Review: Shattered Treasure by Cindy Patterson

Betrayal and misunderstandings stoke the embers in Shattered Treasure, a superbly written Christian romance by Cindy Patterson.

On the day of her deceased twin’s birthday, a depressed Addison Morgan reluctantly agrees to meet her two-timing boyfriend at a party after school, but when she arrives, she’s just in time to see him coming out of a bedroom with another girl before stopping to kiss her. Mortified at her naiveté for trusting him, Addison runs to her car and takes off, only to black out behind the wheel a few minutes later.

When she comes to, she’s heartbroken to learn that she’s badly injured a nineteen-year-old girl, Ami Tant, who’s been put into a medically-induced coma. Taking full blame for the tragedy, Addison breaks it off with her boyfriend and falls further into despair. Luckily, the girl pulls through and is sent home to recover. Addison works up the courage to go to Ami’s house to apologize for the accident but is taken aback by the kindness of Ami and her family – except for Ami’s older brother, Logan – who blames her for his sister’s suffering.

Despite Logan’s initial animosity towards her, he finds himself drawn to Addison’s vulnerability and good heart. Addison is soon embraced by Ami’s family and it eventually becomes impossible for Logan and Addison to deny their attraction to one another. There’s only one problem standing in their way, which is Addison’s bullying ex-boyfriend, who refuses to accept the end of their relationship…

Patterson has crafted a multifaceted story in Shattered Treasure that has at its forefront two dynamic protagonists in the form of Addison and Logan. Mourning the loss of her beloved twin sister, rejected by her own mother and abused by her boyfriend, Addison is uniquely vulnerable, and uniquely well-drawn, so you feel each moment of her conflict and pain. Logan, a police officer, is all about protecting and nurturing and is the perfect foil for her vulnerability.

The boisterous and loving Tant family are the anchor in Addison and Logan’s relationship, adding emotional stability when their relationship is cut short, thanks to Addison’s guilt and self-imposed exile from Logan’s life. Logan’s twin brother, Nathan, is the gateway to Logan and Addison’s happiness and yet he’s conflicted by his promise to Addison and his loyalty to his brother. All in all, Patterson has crafted a group wonderful characters who tremendously enhance the plot.

There is an element of faith woven throughout Shattered Treasure and yet Patterson has done it with subtlety, so the story can be appealing to a wide audience. Commitment, appreciation, stability, and faithfulness are not necessarily the hallmarks of an page-turning read, but Patterson has created an engrossing and believable plot with a multitude of conflicts that keep things interesting throughout, without shying away from difficult and pertinent topics.

Though the story is built in part on characters’ jealousy and misunderstandings, there are moments in the narrative where these misunderstandings can even confuse the reader, given the problems of communication between the two main protagonists. Clarifying these moments would in no way diminish the characters’ conflict, and could only strengthen the narrative arc.

A story rich in setting and depth of character, Shattered Treasure will be a treat for fans of Christian romance, character-driven romance, and dramatic contemporary fiction.