Trust in the Storm (A River Bend Romance Book 6)
About
When keeping secrets almost costs her everything, can one desperate conversation save a marriage on the brink of collapse?
Claire Blackwood is a stay-at-home mom and devoted wife. She put everyone else first. But somewhere between therapy appointments for her special needs daughter and endless household routines, Claire Sterling—the ambitious marketing director she used to be—disappeared completely.
So she made a choice that changed everything.
For three months, Claire secretly interviewed for jobs three hours away. Three months of lies, hidden phone calls, and a double life her husband knew nothing about. When Garrett finally discovers the truth, one question shatters what’s left of their marriage:
“When were you going to tell me?”
Garrett Blackwood has held their family together with both hands. Every therapy appointment. Every meal. Every moment of their daughter Emma’s care. He promised to support Claire’s dreams—but he never imagined “support” would mean becoming a married single parent while his wife chases a career that pulls her further away.
His mother chose her career over him. He won’t watch his wife do the same.
But Claire isn’t leaving. She’s fighting for both, the career that makes her feel alive and the family she refuses to lose. When she accepts a remote position with monthly travel to Knoxville, they think they’ve found the answer. A way to have it all.
They’re wrong.
Within months, Claire is absorbed in client emergencies and career advancement, working through dinners and missing bedtimes. Garrett is drowning under the weight of solo parenting, watching his woodworking business die while Claire’s career thrives. The resentment builds. The distance grows. And when Garrett finally explodes with five devastating words—“I’m a married single parent”—they’re forced to confront an impossible truth:
Love isn’t enough. Not without honesty. Not without boundaries. Not without learning how to actually communicate.
What readers are saying about P. A.’s marriage-in-trouble romances: “I ugly cried through the last three chapters” “This isn’t just romance—it’s therapy on the page” “Finally, a book that shows marriage is WORK”
In Trust in the Storm, you’ll find: ✓ Marriage-in-trouble romance with a hard-earned HEA ✓ Dual POV (husband and wife perspectives) ✓ Special needs parenting representation (speech delays, developmental challenges) ✓ Real therapy tools (DEAR MAN communication framework) ✓ Working mom guilt and career ambition ✓ Abandonment trauma and healing ✓ No cheating, no love triangle—just two people fighting for each other ✓ Found family and sibling support ✓ Emotionally intense but ultimately hopeful
Perfect for readers who love:
- Marriage in crisis romances by Colleen Hoover and Kristin Hannah
- Second chance romance with emotional depth
- Contemporary family drama with heart
- Working mom representation
- Books that make you feel everything
- Realistic relationship struggles and growth
- Communication and emotional intelligence themes
Content notes: This book deals with marital conflict, parenting a child with special needs, abandonment issues, work-life balance struggles, and emotional intensity. Features therapy, communication frameworks, and characters doing the hard work to save their marriage.
Can two people who’ve forgotten how to talk to each other learn to choose love again? Even when it’s hard? Especially when it’s hard?
Scroll up and one-click to find out.
Book 6 in the River Bend Romance series, but reads as a complete standalone. HEA guaranteed.