Samantha Blacker can't imagine living any where but the big city. But she's lost her job and she's being stalked by a neighbor who she dated only briefly.

A chance once a year meeting with a gentleman named Bo, who she thought attended the restaurant convention as a supplier, leaves her inheriting his inn. She's convinced herself she'll only stay for the year required in the will until she finds the place at Big Fork Lake very much to her liking.

And one other thing she is finding she likes very much is Noah Frye. They get off to a rocky start but their love grows. Sam is reluctant to trust the Lord as Bo always told her to but Noah is willing to show her the way.

Sam learns to strengthen that trust when it becomes obvious someone is trying to do her harm. Noah vows to stay by her side and but she fears she'll lose him if she'll have to leave the place she's grown to love.

I really enjoyed this novel. I was definitely worried things might not turn out well for Sam, but she's a fighter. Mary Ball did a superior job with the suspense and the descriptive painting of the surroundings.

This is a really sweet debut novel. The characters are well developed and believable. The author does a good job of letting the characters, mainly Sam and Noah, share their faith with one another and the reader rather than the author "preaching" through the characters. Very enjoyable.

Samantha (Sam) Blacker's life seems to be in a downward spiral. She lost her job, rent's due and she has to deal with her heavy drinking, very aggressive neighbor. On top of all that, her good friend Bo, didn't show up for their yearly meeting. Then an unexpected inheritance leads her from Atlanta to Big Fork Lake, Alabama. She doesn't think, as a city girl, she'll be happy in the country but also feels like she has no other choice. There she meets Noah Frye. A good man who was a good friend to Bo. The attraction is immediate but Noah keeps things pretty light as Sam does not share his faith. It's not long before trouble knocks on Sam's door. And why does that black truck always seem to be lurking in the shadows? When a murder victim is found and Sam is the only suspect, her world is turn upside down. Will Sam lose everything she holds dear or through all the trials, find something more precious than anything else?

Escape to Big Fork Lake was a very enjoyable romantic suspense. I liked getting to know the characters and the little town of Big Fork Lake. It was interesting learning a little about running an Inn. I wouldn't classify this as an edge-of-your-seat type story but it did have a few twists and turns along the way that were a bit of a surprise. That's always a plus when you can't figure it all out until the end. There was an underlying message about trusting God and keeping the faith no matter what, as well as a message about remaining morally pure before marriage, which I was delighted to see. It was a good reminder that whatever your failures might be, God meets you where you are. If you're looking for a little R & R with splash of suspense, you may want to take a trip to Big Fork Lake.

This book held my attention from the beginning to the end. It left me guessing on whether I was correct or not on who it was. It was a great, easy read that flowed together nicely.

Young Sam (Samantha) Blacker has plenty of challenges tossed in her direction and plenty of reasons to abandon Atlanta, Georgia. Her job in a bookstore has disappeared, leaving her nearly broke and eager to find new prospects. A close friend (emotionally, if not a frequent visitor) seems to have disappeared with no forwarding address. And to top off her predicament, a particularly persistent and threatening neighbor meets her rejection of his overtures with violence.

What's an enterprising woman to do? Inclination and opportunity meet and merge when Sam discovers her old friend Bo has passed away and left her his picturesque inn near Big Fork Lake, Alabama. She seizes on the occasion to flee her neighbor's attentions and buy herself some time to consider her future. When she arrives, she meets Noah Frye who becomes a promising suitor as well as her stalwart supporter as she learns the inn-keeping business. Still, threats a-plenty keep readers on their mental toes: a mysterious murder, struggles to keep the inn financially viable, doubts about people's motives and characters.

In addition to romance and mayhem, Escape to Big Fork Mountain shows how faith can be a support in times of trouble. This theme underlies the plot like a strong bedrock for life. The novel is a satisfying blend of entertainment and integrity, as Sam discovers herself and uncovers valuable relationships, one romantic, others personal