Secrets of the Pastor's Wife by Christina Ryan Claypool

In Secrets of the Pastor's Wife by Christina Ryan Claypool, Cassandra Martin has a few secrets she has been hiding for several years. For fifteen years, Cassie has been married to John--the new lead pastor at Maple Avenue Community Church. Throughout that time, her secrets have been getting a little heavier and heavier. It seems they have some communication struggles in spite of their seemingly happy marriage. Cassie wonders if maybe those hidden secrets are contributing to their struggles.

Throughout their married life, John and Cassie have moved frequently. Life became busy. John was busy with church and ministry. Cassie was trying to be a good wife and to help supplement their income. However, when they move to Maple Grove, Cassie meets coffee shop owner, Katherine "Katie" Montague and finds her to be a reliable confidant--and things begin to change in her heart.

I was drawn in to Secrets of the Pastor's Wife from the first page. Though it is fictional, this book covers a lot of topics that many of us in our modern world deal with on a day to day basis. At first, I thought maybe there were too many issues for one story but I think it is that way in many families today. I found this story to be both compelling and interesting. I liked the characters. I liked that the story encourages good communication and healing in healthy ways. Secrets of the Pastor's Wife would be a good book for a church book club or women's group to discuss. There are a lot of good questions in the discussion guide at the end of the book to use for meetings. Also, at the end of the book there is another  bonus short story with another discussion guide with an emphasis on friendships. As a side note, I also like the beautiful cover that was drawn by a friend of the author.

I received a copy of this book from the author. It is independently published and well-edited. All opinions in this review are my own.