Tag Archives: Women’s fiction

#BookReview: Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate

1 Aug


Tending Roses is a tender and touching tale! Wingate deftly portrays the emotions of motherhood and the intricacies of family ties as Kate’s story unfolds. The entire cast of characters comes to life, but none more so to me than Grandma Rose. Her journey tugged at my heartstrings, and my emotions were stirred by the stories she shared and the wisdom found within her words. Tending Roses holds a special place on my keeper shelf and is a novel I highly recommend!

 

About the book:

When Kate Bowman temporarily moves to her grandmother’s Missouri farm with her husband and baby son, she learns that the lessons that most enrich our lives often come unexpectedly. The family has given Kate the job of convincing Grandma Rose, who’s become increasingly stubborn and forgetful, to move off her beloved land and into a nursing home. But Kate knows such a change would break her grandmother’s heart.

Just when Kate despairs of finding answers, she discovers her grandma’s journal. A beautiful handmade notebook, it is full of stories that celebrate the importance of family, friendship, and faith. Stories that make Kate see her life—and her grandmother—in a completely new way…

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#BookReview: Where Hope Begins by Catherine West

23 May

Where Hope Begins is a meaningful and memorable story! From the captivating characters to the stirring story line, my emotions were engaged from beginning to end. Each turn of the page pulled me deeper into Savannah’s journey of heartache and healing, and I reveled in the laughter and the tears. West tackles several tough topics and does so with grace and hope, offering readers a multitude of truth and wisdom to linger over and savor.  Where Hope Begins is a beautifully told tale and highly recommended read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required, and all thoughts expressed are my own.

 

About the book:

In the aftermath of her husband’s act of adultery and abandonment, Savannah must finally face the ghosts that haunt her and discover for herself whether authentic faith, grace, and ultimate healing really do exist.

When her husband of twenty-one years leaves her, Savannah Barrington believes she’s lost almost everything she’s ever loved. With her daughter in college and her son in boarding school, Savannah retreats to her parents’ lake house in the Berkshires, where hope and healing come in the form of an old woman’s wisdom, a little girl’s laughter, a touch of magic, and a handsome man who’s willing to risk his own heart to prove she’s still worth loving.

But when her husband asks to reconcile, Savannah is faced with the hardest challenge of all: Forgiving the unforgivable. Somehow she must find freedom from the chains of their past and move forward, or face an unknown future without him.

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Join Catherine West TONIGHT for a FB LIVE Party!

22 May

Join Catherine West TONIGHT for a FB LIVE party to celebrate the release of WHERE HOPE BEGINS!
https://www.facebook.com/CatherineJWest/

 

Sometimes we’re allowed to glimpse the beauty within the brokenness…

Savannah Barrington has always found solace at her parents’ lake house in the Berkshires, and it’s the place that she runs to when her husband of over twenty years leaves her. Though her world is shaken, and the future uncertain, she finds hope through an old woman’s wisdom, a little girl’s laughter, and a man who’s willing to risk his own heart to prove to Savannah that she is worthy of love.

But soon Savannah is given a challenge she can’t run away from: Forgiving the unforgivable. Amidst the ancient gardens and musty bookstores of the small town she’s sought refuge in, she must reconcile with the grief that haunts her, the God pursuing her, and the wounds of the past that might be healed after all.

Where Hope Begins is the story of grace in the midst of brokenness, pointing us to the miracles that await when we look beyond our own expectations.

Learn more about Where Hope Begins.  

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#BookReview: The Two of Us by Victoria Bylin

18 Sep

The Two of Us is a tender and touching tale! From family dynamics to Alzheimer’s care, Victoria Bylin deftly portrays her characters and their emotions. I delighted in Mia’s and Jake’s journey, as well as the secondary story between Sam and Lucy. Hope-filled and heartfelt, I thoroughly enjoyed The Two of Us!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required, and all thoughts expressed are my own.

 

About the book:

After two broken engagements, nurse practitioner Mia Robinson is done with dating. From now on, she only trusts herself and God, and she’s focused on her eighteen-year-old sister, Lucy, and caring for patients. Just as she applies to work for an international aid organization, a phone call from Lucy, who’s pregnant and running off to marry her twenty-one-year-old boyfriend, throws a wrench into all of Mia’s plans.

