REVIEW: Oh my goodess! The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey is a wonderful book. I love this book because it has a dual timeline that brought more depth to the story. I have loved all of the books I have read by this author. They all are southern fiction. This one is too but, is also Historical Fiction. I believe it is my favorite of all of her books.

One timeline is the story of the Vanderbilt mansion called the Biltmore and the women who lived there. The Biltmore was built and owned by George Vanderbilt. He met and married his wife Edith at the age of 35. I believe she was 25 and they were married until he died 16 years later. They had one daughter that inherited the Biltmore whose name was Cornelia. Edith always said George was the true love of her life although she went on to marry one more time. I love the Biltmore and have visited there three times over the years. It was facinating to learn of it’s history and the expense to the family taking care of the largest family owned home in the United States. It has 250 rooms!

The other takes place in several locations. It is about a family that has a wedding veil that is supposed to bring whoever wears it to wed a lifetime of love and happiness. The most recent bride to wear it learns some interesting facts about the veil that I can’t tell you about. This timeline was more of what you expect out of Harvey’s books. It was nice to have the two timelines and watch how they were eventually weaved together. 

The characters were well developed and likeable, the history was well researched and the storyline was very cleaver. If you are a fan of Historical and Southern Fiction, you will fall in love with this book. If you love Kristy Woodson Harvey and weren’t sure if this book was for you because it is a little different, take my advise and jump right in. You are going to be glad you did.

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SYNOPSIS: The New York Times bestselling author of Under the Southern Sky and the Peachtree Bluff series brings “her signature wit, charm, and heart” (Woman’s World) to this sweeping new novel following four women across generations, bound by a beautiful wedding veil and a connection to the famous Vanderbilt family.

Four women. One family heirloom. A secret connection that will change their lives—and history as they know it.

Present Day: Julia Baxter’s wedding veil, bequeathed to her great-grandmother by a mysterious woman on a train in the 1930s, has passed through generations of her family as a symbol of a happy marriage. But on the morning of her wedding day, something tells her that even the veil’s good luck isn’t enough to make her marriage last forever. Overwhelmed and panicked, she escapes to the Virgin Islands to clear her head. Meanwhile, her grandmother Babs is also feeling shaken. Still grieving the death of her beloved husband, she decides to move out of the house they once shared and into a retirement community. Though she hopes it’s a new beginning, she does not expect to run into an old flame, dredging up the same complicated emotions she felt a lifetime ago.

1914: Socialite Edith Vanderbilt is struggling to manage the luxurious Biltmore Estate after the untimely death of her cherished husband. With 250 rooms to oversee and an entire village dependent on her family to stay afloat, Edith is determined to uphold the Vanderbilt legacy—and prepare her free-spirited daughter Cornelia to inherit it—in spite of her family’s deteriorating financial situation. But Cornelia has dreams of her own. Asheville, North Carolina has always been her safe haven away from the prying eyes of the press, but as she explores more of the rapidly changing world around her, she’s torn between upholding tradition and pursuing the exciting future that lies beyond Biltmore’s gilded gates.

In the vein of Therese Anne Fowler’s A Well-Behaved Woman and Jennifer Robson’s The Gown, The Wedding Veil brings to vivid life a group of remarkable women forging their own paths—and explores the mystery of a national heirloom lost to time.

REVIEW: Welcome to the School by the Sea by Jenny Colgan is the first book in a series that she is releasing under her own name. She originally wrote it under the pen name Jane Beaton. They weren’t big sellers but, eventually people found their way to them. In the preface she tells us it is to be a six book series and in the blurb it says it is a four part series. Your guess is as good as mine at this point.  We’ll wait and see. 

I have read several of Jenny Colgan’s books and have enjoyed them. This one was good but, not at the top of my list. She has peaked my interest enough that I will have my eye out for book two. It wasn’t awful but, it felt a little slow to me. It takes place at a boarding school. The story is about a girl’s school and over the hill is the boy’s school. The boys and girls have a few activities together during the year but, mostly they are apart. 

