Autumn Crossroad by Cheryl N. Warner

I was feeling a little guilty that I decided to read Autumn Crossroad by Cheryl N. Warner this weekend rather than work on a freelance writing project, but I soon realized I made the right decision.

Workaholic Casey Wells has already sacrificed several relationships for her career when she moves to Hollywood to work for a high-powered public relations firm. Shawn Lafferty can't get her attention any other way, so her bets her five thousand dollars that she can't sustain a relationship with him while she wheels and deals her way up the ladder of success.

Casey's complex relationship with her Marine colonel father and Shawn's relationship with his cold mother Val - Casey's boss - add depth to the story. Casey strongly feels that she's right where God wants her to be, even though Shawn doesn't think much of the business of making often not-very-ethical-public-figures look good.

Casey starts out wanting to prove she can have it all - a career and a relationship, but when she eventually has to make a choice, her old ideas of success aren't as clear-cut as they originally were.

Autumn Crossroad is a wonderful story with many layers - the story of Casey and Shawn, the stories of the relationships of Casey and Shawn with their parents, and the story of Casey and Val finding what is really important in life.