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Doubting River
Can a broken dog heal a broken family?
After fleeing his small Mississippi hometown as a teenager, Charm Freeman planned never to return. But his brother-in-law's tragic death forces him back, where he finds his nine-year-old nephew Lucas drowning in grief. The boy has only one fulfilling his father's dream of turning their neighbor's injured retriever into a champion hunting dog.
Against his sister's wishes, Charm commits to helping Lucas train River. As uncle and nephew work to heal both dog and heart, Charm must finally confront the painful secrets that drove him away. But just when he discovers that home might be exactly where he belongs, everything he's rebuilt threatens to shatter.
Read DOUBTING RIVER and discover why some dreams are worth fighting for.
After fleeing his small Mississippi hometown as a teenager, Charm Freeman planned never to return. But his brother-in-law's tragic death forces him back, where he finds his nine-year-old nephew Lucas drowning in grief. The boy has only one fulfilling his father's dream of turning their neighbor's injured retriever into a champion hunting dog.
Against his sister's wishes, Charm commits to helping Lucas train River. As uncle and nephew work to heal both dog and heart, Charm must finally confront the painful secrets that drove him away. But just when he discovers that home might be exactly where he belongs, everything he's rebuilt threatens to shatter.
Read DOUBTING RIVER and discover why some dreams are worth fighting for.
371 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 15, 2025
4 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Melissa C. Alexander
3 books7 followersI’ve been critter-crazy since birth, and I wrote my first “novel” (27 whole pages!) when I was in third grade. It’s not surprising that I’ve spent the rest of my life pursuing, and frequently combining, those two passions.
In 1999, I “discovered” clicker training while doing pre-puppy research. I was hooked! A year later I and my friend Debbie Otero founded the ClickerSolutions mailing list and Web site, and a couple of years after that my book, Click for Joy!, was published by KPCT (then Sunshine Books). I have taught clicker training classes, given clicker training seminars across the country, and clicker trained chickens, dogs, and horses.
I mostly retired from the clicker world in 2007, though I still maintain the ClickerSolutions Web site and check in on the mailing list when I can. My focus now is on my husband, my dogs, and my personal writing. I’m currently working on a novel I plan to have finished and subbed to agents in 2018.
My husband and I are based in the Pacific Northwest, but we travel full-time. You can currently find us in San Miguel de Allende, MX.
In 1999, I “discovered” clicker training while doing pre-puppy research. I was hooked! A year later I and my friend Debbie Otero founded the ClickerSolutions mailing list and Web site, and a couple of years after that my book, Click for Joy!, was published by KPCT (then Sunshine Books). I have taught clicker training classes, given clicker training seminars across the country, and clicker trained chickens, dogs, and horses.
I mostly retired from the clicker world in 2007, though I still maintain the ClickerSolutions Web site and check in on the mailing list when I can. My focus now is on my husband, my dogs, and my personal writing. I’m currently working on a novel I plan to have finished and subbed to agents in 2018.
My husband and I are based in the Pacific Northwest, but we travel full-time. You can currently find us in San Miguel de Allende, MX.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 2, 2025
Looking for a good read? DOUBTING RIVER by MELISSA WATKINS ALEXANDER is hot off the press!
Beautifully crafted, this intriguing tale of a fractured family & a happenstance dog, River, had me from the first page. Already a slow reader, I was even slower as I savored Melissa’s descriptions & polished sentences, frequently re-reading passages because they absolutely sing. The characters are engaging, & I found myself really caring about what happened to them. DOUBTING RIVER is one of those books I didn’t want to end.
It’s available on Amazon.
Beautifully crafted, this intriguing tale of a fractured family & a happenstance dog, River, had me from the first page. Already a slow reader, I was even slower as I savored Melissa’s descriptions & polished sentences, frequently re-reading passages because they absolutely sing. The characters are engaging, & I found myself really caring about what happened to them. DOUBTING RIVER is one of those books I didn’t want to end.
It’s available on Amazon.
January 24, 2026
i’m a Curly-Coated Retriever enrhusiast
I’ve owned and trained several Curly-Coated Retrievers. My favorite breed. They are a unique, special breed. The story was engaging,and the dog work descriptions seemed accurate.
I’ve owned and trained several Curly-Coated Retrievers. My favorite breed. They are a unique, special breed. The story was engaging,and the dog work descriptions seemed accurate.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews