Christy Williams finally has her life on track. She’s putting her past behind her and working hard to build a career as an antiquarian book buyer. But things begin to unravel when a stolen Hemingway first edition is found in her possession, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. With no one to turn to, she yearns for her estranged younger sister, May, whom she abandoned after their parents’ untimely deaths. Soon, Christy’s fleeing from her shattered dreams, her ex-boyfriend, and God. Could May’s Triple Cross Ranch be the safe haven she’s searching for? Will the sisters realize that each possesses what the other desperately needs before it’s too late?

It feels weird to read a book, written by someone you know. Ok, so I don’t really know C.J. personally, but through the book reviewing world and through the wonders of Facebook I have regular contact with her. So when I heard she had her first novel published I was exceptionally excited for her. Someone I “know” made it in the publishing world!

When I received her book in the mail, I was even more excited. It was so real. . .

When I began reading it, I was thrilled. There is a bit of nervousness about reading a book written by someone you “know”. After all, what was I going to say if it wasn’t any good?

No worries there. Thicker than Blood is a captivating novel that kept me up too late at night due to wanting to know what happened next. Because of my own prodigal family members, who have made harmful choices, I needed this book to have a good ending. Not an unrealistic, happy ending, but a good ending. It did.

Before the ending came, C.J. wrote of a journey that was realistic. She didn’t pull any punches but neither did she shock and dismay me with descriptions that went beyond what was needed to tell her story (some authors, I am finding, delight in the shocking and that disappoints me).

C.J. delivers her first novel as if she is a writing veteran. Avid readers–and not-so-avid readers–are going to want to check her out, and most, if not all, will be eager to snatch up any future novels she gives us!

With careful attention to detail, emotion, and scene-setting, C.J. Darlington scores with her debut effort. Here is a special writer you won’t want to miss.

–Jerry B. Jenkins, New York Times best selling author

If you love a good read filled with adventure and ultimately redemption, I encourage you to brew the tea, settle into your favorite chair and pick up the page turner that is C.J. Darlington’s imaginative new novel of a modern day sisterhood that triumphs over separation and the raw challenges of life to find the real endurance of both family ties and God’s amazing grace.

–Rebecca St. James, Grammy award winning Christian singer and bestselling author

With Thicker than Blood, C.J. Darlington proves she’s a novelist for the long-haul, a strong new voice in Christian fiction. This book speaks to the heart, from the heart, about the heart. Readers will not soon forget it.

–Sibella Giorello, Christy award-winning author of The Rivers Run Dry & The Clouds Roll Away

About the Author:

C. J. began writing the story that would become Thicker than Blood (her first novel) when she was a fifteen-year-old homeschool student. She has been in the antiquarian bookselling business for over a decade, scouting for stores similar to the one described in the novel before cofounding her own online bookstore. Thicker than Blood was the winner of the 2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel.

C. J. co-founded the Christian entertainment Web site TitleTrakk.com with her sister, Tracy, and has been actively promoting Christian fiction through book reviews and author interviews. She makes her home in Pennsylvania with her family and their menagerie of dogs and cats. Visit her website www.cjdarlington.com for more info.

QUICK LINKS:

• The 1st chapter of Thicker than Blood
• The “Story Behind the Story” of Thicker than Blood
• More endorsements from Jenny B. Jones, James Scott Bell, Susan Meissner, and more!
• Our interview with C.J. at TitleTrakk.com
• Buy Thicker than Blood at Christianbook.com
• Buy Thicker than Blood at Amazon.com
• List of the other 85+ Thicker than Blood blog tour participants!