Divorce

Review: Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter

May 30, 2017 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Often in fiction, the story ends and readers are left to assume the happily ever after. It’s usually at high point—a declaration of love, an engagement, a wedding. But what happens after the last first kiss? After the I do’s? When real life encroaches on the high of falling in love? What happens when there are hiccups in the happily-ever-after?

In her latest book, Denise Hunter explores this concept while delicately balancing on the line of realities of life and the hope of love while weaving the main characters’ history with their current-day situation.

Noah and Josephine had a whirlwind romance, one that seemed to set them up for a lifetime of love. But it ended too soon…or has it?

Josephine didn’t completely open herself up to her husband while Noah hadn’t wanted to push his wife whenever he saw that expression of sadness cross her features. Yet, in successful relationships—ones that last lifetimes—communication is so key.

Forced together due to a storm, Noah and Josephine must fast their failures and faults in their relationship while admitting there is still something between them. Will they allow past hurts and angry words to overrule God’s grace, forgiveness, and healing? Sweetbriar Cottage presents a picture that reminds the reader that only God’s love is limitless. That people make mistakes and errors that hurt deeply but unconditional love is not something we earn, it’s something given freely.

My Rating:

Humor, A Littley History Lesson, and a Lot of Heart: Like Never Before by Melissa Tagg

March 6, 2016 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

If you are connected with Melissa Tagg, author of the Walker Family series, on any social media outlet or follower her blog at all, you are familiar with the “rather ridiculous crush” (her words) she developed on the cover model for her second book in the series.

So, I have to admit, this guy doesn’t do it for me but hey, I get it. I’ve made no secret of my celebrity crush. The boy-next-door smile (Matt Damon), the way his eyes crinkle when he laughs (Matt Damon), the friend and father his is off screen as well as the heroes he plays on screen.

But while the photo on the cover did nothing for me, once I read Like Never Before and “met” Logan Walker, I totally see the appeal.

A man committed to the happiness of his daughter despite a demanding career as a political speech writer. Add in the tragedy of losing his wife—three-year-old Charlie’s mother—and the relative isolation of living in California (his only interactions with clients, his co-workers, his business partner and wife, and his nannies), and those heartstrings are jerked a little more.

When Logan returns to his hometown—the quirky yet charming Maple Valley—readers get to glimpse another side (or maybe sides) of the man. The big brother. The son. The man who seems to have it all together but is breaking inside.

Yet one unexpected person somehow sees beyond the façade. Amelia Bentley is determined to save the town newspaper—the same one Logan now owns—and she’s also enraptured by everything Logan has written. With her own past filled with broken dreams and regrets, Amelia has found a home—and a family—in Maple Valley.

Injecting humor at just the right moments, Melissa Tagg had me chuckling one moment and blinking back tears in the next. While there is a lightheartedness to a few scenes in the story, the author doesn’t hesitate to tackle some tough subjects—loss of a spouse, disagreements with family, and feeling out of touch with your faith. With God.

I look forward to what Tagg has in store with the remaining Walker siblings. With stories like this one, she’s becoming an author I will watch with anticipation. She’s definitely one to keep an eye on.

And Melissa, if I’m ever in Iowa, I’ll take you up on that pizza party invitation. Because if you’ve got a smidge of the sense of humor and spiritual insight I find in your books, you’ll be a lot of fun to hang out with.

Pre-order you copy today (Available everywhere April 5, 2016)

****Bethany House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Oh, and if you’d like to read how Melissa Tagg fictionalized her cover model crush, check out her Christmas novella, One Enchanted Christmas.

Healing and Hope in the Midst of Stife

December 14, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Do you ever feel like life has beaten you down to the point you just want to hide from the world? Do you want to run away from your past and forget everything?

In Reviving Jules by Peggy Trotter, one woman does exactly that.

Jules Summers has fled from everything and everyone familiar. Determined not to be found and to just survive, she settles in a small town in Indiana. Needing something to keep her mind busy, she searches for ways to fill her free time. And then one day, a little girl shows up in her yard to look at the fish.

Andi Carsen and her father, Rhett strike up an unlikely friendship with Julie. As Rhett continues to come to the rescue, Jules fights for her independence. Why, oh why, can’t she do anything on her own? And will she ever wake up without tears?

Can two people, with the help of an entertaining, energetic, and observant little girl, heal and obtain a life full of hope?

Trotter creates a world that draws the reader in. One where you will want to hug Jules one minute and shake her to tell her to wake up and look around her the next. The addition of Andi Carsen brings many laughs and smiles to a story that is sometimes filled with the hard truths of life.

This one is definitely one to add to your TBR pile!!

Available online.