The Buried Bride

Father Tom #4

by J.R. Mathis, Susan Mathis

With the Archbishop’s blessing, Helen and I are spending Lent building a relationship built on love--but without physical intimacy.

And yes, it’s as hard as it sounds.

But this penitential season, I have other work to do. I need to rebuild my relationship with the families of St. Clare’s after neglecting my duties as their shepherd. I must confess my sins to them, and ask their forgiveness.

With these two tasks, I expected this Lent to be the longest of my life.

But I didn’t expect to be fighting to stay out of prison.

Genres: Fiction

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 2, 2021

About the author

Susan Mathis was born in and grew up in an extremely small town in Alachua County, Florida where her family has lived for more than 100 years. When Susan was still very young, James (J.R) Mathis was born in a somewhat bigger small town about 100 miles south of where she lived. Within a decade, James' small town would become part of Orlando, the biggest tourist destination in the United States. He was not amused. That is how, while Susan was running barefoot, swimming in lakes full of alligators and feeding chickens, James was sitting in his bedroom reading books faster than his father could bring them home from the library.

Were James and Susan to write their love story, it would definitely be an enemies-to-lovers trope. They met in the library where he was working. He found her demands for books that he had to pull and bring to her so unreasonable that he actually turned her into the head librarian. She in turn was so anxious to drive him away that when some friends secretly set them up she laid out an entire speech about how miserable her life was (she is typically very upbeat). Little did she suspect that he had a passionate attraction to misery and they were married just over a year later.

Fast forward 26 years, three children, four grandchildren and 20 years of James working for the Federal government. He was diagnosed with a highly treatable but still very scary form of cancer. As so often happens, this brush with mortality inspired him to do something he’d always wanted to do, write a novel. After the publication of the second Father Tom Mystery, Susan joined him as coauthor. As far as the Mathises are concerned, writing together is the most fun a couple can have sitting at a computer.

Reviews

[David Toth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoy reading suspense and unorthodox relationship.

I bought the series, because it was held my interest, so authors suggest every book be a complete novel. Make sure only one author, you don't need help writing let be your own.

[Peter Smith-Cullen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book too far in this otherwise great series. How I enjoyed the earlier novels for their descriptions of church like and the characters it brought to life. But there comes a time when they need new horizons, it’s like being trapped with these characters in a snow globe.

[natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story was great

The story line was great again and the way the series had advocated for Father Tom and Helen had been admirable. Thank you for giving them the ending you have in this book

[Jewett · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual lots ot twists and turns.

[Carol Giacoletto-Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a unique mystery that keeps you reading until the end. It is a part of a series but be read as a stand alone.

[Niresha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still really good. But some parts dragged on for me and got a little tiresome.

[Linda Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

#4 in Father Tom series.