Arrowstar

by C.K. Thomas

Set in a small southeastern Arizona mining town, Arrowstar revolves around the success or failure of Arrowstar Antiques and Star Lance, the woman who owns it. Star likes to drive her Jeep in the fast lane, but can she outrun whoever wants something from her store’s inventory that she purchased from the estate of a rumored old-time train robber? Determined to make a go of a new life in a place far from Indiana and reminders of her husband's untimely death, Star connects with a trio of women who refuse to let her accept defeat.

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

C.K. Thomas writes the Arrowstar series of novels featuring adventurous women of the American Southwest. Arrowstar, Charade, and The Storm Women are the first three books in the series. Originally from Kokomo, Indiana, she has lived in Arizona for over 30 years. Her three grown children and six grandchildren live near Seattle, Washington.

Cheryl has traveled extensively in Arizona and the Southwest by both 4-wheel drive truck and Harley Davidson motorcycle. She also spent three years traveling solo in a 26-foot motor home exploring the back roads of America before resettling in Phoenix. She enjoys living in the Arizona desert with her husband and two long-haired Chihuahuas and spending time on their ranch near Willcox, Arizona.

Cheryl worked for the Arizona Republic newspaper for 16 years and served as publications editor for a large United Methodist Church for six. A Train Robber’s Tale, the fourth book in the series is her current project for 2015. Join her e-mail list on her blog site for sneak peeks, insider tidbits and release dates.

Reviews

[Bob]

I liked this story, but I didn't like this book. The way I feel right now, I'm not sure rating this with 1 star or 5 stars - or anything in between, would be fair to the author.

I liked the start of the story of a woman moving to Arizona from Indiana after her husband died. Her son had changed schools for his Sophomore year in college, going to Washington and her daughter was finishing her Senior year in high school. When her daughter left for college, Star sold her home and moved to Mineral City, AZ.

While I liked the story, it quickly became crowded with too many characters for me. It seemed the author struggled to keep the story moving while trying to give us a quick back-story to explain why each character was in the story.

A couple of unbelievable actions, illogical at least, also put me off.

Star, our protagonist, was emotionally hammered in the two plus years this story covers. While situations like Star experienced are very real, reading about another person battling with depression when I am a Chronic Depressive was a hammer on me.

OK, writing this review helped me find why I had a difficult time with this book. I still don't want to give it a star rating. I can't be unbiased.

If you like strong female characters, this book has at least five of them.

[Glo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it! A great read, fun and light. Good escapism. After reading it I felt compelled to read the others in the series.

I met the author about two weeks ago and she shared a little about the series which peaked my interest.