Fiction Book Review: Carolina Breeze (A Bluebell Inn Romance Book 2) by Denise Hunter

Book Description:A jilted bride. A struggling innkeeper. And a romantic mountain getaway that changes everything.

Rising Hollywood star Mia Emerson is looking for a safe place to land in the wake of a public breakup and scandal, and she finds it in the lake town of Bluebell, North Carolina—the location of her canceled honeymoon. She wants nothing more than to hide and wait for the tabloids to die down.

Soon after her arrival at the Bluebell Inn, Mia meets Levi Bennett, who runs the inn along with his two younger sisters. Drawn to one another from the start, Mia trusts Levi to keep her location from the press, and Levi confides in Mia about the financial state of the inn—a secret he’s been keeping from his sisters.

When Mia and Levi discover an old journal that hints at a rare diamond necklace hidden in the inn, they set off on a treasure hunt to find the long-lost heirloom. What they don’t expect to surface are feelings they thought were safely locked away. Mia and Levi must decide if falling in love again is too big a risk—or if it will uncover a treasure of its own instead.

My Review:
Denise Hunter knows how to write romance. Her first book in the Bluebell Inn series satisfied readers with her sweet romance between Molly and Adam. Now Molly's brother finds himself smitten with the romance bug. Mia Emerson has hunkered down at the inn. Along with her, an entourage of excitement and craziness follows. Levi has always been the family member with the calm, cool, no-nonsense demeanor. Now he needs to figure out how all the emotions he experiences fit into his well-laid plan. I especially enjoyed watching Levi grow into himself and re-discover emotions he'd buried. I also liked Mia's determination to be herself in the midst of accusations by tabloids. Hunter created a sweet story that shines light on trust, support, and love. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Unveiling the Past: A Novel by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Book Description:

Newlyweds Sean Eagle and Meghan DeFord are no strangers to pain and loss. As cold-case detectives, they know intimately the anguish family members endure after the murder or disappearance of a loved one. But when a new case hits too close to home, it threatens to pull loose the fragile cords of their young marriage.

Sheila Menke was just a girl when her father left for work and never returned. An investigation revealed he had embezzled enough to start a new life elsewhere, but Sheila could never accept the court’s criminalization of her father. Meghan reluctantly takes the case, secretly fearing it will stir up buried feelings about her own biological father. And while Sean investigates the mysterious death of two young brothers, he longs to start a family. But Meghan worries that with a negligent mother and an absentee father as her parenting examples, she might never be fit for motherhood.

As they delve deeper into the past, both Meghan and Sheila must choose to either stumble along the road of bitterness and resentment or walk the difficult path toward forgiveness and healing. When the cases begin to break wide open, these young women are poised to discover that while earthly fathers may fail, there is one in heaven who is a father to the fatherless.

My Review:
Unveiling the Past rings of redemption, forgiveness, and grace. There are a couple of things I especially enjoyed. The author set the book up in short segments featuring the various points of view, which made the story easy to read. And the story focuses on women who no longer have fathers, but depend on their heavenly Father. Following the cold case detectives as they solved old crimes was interesting and fun. One thing I noticed in this story is Kim Vogel Sawyer used her writing to teach of Jesus' love without being preachy. The reader got to glimpse the way these characters might witness to their co-workers and friends. I also loved Sean and Meghan's relationship with each other. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Let Joy Overflow

Psalm 28:6-7

Praise be to the Lord,
    for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise him.

Since I've been sheltering-in-place, I've invited a few friends to visit.

A couple of years ago, my daughter gave me net bags filled with Niger seeds (sometimes called thistle) to hang by my back porch. I'd sit outside and watch the gold finches and house finches play and eat. Those little birds brought joy to my heart. When the bags wore out, I purchased a fancier feeder. But there was a problem. When rain poured the feed mildewed. I gave up and tossed the contraption. Then I went a year without seeing those sweet little birds.

After the verdict came in March for folks to stay home, I ordered new finch food bags. I hung one by the porch. But I wanted to watch the flit and flutter of yellow and brownish-red birds more often. So I hung one outside our living room window; where I could see them from my chair. They are a riot. Some days I see as many as five beauties perched on the bag. Sometimes they run each other off, even though there is plenty for everyone. In this time of isolation the finches stir the joy within me. I'm so glad I invited them over.

When life seems crazy, different, even unpredictable Satan tries to steal our joy. He pokes and prods until he deflates our hope. Don't let him. Choose to seek Jesus as the hope and joy of your heart. Trust God for your strength. His joy runs deep and bubbles up inside. As much as I love my little visitors, I know the joy they bring comes from the love I have for their Creator, the God who loves me.

What makes your joy bubble over? Music? Nature? Talking to a friend? Creating something by hand? Hugging your spouse? Loving your kids and grandkids?

Grab that bit of joy and let it overflow.

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Seek Jesus' hope and joy. (click to tweet) 

He Made Them

Spring brings much needed color and beauty to the world.