With the first book we are getting to meet the various characters and how they wound up at this school as either teachers or students. The English teacher is Maggie Adair and she has a boyfriend named Stan. They have had a long term relationship and a good bit of this book is about Maggie and six or eight of her students. She grew up in a more metro area and was hoping that teaching at this school would give her more skills to take home to her old neighborhood. She finds herself falling in love with the school and not wanting to leave.

The name of the School is Downey Hall and it is an old castle in Cornwall, Scotland. I can’t imagine leaving a place like Downey Hall that sits right on the water. Wouldn’t that be a dream come true? This is again another book I’ve picked up that takes place in Scotland. I found out in the last year that I am mostly Scottish. I wonder if these books are telling me I need to go for a visit? Anyway, I’m having a blast learning little tidbits about the homeland of my ancestors.

If you love books that are set at boarding schools and in a foreign country, you’ll most likely enjoy this book. You can pre-order it now and it will be in your in box on release day. Happy reading!

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SYNOPSIS: The first book of Jenny Colgan’s delightful new four-part series, set at a charming English boarding school on the sea.

Maggie went to the window and opened it wide, inhaling the lovely salt air off the sea. Why had she never lived by the sea before? Why had she always looked out on housing estates and not the little white hulls of trawlers bobbing off in the distance?

It’s gloriously sunny in Cornwall as the school year starts at the little boarding school by the sea. Maggie, the newest teacher at Downey House, is determined to make her mark. She’s delighted by her new teaching job, but will it come at the expense of her relationship with her safe, dependable boyfriend Stan?

Simone is excited and nervous: she’s won a scholarship to the prestigious boarding school and wants to make her parents proud. Forced to share a room with the glossy, posh girls of Downey House, she needs to find a friend, fast.

Fliss is furious. She’s never wanted to go to boarding school and hates being sent away from her home. As Simone tries desperately to fit in, Fliss tries desperately to get out.

Over the course of one year, friendships will bloom and lives will be changed forever. Life at the Little School by the Sea is never dull…

REVIEW: I’ve been running behind a lot lately. I really wanted to finish A Life Unraveled by Jill Hannah Anderson on time. I lost track of the days and within an hour of finishing the book I received and email reminding me today was release day! I’m glad I made it. I have been dealing with some health issues and really upset that it has slowed down the reading and reviewing process.

First of all, I loved this book! Lily is the main character and she draws compassion from us and so much more. You want to drop into her life and straighten things out for her. In the beginninng of the book she suffers a near life threatening attack while she is jogging. Her attacker is the High School football star. Things change for her and her family in a drastic way. Her children suffer at school, her husband takes on a lot more responsibility and parents from both sides tag team to take care of her during her recovery. 

Luke, her husband, is a dream. He is supportive in every way. When things begin to happen, he has a hard time dealing. What’s going on is anybody’s guess. He sticks by his wife and honors his commitment. He does the right thing. 

There are some family dynamics that play into this book. I love how communication and honesty are stressed because that is the only thing that works when going through some of life’s problems. 

This was a suspenseful story, full of love and heartbreak. It is a book that will forever stay close to my heart. If, you like that kind of story, I highly recommend this book. It’s available today and it is at a great price. So… what are you waiting for? Go get your copy. You’re gonna love it! 

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SYNOPSIS: Kindergarten teacher Lily Gallo is a happily married mother of three who considers her life perfect… until the day she’s brutally assaulted while out on a run. When the town’s high school football hero is arrested for the attack, Lily’s family suffers retaliation from local sports fans.

Recovering from her injuries, Lily wraps herself in an opioid cloud. Later, a barely avoided tragedy motivates her to flush the narcotics. But her return to sobriety is overshadowed by unnerving memory lapses and her husband’s growing mistrust.

As unremembered events become more disturbing, Lily is convinced that she’s being stalked. Though her attacker started the destruction of her life, someone else is determined to finish it.

REVIEW: I read a book recently that I think a lot of people would enjoy. The book is Violet by Heidi Andrews. If you read the synopsis, you will wonder why I am calling this a delightful book. I truly enjoyed this story and it is told by Violet and then later it is told by her daughter.

