Three Rivers is a tremendous story about love, loss and the struggles of moving on and the healing of souls. Enter a longtime friend of her husband, Griffin. They meet and sparks fly, but they are both dealing with internal struggles that seemingly can't be overcome. The call them the “Three Rivers” but its really two rivers joining together to form the third. One surrendering to the other to become something bigger and much more important. The rivers are not lesser for moving on and joining together, they are broader stronger, and lead to so many more opportunities—as one. Truth be told I started reading the book completely blind. I didn’t even read the blurb and thank God I did, because everything was mystery, everything was just new and I loved unwrapping the present word by word. The story was highly predictable… at 20% I knew the ending and… everything else but, that didn’t bother me one bit, it actually made me get into it more and more to prove my theories… Seventeen-year-old Stella lives a life in the spotlight. She has everything she’s ever dreamed of—a recurring role on a hit TV show, a cute co-star to crush on, and a rebellious showbiz best friend. She shines on set, but off-screen it’s a different story. Drugs, drinking, and shoplifting litter the life of this troubled teen. And when Stella throws a party that leads to the overdose of her co-star, her career hangs in the balance. As she contemplates what her future holds, she is ripped from her bed in the middle of the night by two strangers.

For a first time author, Chloe T. Barlow has done an outstanding job of telling the story of Griffen and Aubrey. She takes us on such a ride that I didn't want it to end. Congratulations on such an amazing debut! I will be eagerly waiting for whats next. He constantly calls her gorgeous... so much so that it became annoying. Just wanted him to stop... she has a name! There's a time to call me gorgeous and a time to call me by my name... this is just a personal pet peeve. :) This may not bother anyone else...

Tea and Griffin’s story progresses as they start to realize they have a real connection. Will they find real love and heal each other? You’ll just have to read to find out. I won’t spoil the mystery of this story for you cause it’s a good one. Though he’d only helped to distract her from her nervousness. Other than that she was hyper-focused—on him: his impossibly aqua blue eyes (seriously, is that even a real eye color?); his broad shoulders; that delicious mouth; the way his slightly shaggy hair grazed his dark brows. Everything about him was hardwired to excite her on every level. Everyone fends for themselves at Three Rivers. They pitch their own tents. They manage their own food, a week’s worth at a time, which they have to ration. They earn knives to carve their own eating utensils. Profanity is punished with “time taken off dinner.” Rich-girl-in-the-wild is a well-worn format, but Stusek brightens it up by making Stella likable. Yes, she is rude. Yes, she is entitled. Yes, she is overfond of the F-word. She is also funny and insightful. “I’ve made a career out of being uncomfortable,” she muses. “I have been followed by adult men with enormous cameras when I was just trying to get a meal . . . I’ve been criticized for accidentally agreeing to represent the wrong brand of sparkling water. I’ve been too thin and too fat in the same day.” That last line sums up a celebrity’s world. It also sums up a woman’s world. However, that’s easier said than done after we find out that Griffin was in fact, Althea’s late husband’s estranged best friend from childhood, and trying to keep their arrangement under the nose of Althea’s mother in law! This is an enticing coming of age story. That begins dark, yet grows into something I was not expecting. Stella has wanted to be an actress for as long as she can remember, and she has done it. She is part of a show and is succeeding in that part of her life. In every other part she is spiraling down a drain. Looking for acceptance and friendship in everyone she comes across. Being used for drugs and in exchange for a "friendship". This destructive behavior leads to a horrifying night, when one of the other castmates overdoses at Stella's home.

Jenna and Aubrey were the best friends ever! Supportive, loyal and completely meddlesome. In the right effin way! I loved both of them and I am so glad to hear they will get their own stories (which I obviously will read). She is the sole author of her books and finds her inspiration on reality television, which she considers crazier than fiction. Although her stories are fictitious, she tailors her characters in a way that makes them relatable to most people, since most people have some pain and mistakes from the past they find hard to heal. The personal struggles that people go through to find healing and figure out God’s purpose for their lives are the core factors in these stories. She finds the perfect balance between Christianity and romance by infusing patience, forgiveness, faith, love and acceptance in her books. She is working on another book, the sixth book of the series featuring some characters from the first book. It promises to be as thrilling and entertaining as the previous ones. Althea (Tea), a thirty-year-old widow and mother of a five-year-old child, still grieving her husband after almost 6 years; she lives with constant guilt and regrets, unable to move on with her life. She has lovable and pushy friends who finally convince her to go out and “misbehave” at least for one night.The case itself was an enthralling one that will keep the readers on their toes. As usual, didn’t work things out and my heart was in my mouth as to just what outcome this story would have. Well played by the author for keeping it up his sleeve and keeping me guessing. Now add in two other male suitors who are interested in the fair Althea as well as some secrets, angst, and a heartbreaking revelation that could turn deadly and you’ve got yourself a story! Not only were the two main characters interesting, I found the witty banter very entertaining. Beyond that, Jenna and Brey who are Althea’s best friends are wonderful supporting characters who apparently will be getting stories of their own which I’ll look forward to reading. The threesome’s bond is admirable. Everyone should have a Jenna and Brey in their life.

Loved the mystery behind the death of Althea's husband... I would have liked to have gotten to know him better and maybe spent more time on the events leading up to his death. Let me share Griffen and Althea's chemistry is off the charts. The nights they spend together are steamy. But it's not just amazing sex. They really have genuine feelings for each other. Chloe Barlow has created a touching story in Three Rivers that takes place in Pittsburgh, PA. A loving and loyal to a fault wife, Althea, who loses her husband in a tragic accident. Guilt ridden and completely immersed in her work, she lets years pass without a thought of moving on but rather barely living through each day. The first and most significant is that Stella just didn’t ring true, and I failed to see the “inner growth and maturity” that the blurb promised. Your novels always have such a strong sense of place, what made you choose North Devon for this series?

Floating Sauna

Other than that she was hyper-focused - on him: his impossible aqua blue eyes (seriously, is that even a real eye color?); his broad shoulders; that delicious mouth; the way his slightly shaggy hair grazed his dark brows. Everything about him was hardwired to excite her on every level. Now turn around and grab the edge of my desk...Well done. Now pull up your skirt for me," he commanded. Althea experiences an unimaginable tragedy. Griffen wholly guards himself against personal relationships because of an unimaginable upbringing. Since "in Pittsburgh there (are) only two, maybe three, degrees of separation between people" Griffen and Althea soon find themselves wrapped in a whirlwind of a major commonality. Three Rivers journeys the self-discoveries for both of these characters in by such satisfying means for the reader by understanding both together and apart. Chemistry and passion knows no bounds between the two as the reader embarks on an incredibly emotional ride. They’re funny, playful, deep, and soulful and since their story is so brilliantly written we feel each of those emotions.