury: Book Review

 **I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own. 

This warmhearted and moving prequel to the “heart-tugging and emotional” (RT Book Reviews) #1 New York Times bestselling Baxter Family Series follows the family members as they face rising tensions during a wedding and a colossal storm.

A terrible storm builds in the early morning sky over Bloomington, Indiana, as Elizabeth Baxter prepares to celebrate her daughter Kari’s wedding to Tim Jacobs. It’s supposed to be the happiest of days, but Elizabeth can’t shake a growing sense of dread. Is the storm a sign? Something bad is about to happen. Elizabeth knows it.

Indeed, there are dark currents of conflict and doubt coursing through the Baxter family. In the midst of them, Kari Baxter is starting to panic. Is marrying Tim a mistake? And what about her family? Her brother Luke is angry and resentful of their sister Ashley, who has recently returned from Paris, a single mom with a son she too often leaves with their parents. At the same time, Ashley and their sister Brooke have lost the faith that is the family’s glue. Against all this, Kari sees Ashley rejecting her longtime love, Landon Blake, who clearly cares for her, no matter what happened in Paris.

When the storm reaches a terrifying crescendo, a shocking moment of danger brings important truths to light. At the end of the long day, can the Baxters remain a family, tested but stronger?

From an author who “writes with seemingly effortless poetic elegance” (Booklist), The Baxters is an unforgettable testament to the power of love, family, and faith.

Karen Kingsbury, #1 New York Times bestselling novelist, is America’s favorite inspirational storyteller, with more than twenty-five million copies of her award-winning books in print. Her last dozen titles have topped bestseller lists and many of her novels are under development as major motion pictures. Her Baxter Family books were developed into a TV series. Karen is also an adjunct professor of writing at Liberty University. She and her husband, Donald, live in Tennessee near their children and grandchildren.

The Baxters is a prequel to Karen Kingsbury's Baxter Family series... a series that has been around for many, many years. The Baxter family members have also made appearances in several of her other books. I have read a few of the books featuring these characters, and while the details are a bit fuzzy, I did find myself thinking that parts of this story seemed vaguely familiar to me. For me, this definitely served as a great reminder of who this family is and offered a bit of recap of some things... especially reading before the upcoming TV series, which I am quite excited to check out. While this is a prequel though, I'm not sure if I would personally recommend reading before the rest of the series. There were a few moments that I felt like might have been a bit of spoilers that were revealed in the other books--- which is great when you're reading after the fact, but I like those little surprises in the originals myself. Still, I absolutely adored this one. It was a quick pace with lots of family drama and a beautiful reminder of this imperfect family and their faith in God. It certainly had me wanting to go back and read even more about this family!

Overall, I found this to be a great read and one that will have us celebrating the love of the Baxter Family, whether it be for the first time or the most recent.