Famous in a Small Town by Viola Shipman

 

"Full of summertime delight…and sweet, nostalgic charm, Famous in a Small Town is a beautiful reminder to…fully embrace the magic that lives inside you." —Heather Webber, USA TODAY bestselling author of Midnight at the Blackbird Café

For most of her eighty years, Mary Jackson has endured the steady invasion of tourists, influencers and real estate developers who have discovered the lakeside charm of Good Hart, Michigan, waiting patiently for the arrival of a stranger she’s believed since childhood would one day carry on her legacy—the Very Cherry General Store. Like generations of Jackson women before her, Cherry Mary, as she’s known locally, runs the community hub—part post office, bakery and sandwich shop—and had almost given up hope that the mysterious prediction she’d been told as a girl would come true and the store would have to pass to…a man.

Becky Thatcher came to Good Hart with her ride-or-die BFF to forget that she’s just turned forty with nothing to show for it. Ending up at the general store with Mary is admittedly not the beach vacation she expected, but the more the feisty octogenarian talks about destiny, the stronger Becky’s memories of her own childhood holidays become, and the strange visions over the lake she was never sure were real. As she works under Mary’s wing for the summer and finds she fits into this quirky community of locals, she starts to believe that destiny could be real, and that it might have something very special in mind for Becky…

Bursting with memorable characters and small-town lore, the enchanting new novel from the bestselling author of The Clover Girls is a magical story about the family you’re born with, and the one you choose.

My thoughts:

Viola Shipman is a gifted storyteller as evidenced in this novel.  I have read a few books penned by this author and I fall in love with the writing style and characters with each book.  This one is the epitome of small-town charm, filled with lovable characters and a feel-good storyline.

Becky and her friend take off on a much-needed vacation to Good Hart, Michigan where they meet Mary Jackson and her delightful friends and family.  I loved Mary and the Very Cherry General Store.  Mary is a spunky 80 year old who is legendary in the small town, not only for her ability to run the post office, bakery and sandwich shop but for something much more interesting. 

Famous in a Small Town brought a smile to my face but also tears to my eyes. I will always remember the town, characters, and the wonderful storyline.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.  Opinions are my own.

Letters of Comfort (Friendship Letters #2) by Wanda E.Brunstetter

 

Friendship Letters Series — Doretta Schwartz has always enjoyed writing letters and feels her letters can be a bit of a ministry to her friends. In this series, exchanging letters that contain open and honest feelings and struggles helps Doretta and two of her best friends through the darkest challenges of their lives.
 
A Ministry of Letter Writing Restores Hope to the Writer
 
Doretta Schwartz used to be so happy and passed her positive attitude along to friends in several letters she wrote each month. But that all changed the day she learned of her fiancé’s death and a heavy weight of depression fell upon her. Feeling empty, she puts away her letter writing and won’t even respond to calls from friends. William’s twin brother, Warren, is also grieving his loss, while at the same time, trying to be supportive to his parents and Doretta. Doretta responds to Warren’s friendship, but is he just becoming a replacement for the once-in-a-lifetime love she lost?

My thoughts:

I have found the premise of this series to be interesting, exchanging letters by the Anish certainly isn’t new or unique, but having a novel written in this way held my interest.   Doretta Schwart who we met in the first book offered encouragement and friendship to her friends by writing letters each month sharing her positivity and being there for those she cares for.  In this novel, she is the one in need of positivity, friendship, and caring to get her through a difficult time.

Eleanor is there for Doretta just as Doretta was there for her during a difficult time.  I felt so bad for the heartache and trying times that Doretta faced after the loss of her fiancé and the depression she suffered with.  The support of Elanor, family, and friends along with her faith finally brings the light back to her darkest days.

Overall, I thought this book was engaging and the characters are ones you genuinely care about. 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary of this book.  All opinions are my own.

 

The Laws of Attraction (Wyoming Sunrise #2) by Mary Connealy

If widowed town seamstress Nell Armstrong has to make one more pair of boring chaps for the cowboys in her tiny Wyoming town, she might lose her mind. So meeting Brand Nolte, a widower father struggling to raise three girls, seems like her dream come true. Brand has no idea how to dress the girls, and Nell finally has a chance to both create beautiful dresses and teach the girls to sew.

But Nell is much more than a seamstress, and the unique legal and investigative skills and knowledge she picked up alongside her late lawman husband soon become critical when a wounded stagecoach-robbery survivor is brought to town. As danger closes in from all sides, Nell and Brand must discover why there seems to be a bull's-eye on their backs.

Fan favorite Mary Connealy invites you back to 19th-century Wyoming for this adventuresome Western romance, complete with a budding romance, witty banter, and an absorbing mystery.

My thoughts:

In this 2^nd book in the Wyoming Sunrise series, we get to know Nell a lot better.  Nell has been f interest to me since we met her in the 1^st book, and I absolutely loved her story.  A talented seamstress who has been pressed into making chaps for the heavily male populated town, while her she longs to make frilly dresses.  Her dreams are about to come true when she meets the three young daughters of widower, Brand Nolte. 

Nell would love to help Brand and his girls by making dresses for them, of course he must be stubborn and believe its charity which he will not accept. I loved the pairing of Nell and Brand and rooted for them have a loving relationship; and make a home as a family The storyline has the perfect blend of clever dialog, mystery, strong female characters and moves at a great pace.

I am looking to the next book in the series since I know its going to be as good as the first two. 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions are my own.

 

In the Shadow of the River by Ann H. Gabhart

 

In 1881, Jacci Reed is only five years old when a man attempts to kidnap her from the steamboat her mother, Irena, works on. Badly wounded during the confrontation, Irena takes Jacci aboard the Kingston Floating Palace, a showboat tied up beside them. There, Jacci's actor grandfather tends to her mother and Jacci gets a first taste of the life she will come to lead.

Fifteen years later, Jacci is an actress aboard the Kingston Floating Palace, and largely contented with her adopted family of actors, singers, and dancers. Especially Gabe, who has always supported her, and the gruff grandfather she has come to know and love. Jacci's mother has been gone for years, but the memory of the altercation that ultimately took her life--and the cryptic things Jacci has overheard about her past--is always there, lurking in the back of her mind.

When someone on the showboat tries to kill Jacci, it's clear her questions demand answers. But secrets have a way of staying in the shadows, and the answers she craves will not come easily. Gabe only hopes they come in time for him and Jacci to have a future together.

My thoughts:

This is a thoroughly entertaining, engrossing historical novel.  There is a bit of mystery, danger, and sadness, especially for Jacci, the five-year-old we meet at the beginning of the story.  It is tragic that she is orphaned at such a young age, but it is a new start for her as she meets her grandfather.

The author takes her readers on a journey with Jacci and a cast of characters as they perform aboard the Kingston Floating Palace where the bond, they share is unmistakable and unshakeable. There is plenty of action both on and off the stage, there is also some romance and overall, just plain good writing from Ms. Gabhart.

I loved the storyline, the characters, the setting, but mostly I loved the family dynamics and friendships.  This is a perfect summer read get a copy for your vacation or staycation.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions are my own.