Month of Sundays, Book Three: Hour of Healing

by Courtney, E. Michel

Just when Vaughn has convinced himself he doesn’t need Katrina, her life is threatened by a murderer and he realizes that he wants her and her baby. Although her brother seems to be recovering from his own problems, Katrina knows she is still needed by her family and now wants to be needed by Vaughn. With trouble at the breaking point, Katrina is depending on Vaughn more than ever. But when the father of her baby unexpectedly comes to town, it will drive a wedge into the budding relationship. Along with the revelations of the librarian and the coroner’s obsession, Vaughn and Katrina are confronted with a decision that will change their lives forever.

Paperback

First published August 1, 2007

Reviews

[Deborah Janik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy howdy, I did NOT expect to binge read this over the weekend.

Kudos to the author, for leaving me with such powerful intrigue at the end of the second book that I tore through the third. I'm not sure if my drive to read this so fast was due to the story itself or because I thought I had the crime all figured out and NEEDED TO KNOW if I was right. (I was not.)

Out of this trilogy of books, I definitely liked this one the most. It was fast-paced, engaging, and suspenseful. I genuinely had a good time reading it.

After the case was solved however, I found that I felt a little unfulfilled. And it wasn't just because the ending is bittersweet. There were a couple of pieces that didn't feel like they were fully in place.

***[This is where you should stop reading if you don't want spoilers.]***

First, why would Bear crawl in through his own window? Why not just do some snooping when Katrina was out of the house? And how did he know how to position Amy like his dad positioned Marie? Did Dr. Lawrence put that kind of detail into his journals?

To be honest, I don't think he (or his dad) had nearly enough motive to *commit murder* over a teenage pregnancy. Especially when the pregnancy has nothing to do with them. And then he reminds Katrina that she's not married, as if that's a valid reason to not go through with having a baby. I mean, I know it's a small(ish) town, but that kind of thinking feels dated, even for 2007 Rochester. Especially when he's speaking to a woman in her 30's.

Speaking of which, maybe it's my 2021 feminist standards, but the fact that Vaughn and Katrina get married within like, 6 months of meeting doesn't seem healthy for either of them. They're both clearly undergoing some major life changes and he JUST came around to the idea of a relationship after YEARS of self-blame and trauma. Fingers crossed for them though.

If anything, I expected Perry to be the murderer. I imagined he would have some rage at a 15-year-old getting pregnant after he'd tried for so long to have a baby with his ex-wife.

**[Ok. I'm going to leave what I've written so far, but my husband (who has spent much more time in Rochester than I have), has informed me that Rochester has historically been a dry town and a very religious town. I myself grew up in Pleasant Plains, which is on the opposite side of Springfield. Plains is both smaller than Rochester and also further from Springfield, and I've always known it to be...more politically blended. So maybe I'm just surprised at the level of conservative values I'm noting here.]**

Despite the many questions and confusions I've listed here, I really did enjoy this book. It was fun to rip through a mystery and stay up way past my bedtime to finish it. It was fun to read the name of a business or landmark that I grew up with. I have a few other works by this author in my TBR pile, and I'd certainly like to come back to them.