Jake Tanner may have recovered from the physical injuries he sustained on the job as a police officer, but his heart has yet to heal from losing his former partner in the tragedy. He’s poured himself into starting a camp for the sons of fallen officers and mentoring Sam, the adult son of his deceased partner, who’s asked him to be his best man at his wedding.

Mia is expecting a mess when she arrives to sort out the situation with Lucy, but she wasn’t expecting Jake. And Jake, who can’t help envying Sam and Lucy, doubts he’ll ever experience their happiness for himself. But maybe Jake’s courage and Mia’s caring spirit are just what they need to bring them a lifetime of healing and a forever kind of love. . . .

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#BookReview: The Hideaway by Lauren K. Denton

21 Jul

Lauren K. Denton’s debut novel embodies everything I enjoy about Southern fiction! From the charming setting of Sweet Bay, Alabama, to the quirky characters that inhabit The Hideaway, this story enchanted me from beginning to end. I loved the intertwining of past and present that led to an unexpected journey of self-discovery. A heartfelt tale of family and friendship, The Hideaway is sure to be one of my favorite summer reads!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required, and all thoughts expressed are my own.

 

About the book:

After her last remaining family member dies, Sara Jenkins goes home to The Hideaway, her grandmother Mags’s ramshackle B&B in Sweet Bay, Alabama. She intends to quickly tie up loose ends then return to her busy life and thriving antique shop in New Orleans. Instead, she learns Mags has willed her The Hideaway and charged her with renovating it—no small task considering Mags’s best friends, a motley crew of senior citizens, still live there.

Rather than hurrying back to New Orleans, Sara stays in Sweet Bay and begins the biggest house-rehabbing project of her career. Amid Sheetrock dust, old memories, and a charming contractor, she discovers that slipping back into life at The Hideaway is easier than she expected.

Then she discovers a box Mags left in the attic with clues to a life Sara never imagined for her grandmother. With help from Mags’s friends, Sara begins to piece together the mysterious life of bravery, passion, and choices that changed Mags’s destiny in both marvelous and devastating ways.

When an opportunistic land developer threatens to seize The Hideaway, Sara is forced to make a choice—stay in Sweet Bay and fight for the house and the people she’s grown to love or leave again and return to her successful but solitary life in New Orleans.

Learn more about the book and the author.  

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#BookReview: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

28 Jun

Lisa Wingate is an exceptional storyteller, enthralling and entangling readers in the lives of her characters and their remarkable journeys! Inspired by true events, Before We Were Yours brings attention to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. The atrocities that transpired there shocked me, and the fact that they were perpetuated for decades is hard to comprehend. Intertwining two families, generations apart, Wingate brings this heartrending story full circle, making it one not soon to be forgotten!

 

About the book:

Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize that the truth is much darker. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together—in a world of danger and uncertainty.

Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions—and compels her to take a journey through her family’s long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation . . . or redemption.

Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.

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#BookReview: Looking Glass Lies by Varina Denman

8 May

Looking Glass Lies is a poignant and powerful novel! Richly layered, Denman tackles weighty, mature issues and does so with a deft hand. The emotional depth of the story is vast, and thoughts of the characters and their journeys continue to linger in my mind. This is a book that provokes both thought and discussion, making it a great book club selection. Heart-wrenching, yet hopeful, Looking Glass Lies is not soon to be forgotten!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required, and all thoughts expressed are my own.

 

 

About the book:

For most of her adult life, Cecily Ross has compared herself to other women—and come up short. After a painful divorce from her emotionally abusive husband, Cecily returns to her hometown of Canyon, Texas, looking to heal.

But coming home isn’t what she expects. In a town as small as Canyon, her pain is difficult to escape—especially with her model-perfect ex–sister-in-law working at the town’s popular coffee-shop hangout. With help from her father, a support group, and an old friend who guides her to see her own strengths, Cecily may have a shot at overcoming her insecurities and learning to love again.

The true test comes when tragedy strikes, opening Cecily’s eyes to the harmfulness of her distorted views on beauty—and giving her the perfect opportunity to find peace at last.