I kind of felt like I was having a discussion with a new friend that was telling me about her life and how she became a mother. She desperately wanted to be a mom and an OB/GYN. She worked hard to reach her goals. Sadly, she was told when she was young that she had endometriosis and would have a hard time conceiving a child. Violet went through a lot! I have to admit, a lot of her trials and tribulations she brought on herself.

Part of the book is told by her daughter Opal as she becomes aware that her mother may not be her real mother. We go with her to her Grandmothers home for a summer visit where she learns that her Grandmother has the same suspicions. I love Opal’s voice as she grows from a young girl into an adult woman. I was engrossed in the telling of her discovery of her mothers journal and how she researched her birth story. 

The characters are pretty well developed and likeable. The storyline is pretty much to the point and does not have a lot of fluff. For those that don’t like a lot of descriptions, this book is for you. Concise and to the point and the story takes place over a number of years but, the book is not terribly long. So, if you don’t like to sit long periods of time or it takes you forever to finish a book, you will appreciate this story tellers style.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author. The first was The Diary of Anne Monroe. That book was another interesting look at family relationships. I have come to appreciate the writing style of this author. It is a bit different than other authors I review for but, it is interesting, draws you in and keeps you engaged until the end. I highly encourage you to try a book by Heidi Andrews. You might be as enchanted as I am.

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SYNOPSIS: Violet, a young woman full of promise turns to killing after she learns that she cannot have children. She immediately leaves her home in Macon, Alabama and heads off to the west coast where she starts her new life as a mother and a chief OB/GYN at Saint Francis Hospital in California.

Years later when Opal is a teenager, she discovers old newspaper clippings hidden in her mother’s dresser drawer which makes her wonder if she is the missing baby of the late Maggie Haines. Curious, Opal starts doing some investigating of her own when she visits her grandmother in Alabama in the Summer of 1982, and she soon learns that even her grandmother suspects that Opal may not really be her granddaughter after all. Not long after returning home to California, Opal discovers her mother’s diary that she kept when Opal was a baby and in it, she learns the truth about who her mother really is and who killed her.

REVIEW: Careful What You Wish by Ashley Farley was the first book I’ve read of hers that I had my doubts. BUT…she redeemed herself! This turned out to be such a good book. Some of the happenings in this novel are all things we have wished for in our lives. I can’t tell you all of them because I would give too much of the story away. 

Mary May is the main character in this book. I didn’t like her at first and there were a lot of other characters that I didn’t like as well. I think that is why I had my reservations at first because I have always liked the characters Ms. Farley develops. Maybe not every one of them but, certainly the main characters. As the story progressed, I found that I liked Mary May and many others. I think we just got off on the wrong foot. Have you ever had a friend like that? Your first impression was bad and then as you got to know them you learned to appreciate and like them.

Have you ever wished money grew on trees? Mary did and the Maple tree in her back yard started dropping money every night. You might guess that got her into more trouble than she was in to begin with. She made some wonderful friends along the way and she found out that not everyone is worth having as a friend. My Mom always told me money doesn’t grow on trees. I don’t think good friends do either. At least that is how it has been in my life. 

I am pretty sad right now. There are six more books in this series and I am anxious to read them. I was chosen as an early reader for the series when it only consisted of seven books. Now, there are a total of thirteen. I have to actually wait until book number eight is published to read it. That is going to be hard because I have virtually read these books back to back. I will be pre-ordering the rest of the books. Who is going to join me?

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SYNOPSIS: Wishes in branches tied with string. Someone’s hopes. Another’s dreams.

Mary May has lost her way. She’s husbandless, childless, and soon to be homeless. She’s lost her housekeeping job, and with no income, she can’t afford the repairs on her family’s dilapidated ancestral home. On a whim, she ties a wish to the town’s famous wishing tree. She doesn’t expect her wish to come true. None of her many others have. And she’s astounded when the maple tree in her backyard sprouts hundred-dollar bills.

After making the house repairs, Mary goes on a spending spree, purchasing a new wardrobe and fancy automobile. While the money buys the material goods she covets, it can’t buy her the one thing she wants most. Friendship.

