Roxy Burke left home vowing to become a country-western star. Now she's back---dreams shattered, inheritance squandered, her life messed up. Her father tenderly embraces her, but her sister Elena harbors resentment and and anger. Even more problematic is Roxy's former boyfriend, Wyatt, a rebel-turned-Christian, is now engaged to Elena! Can they each accept God's grace?

Roxy Burke left her family vowing to become a country-western star. Now she’s home—dreams shattered, her life a mess. What no one could have predicted is the effect the return of this prodigal has on her family. It’s not just Roxy who needs the healing power of grace.

Robin Lee Hatcher is the author of over fifty novels, including her latest release Return to Me and Catching Katie, named one of the Best Books of 2004 by Library Journal. Winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, two RITA Awards for Best Inspirational Romance, and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robin lives in Idaho.

Read the back of Return to Me by Robin Lee Hatcher and, like me, you might groan. Another modern-day version of the Prodigal Son, this current version following Roxy Burke’s journey home after an unsuccessful attempt at making it in the music world of Nashville. However, this journey hardly ends at the front door, as Roxy’s return creates turbulence for the rest of her family, especially her sister Elena. While Roxy easily finds forgiveness from her father, her older sister Elena’s response is less than welcoming.

Despite the initial groan from the well-known theme of the story, I was quickly drawn in by the easy-going language and frequent, fast-action flashbacks. Pictures of the sisters’ earlier lives create life-like characters and an understanding of their motivations and personalities. The close relationship of the sisters in their youth when contrasted with their strained relationship at Roxy’s return is heartbreaking. An added twist in the relationship comes from Wyatt, Roxy’s former boyfriend, now Elena’s fiancée. The stress from that situation was enough to keep me on edge and turning pages.

Roxy, though arrogant and frustrating in many of the flashbacks, undergoes a transformation that makes her character easy to like, both by the reader and the other characters in the story. It is Elena, however, who is the more complex character. Despite the fact that she is the “good” sister who has been hurt by Roxy’s actions, her unforgiving nature and harsh treatment of her sister makes her easy to dislike. At the same time, she is the character I found myself relating to most in the story. The honesty of her response to her sister and the picture of her trying to justify her actions to herself is exactly something I would do. I can appreciate Elena because I can see myself in her, as much as I’d rather point the finger and judge.

Even if, like me, you hesitate when you first pick up the book, you will have a hard time putting it down. With characters you can relate to, and a plot that keeps you turning pages, Return to Me is a unique version of an old story. – Bethany Wheeler, Christian Book Previews.com

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