About the author | Purchase links

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#BookReview: Life After by Katie Ganshert

18 Apr

Sure to resonate with readers, Life After is a poignant and powerful tale! With its ripped-from-the-headlines plot, this compelling story kept me engrossed as I read and beckoned each time I set the book aside. Katie Ganshert deftly brings her characters to life, and my heart ached for Autumn and the Elliotts. Their struggles and emotions were real and raw, and I loved the beauty and complexity of their journey!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required, and all thoughts expressed are my own.

 

About the book:

Snow whirls around an elevated train platform in Chicago. A distracted woman boards the train, takes her seat, and moments later a fiery explosion rips through the frigid air, tearing the car apart in a horrific attack on the city’s transit system. One life is spared. Twenty-two are lost.

A year later, Autumn Manning can’t remember the day of the bombing and she is tormented by grief—by guilt. Twelve months of the question constantly echoing. Why? Why? Why? Searching for answers, she haunts the lives of the victims, unable to rest.

Paul Elliott lost his wife in the train bombing and wants to let the dead rest in peace, undisturbed and unable to cause more pain for his loved ones. He wants normalcy for his twelve-year-old daughter and young son, to see them move beyond the heartbreak. But when the Elliotts and Autumn are unexpectedly forced together, he fears she’ll bring more wreckage in her wake.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

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#BookReview: The Memory of You by Catherine West

4 Apr

I loved this story! Catherine West masterfully weaves dynamic family drama and subtle romance to create a complex and captivating tale. Set against the backdrop of California wine country, the picturesque descriptions awed me with their beauty. Natalie and Tanner are both plagued by guilt and regret, and I was drawn into their tumultuous emotional and spiritual journeys. The Memory of You is a wonderful story of hope and healing and a highly recommended read!  

I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required, and all thoughts expressed are my own.

 

About the book:

Thirteen years ago, Natalie lost a part of herself when her twin sister died. Will traveling back to the family winery finally put the memory to rest, or will it completely destroy her?

When Natalie Mitchell learns her beloved grandfather has had a heart attack, she’s forced to return to their family-owned winery in Sonoma, something she never intended to do. She’s avoided her grandparents’ sprawling home and all its memories since the summer her sister died—the awful summer Natalie’s nightmares began. But the winery is failing, and Natalie’s father wants her to shut it down. As the majority shareholder, she has the power to do so.

And Natalie never says no to her father.

Tanner Collins, the vintner on Maoilios, is trying to salvage a bad season and put the Mitchell family’s winery back in business. When Natalie Mitchell shows up, Tanner sees his future about to be crushed. Natalie intends to close the gates, unless he can convince her otherwise. But the Natalie he remembers from childhood is long gone, and he’s not so sure he likes the woman she’s become. Still, the haunted look she wears hints at secrets he wants to unearth. He soon discovers that on the night her sister died, the real Natalie died too. And Tanner must do whatever it takes to resurrect her.

But finding freedom from the past means facing it.

Purchase a copy.

Visit the author’s website.

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Katie Ganshert’s Life After Pre-Order Offer

18 Jan

life-after-pre-order

Pre-order Katie Ganshert’s most complex and unforgettable novel yet and receive these fun extras!  Get the official details here!

 

life-after

About the book:

It could have been me.
Snow whirls around an elevated train platform in Chicago. A distracted woman boards the train, takes her seat, and moments later a fiery explosion rips through the frigid air, tearing the car apart in a horrific attack on the city’s transit system. One life is spared. Twenty-two are lost.

A year later, Autumn Manning can’t remember the day of the bombing and she is tormented by grief—by guilt. Twelve months of the question constantly echoing. Why? Why? Why? Searching for answers, she haunts the lives of the victims, unable to rest.

Paul Elliott lost his wife in the train bombing and wants to let the dead rest in peace, undisturbed and unable to cause more pain for his loved ones. He wants normalcy for his twelve year-old daughter and young son, to see them move beyond the heartbreak. But when the Elliotts and Autumn are unexpectedly forced together, he fears she’ll bring more wreckage in her wake.

In Life After, Katie Ganshert’s most complex and unforgettable novel yet, the stirring prose and authentic characters pose questions of truth, goodness, and ultimate purpose in this emotionally resonant tale.

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