Mary’s granted wish turns out to be both a blessing and a curse. Mary embarks on a journey to discover what message her Money Maple is sending her.

Join Ashley Farley, bestselling author of Palmetto Island Series, as she brings the latest book in The Wishing Tree series alive, featuring a heartwarming story of friendship and new beginnings.

Book 1: The Wishing Tree – perma-FREE prologue book
Book 2: I Wish… by Amanda Prowse
Book 3: Wish You Were Here by Kay Bratt
Book 4: Wish Again by Tammy L. Grace
Book 5: Workout Wishes & Valentine Kisses by Barbara Hinske
Book 6: A Parade of Wishes by Camille Di Maio
Book 7: Careful What You Wish by Ashley Farley

REVIEW: A Parade of Wishes by Camille Di Maio is book six of the Wishing Tree Series. Oh my goodness! I think my toes have curled up permanently from these stories. They make me feel so good. With all that is going on in the world, it is certainly nice to visit Linden Falls and fall in love with a way of life, the gentle and loving residents and the Linden tree in the town square that is believed to grant wishes. I know what I would wish if I could hang my wish on that tree. Do you?

This story mainly takes place in a town in Maine. Don’t worry. It still is all about the magic of the Linden tree. I love how the characters in all of the books work together. This series is seamless. I really can’t tell one author from another. They are a well rehearsed choir. Their voices blend in the most beautiful harmonies. 

Liz is an artist from New York City. She has been comissioned for a piece she is delivering to Linden Falls and then she is headed to Maine for the summer to figure out where her life is headed. I think the Linden tree has some ideas in mind for her. You’ll have to read this one to see if it all works out.

I’m pretty sure this series is a step out of the comfort zone for some of these authors. They have done such a fine job. I’m looking forward to the rest of the books in this series and I am going to be sad when I get to the end. I’ve only been approved to read the first seven books including the prequel. I will be sitting on pins and needles waiting for the books to release. I really want to finish the series for me and for my followers.

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SYNOPSIS: Wishes in branches tied with string. Someone’s hopes. Another’s dreams.

Liz Guidry is New York City’s It-Girl when it comes to painting murals in posh Park Avenue nurseries. But the accolades and wait-lists are not fulfilling. Being around the families make her want one of her own. When a mysterious woman commissions a different kind of piece, Liz drives it to Linden Falls, Vermont, where she encounters a local legend that leaves her skeptical.

Yet she can’t deny the magic of the town’s Wishing Tree when she draws a wish that leads her to a seaside village in nearby Maine, where a love she never expected to encounter awaits.

Join Camille Di Maio, Amazon Bestselling author, as she brings the latest book in The Wishing Tree series alive, featuring a heartwarming story of love, hope, and renewal.

Don’t miss any of the books in The Wishing Tree Series – download them all today!

Book 1: The Wishing Tree prequel/prologue book

Book 2: I Wish.. by Amanda Prowse

Book 3: Wish You Were Here by Kay Bratt

Book 4: Wish Again by Tammy L. Grace

Book 5: Workout Wishes & Valentine Kisses by Barbara Hinske

Book 6: A Parade of Wishes by Camille Di Maio

Book 7: Careful What You Wish by Ashley Farley

REVIEW: Workout Wishes and Valentine Kisses by Barbara Hinske is book five in The Wishing Tree Series. I know I sound like a broken record but, I really liked this installment of the series. This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I’m hoping the author or one of her fans tells me if this is what to expect from her. I’m already taking a look at her books to see what I am going to add to my TBR list.

In this book Pam and Steve have both grown up in Linden Falls and have each harbored a secret crush on the other. They both wind up working at the local gym and it is fun to watch them trying to remain friends. They have a chemistry that everyone can see except Pam and Steve. They both have clients that attempt to bring them together. This is a fun story while we watch them stumbling around each other. Do they get together? Do they call it quits and move on? I’m not telling!

I haven’t mentioned that I think each of these books would easily stand on its own. I think if you didn’t read them in order or only read a few of them, you would miss out on all the fun. I love getting to know all of these characters and the town itself. The tree plays and important role in all of the books. If you love clean and interesting love stories, you will fall in love with this little town and it’s inhabitants. 

