Where the Blue Sky Begins by Katie Powner: Book Review

 **Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Sometimes the hardest road of all is the road home.

When confident and handsome Eric Larson is sent to a rural Montana town to work in the local branch of his uncle's financial company, he's determined to exceed everyone's expectations, earn a promotion, and be back in Seattle by the end of summer. Yet nothing could prepare him for the lessons this small town has in store.

At forty-six years old, eccentric and outspoken Eunice Parker has come to accept her terminal illness and has given herself one final goal: seek forgiveness from everyone on her bucket list before her time runs out. But it will take more courage than she can muster on her own.

After an accident pushes Eric and Eunice together, the unlikely pair is forced to spend more time with each other than either would like, which challenges their deepest prejudices and beliefs. As summer draws to a close, neither Eric nor Eunice is where they thought they would be, but they both wrestle with the same important question: What matters most when the end is near?

Katie Powner (www.katiepowner.com) is an award-winning author who lives in rural Montana where cows still outnumber people. She is a two-time OCW Cascade Award and ACFW First Impressions Award winner. Katie is a biological and adoptive mother of three and foster mother to many more. She and her husband have been in youth ministry for over a decade.

When I first picked up Where the Blue Sky Begins, I really wasn't quite sure what to expect. It didn't take long though for me to be drawn into the story. The story had a lot of humor to start. Considering the more difficult topics that the story takes on--- terminal illness, forgiveness and such--- I think that bit of humor really gave it a nice balance. 

Eric and Eunice were imperfect characters, to say the least. There were many times where I disagreed with the characters' decisions. Still, that allowed the reader to really see their growth throughout the story, and to see how this rather unlikely friendship changed each of them for the better. Truth be told, I generally prefer stories that have some degree of romance and this one did not (okay, maybe a hint at the very end)... but I found myself loving the story either. It's a heartwarming story and one that will definitely have you reaching for the tissues. 

If you enjoy small town stories with a whole lot of heart, this is certainly one to check out.