God has created the most incredible creatures and blooms.

I love watching the birds at my feeder and seeing the flowers shine in their glory.

Sometimes we just need to stop, look around, and witness God's artistry.

Fiction Book Review: Of Literature and Lattes by Katherine Reay

Book Description:

After fleeing her hometown three years earlier, Alyssa Harrison never planned to return. Then the Silicon Valley start-up she worked for collapsed and turned her world upside down. She is broke, under FBI investigation, and without a place to go. Having exhausted every option, she comes home to Winsome, Illinois, to regroup then move on as quickly as possible. Yet, as friends and family welcome her back, Alyssa begins to see a place for herself in this small Midwestern community.

Jeremy Mitchell moved from Seattle to Winsome to be near his daughter and to open the coffee shop he’s been dreaming of for years. Problem is, the business is bleeding money—and he’s not quite sure why. When he meets Alyssa, he senses an immediate connection, but what he needs most is someone to help him save his floundering business. After asking for her help, he wonders if something might grow between them—but forces beyond their control soon complicate their already complex lives, and the future they both hoped for is not at all what they anticipated.

With the help of Winsome’s small-town charm and quirky residents, Alyssa and Jeremy discover the beauty and romance of second chances.

My Review:
What a delight to return to Winsome, Illinois, the home of quirky folks and a cozy bookshop. In the previous novel, The Printed Letter Bookshop, we met Madeline who inherited her aunt's bookstore along with eccentric employees, Claire and Janet. The bookshop is running well when Janet's daughter, Alyssa, returns to Winsome. As much as she doesn't want to, she moves in with her mom. As Alyssa tries to come to grips with the mess called life, she meets Jeremy. He needs a friend and some good business advice. Reay's Of Literature and Lattes is another charming story of hurt, hope, and healing. I've enjoyed every one of her books. I look forward to the nod to literary references she sprinkles through her stories, as well as her lovable characters. A little bonus, her books have gorgeous covers. I hope she'll visit Winsome a third time. I'd love to catch up on more of the folks from this lovely town. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Historical Fiction Review: What Momma Left Behind by Cindy Sproles

Book Description:

Worie Dressar is 17 years old when influenza and typhoid ravage her Appalachian Mountain community in 1877, leaving behind a growing number of orphaned children with no way to care for themselves. Worie's mother has been secretly feeding a number of these little ones on Sourwood Mountain. But when she dies suddenly, Worie is left to figure out why and how she was caring for them.

Plagued with two good-for-nothing brothers--one greedy and the other a drunkard--Worie fights to save her home and the orphaned children now in her begrudging care. Along the way, she will discover the beauty of unconditional love and the power of forgiveness as she cares for all of Momma's children.

Storyteller and popular speaker Cindy K. Sproles pens a tender novel full of sacrifice, heartache, and courage in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

My Review:

Cindy Sproles is the new voice of Appalachian fiction. With passion, she captures the heartache, frustration, and joy of living in the mountains in the late 1800s. I love Cindy's writing as she explores Worie's journey from motherless to attempting to follow in her momma's footsteps. Worie may be a young woman, but she's tough and knows what she wants. Yet her heart seeks help. Her Momma's words echo in her mind as she figures out the role God plays in her life, and why she's been left behind to pick up the pieces. I've read Cindy's first two novels, Liar's Winter and Mercy's Rain and can say her writing just gets better and better. The beauty of her writing flows with the dialect of the Appalachian people, their sayings, honesty about life there, and the glorious landscape. She's set the stage to continue sharing stories of the mountains she calls home. If you enjoy honest, poignant stories, you'll like What Momma Left Behind. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Releases June 2, pre-order now

Cindy's website says:

Cindy K. Sproles is an author and a speaker, whose dream is to do nothing more than craft words that speak from the heart. God's plan seems to be for her to write and teach the craft.  With God’s guidance, Cindy is expanding her horizons. We'll see how He uses her.

Cindy is a mountain gal. Proud of her heritage, she was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains where life is simple, words have a deep southern drawl, and colloquialisms like, "well slap my knee and call me corn pone" seem to take precedence over proper speech. Apple Butter, coal mining, the river, pink sunrises and golden sunsets help you settle into a porch swing and relax. Family, the love of God and strong morals are embedded into her life in the mountains. Teaching writers, spinning fiction tales about life in the mountains, history and down home ideas find their way into all she does. “I love to write devotions, to seek after the deeper side of Christ and to share the lessons He teaches me from life in the hills of East Tennessee. I am a writer. A speaker. A lover of God's Word and friend to all.” This is Cindy Sproles. Welcome home to the mountains. -from Cindy's website

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Cindy Sproles is the new voice of Appalachian fiction. (click to tweet)

Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing my mom and all mothers a Happy Mother's Day.

I love being a mom and Babaw/Grammy. 

God has blessed me with an awesome mom, amazing children and 

delightful grandchildren.

I hope you all know how much I love you!