Don’t forget to download the FREE prequel The Wishing Tree. You will get to read the first chapter of the first six books. That should leave you wanting to jump right into these books. I know I’m looking forward to the last six books. I don’t have a clue yet what they are about.

SYNOPSIS: Wishes in branches tied with string. Someone’s hopes. Another’s dreams.

Pam Olson and Steve Turner—childhood friends turned work colleagues—are perfect for each other. They just can’t see it.

The personal trainers, who both work at the local gym, have a lot in common: a passion for fitness, messy divorces and chemistry that neither will acknowledge. After a disastrous foray into online dating, Pam joins Steve in his no-dating pledge.

A happily married couple whom they train recognizes the attraction between the two and enlists the help of the Wishing Tree. The covert love mission comes to a head with a pledge-breaking blind date on Valentine’s Day. Will tempers—or sparks—fly between Pam and Steve?

Join Barbara Hinske as she brings the latest book in The Wishing Tree series alive, featuring a heartwarming story of love, family, friendships, and the hope of new beginnings.

★★★★★

✓ Don’t miss any of the books in The Wishing Tree Series – download them all today!

Book 1: The Wishing Tree – perma-FREE prologue book

Book 2: I Wish… by Amanda Prowse

Book 3: Wish You Were Here by Kay Bratt

Book 4: Wish Again by Tammy L. Grace

Book 5: Workout Wishes & Valentine Kisses by Barbara Hinske

Book 6: A Parade of Wishes by Camille Di Maio

Book 7: Careful What You Wish by Ashley Farley

Book 8: Gone Wishing by Jessie Newton

Book 9: Wishful Thinking by Kay Bratt

Book 10: Overdue Wishes by Tammy L. Grace

Book 11: A Whole Heap of Wishes by Amanda Prowse

Book 12: Wishes of Home by Barbara Hinske

Book 13: Wishful Witness by Tonya Kappes

REVIEW: Tammy L Grace brings us the fourth book in The Wishing Tree Series named Wish Again. If you have read anything in the past from Tammy Grace, you know she brings out all of the feels in her books. You know you are going to need a box of tissues, comfy clothes and a chair that hugs you while you read. I guarantee you will not put this book down once you start it.

By this time we have met several of the residents in Linden Falls. Each book brings us a new set of folks or we learn more of the circumstances of the ones we’ve met. Paige has come home to live with her mom and help her with the bookstore on the town square. I just love this town. The town square surrounds the huge Linden tree at the center. The tree is believed to grant wishes. 

Tammy always has a dog in her books and this one has a wonderful dog named Gladys. She is a trained therapy dog and also pretty much has the run of the town square. She is one of those dogs that knows and loves everyone. She is known to make her daily trip around the square visiting all of her friends. If you have ever had a Golden Retriever you know that they are such gentle souls and we see that in Gladys.

If you haven’t started this series yet, I really encourage you to pick up the first book The Wishing Tree. It is FREE! You will be able to read the first chapter of the first six books. By the time you are done you won’t be able to wait to read the full books. There are the original seven and they have added another six for a total of thirteen. Wow! I love a series I can bury myself in and get involved in all the wonderful residents of a small town. What could be better than that? I get all giddy when I pick up the next book in the series. I hope you do too! 

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SYNOPSIS: Wishes in branches tied with string. Someone’s hopes. Another’s dreams.

Paige Duncan returns to the small town of Linden Falls to seek the comfort of her hometown and her beloved mother. That contentment is short-lived when after only a few months, she’s faced with an unexpected and monumental loss.

In the midst of struggling to keep her mother’s beloved bookstore afloat in the wake of her sudden death, Paige has the chance to grant a wish from the iconic wishing tree in the town square. She lost her trust in the tree long ago, but her mother’s voice rings in her ears, reminding Paige that when feeling disappointed, simply wish again.

