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Reviewed by Franz Sidney for Readers' Favorite
In Susan Hart Snyder’s Finding Harmony, Sydney Roberts finds herself stranded when her vehicle breaks down in the arid area near Harmony, Utah. While she would dearly like to resume her journey to New York as soon as possible, the repair takes a long time in the remote village garage and she ends up spending a week in the picturesque area. A restless adventurer, Sydney grows to love the villagers, to the point of embarking on an intense relationship with a handsome man, while helping a group of women rescue the young victims of a polygamist cult. The feisty young woman also fights the local bullies and helps deliver a calf. Could this new way of life be what she needs, a huge contrast to a life surrounded by a crowd of smart suited, cell phone glued New Yorkers?
The characters come alive through well chosen, colourful first names and rich dialogue, while the beauty of the rugged desert makes you want to visit Utah and bask in the sun, enjoying its striking scenery. Susan Hart Snyder knows how to tickle all your senses with evocative descriptions, including that of famous local meals such as buffalo Bolognese. With flowing prose and enough wit to make you page through the novel with an amused smile on your face, the author keeps you focused on Sydney's thoughts as she ponders her choices and makes her decisions. Superbly written and well plotted, Finding Harmony is a good novel for an escapist read, although if you are a super romantic type who expects a typical happy ending, you might need to brace yourself for an adventurous change of direction.