Paige reluctantly agrees to bring her mom’s therapy dog to visit the care center where her mom volunteered for years. As autumn creeps in, busloads of tourists and one special visitor arrive, and someone at the center reminds Paige that she is stronger than she realizes. Will her mother’s advice allow Paige to believe in the magic of the Wishing Tree and second chances one more time?

Join Tammy Grace, USA Today Bestselling author, as she brings the latest book in The Wishing Tree series alive, featuring a heart-warming story of love and loss, and the hope of turning lost dreams into second chances.

★★★★★

Don’t miss any of the books in The Wishing Tree Series – download them all today:

Book 1: The Wishing Tree prequel/prologue book

Book 2: I Wish.. by Amanda Prowse

Book 3: Wish You Were Here by Kay Bratt

Book 4: Wish Again by Tammy L. Grace

Book 5: Workout Wishes & Valentine Kisses by Barbara Hinske

Book 6: A Parade of Wishes by Camille Di Maio

Book 7: Careful What You Wish by Ashley Farley

Book 8: Gone Wishing by Jessie Newton

Book 9: Wishful Thinking by Kay Bratt

Book 10: Overdue Wishes by Tammy L. Grace

Book 11: A Whole Heap of Wishes by Amanda Prowse

Book 12: Wishes of Home by Barbara Hinske

Book 13: Wishful Witness by Tonya Kappes

REVIEW: Wish You Were Here by Kay Bratt is book 3 of The Wishing Tree Series. It is an awesome installment to this wonderful series. These books although by different authors have all the feels. I love this series. I know I am a real sucker for down to earth stories. They don’t have to be love stories. They can be family stories or like these stories of friendship and community. This has a senior love story in it but, it really does revolve around love of community and friends.

Henry Harmon is the husband of Greta who is the talk of the town. Neva was an old friend and she owns the local Inn. This book and series is brimming with wonderful characters that we would all love to live near and be friends with. It is easy to fall into the stories and feel like you are a part of what is going on and that you know these folks. Again, you’ve heard me say many times, that I love small towns so these stories are right up my alley.

When you sit down with these books you will want a comfy chair, snuggly clothes, a snack and something to drink because you aren’t going to want to leave their world until you are done with that book. Then you will be looking for the next one to jump right back in again. There are 13 total books so you won’t want to do anything else until they are done. I promise you these people live in the world I grew up in. It is comfortable, easy going and everyone cares about their neighbor. It is a dream come true to visit Linden Falls.

SYNOPSIS: Henry Harmon has been married more than sixty years to his bigger-than-life and talk-of-the-town wife, Greta, when he begins to see signs of a problem. When her diagnosis comes to light, he struggles to keep his oath of in sickness and health, and to do it alone.

On the other side of their small town is Neva Cabot, who many years ago put her own mental health first when she cut friendship ties with Greta. But Neva is the kindest of kind and has been the face of hospitality for their town for decades. Even so, it will take some soul-searching for her to be able to step up and help walk Henry through the hardest days of his life.

Janie Stallard and her two daughters have just moved in to the old Johnson’s house when they can’t make the next rent and will be forced to move out. Neva offers Janie a job and her family a safe haven while they figure out what they want to do, and Neva tries to figure out why they are really there.

Join Kay Bratt as she brings the latest book in the Wishing Tree series alive, featuring Neva Cabot, the owner of the Wishing Tree Inn and the Curator of Wishes.

Don’t miss any of the books in The Wishing Tree Series – download them all today:

Book 1: The Wishing Tree prequel/prologue book
Book 2: I Wish.. by Amanda Prowse
Book 3: Wish You Were Here by Kay Bratt
Book 4: Wish Again by Tammy L. Grace
Book 5: Workout Wishes & Valentine Kisses by Barbara Hinske
Book 6: A Parade of Wishes by Camille Di Maio
Book 7: Careful What You Wish by Ashley Farley
Book 8: Gone Wishing by Jessie Newton
Book 9: Wishful Thinking by Kay Bratt
Book 10: Overdue Wishes by Tammy L. Grace
Book 11: A Whole Heap of Wishes by Amanda Prowse
Book 12: Wishes of Home by Barbara Hinske
Book 14: Wishful Witness by Tonya Kappes