Remembrancy

*Inspirational and clean reads to remember and see

Flowers

Perennials by Julie Cantrell (Review + Giveaway)

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About the Book

Perennials Julie CantrellWhen two estranged sisters reunite for their parents’ 50th anniversary, a family tragedy brings unexpected lessons of hope and healing amid the flowers of their mother’s perennial garden.

Eva—known to all as Lovey—grew up in Oxford, MS, surrounded by literary history and her mother’s stunning perennial gardens. But a garden shed fire and the burns suffered by one of her best friends seemed to change everything. Her older sister Bitsy blamed her for the fire—and no one spoke up on her behalf. Bitsy the cheerleader, Bitsy the homecoming queen, Bitsy married to a wealthy investor. And all the while, Lovey blamed for everything that goes wrong.

At eighteen, Lovey turns down a marriage proposal, flees from Oxford and the expectations of attending Ole Miss, and instead goes to Arizona—the farthest thing from the South she can imagine. She becomes a successful advertising executive, a weekend yoga instructor, and seems to have it all together. But she’s alone. And on her 45th birthday, she can’t help but wonder what’s wrong.

When she gets a call from her father—still known to everyone as Chief from his Ole Miss football days—insisting that she come home three weeks early for her parents’ 50th wedding anniversary celebration, she’s at wits end. She’s about to close the biggest contract of her career, the one that will secure her financial goals and set her up for retirement. But his words, “Family First,” hit too close to home. Is there hope for her estranged relationship with Bitsy after all this time?

Eva’s journey home, to the memory garden her father has planned as an anniversary surprise for her mother, becomes one of discovering roots, and truth, and love, and what living perennially in spite of disappointments and tragedy really means. Eva thought she wanted to leave her family and the South far behind . . . but she’s realizing she hasn’t truly been herself the whole time she’s been gone.

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The Perfect Fall Read

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As I write this review, I’m in Dallas, Texas for the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference. This is my first one and I’m excited to learn from many of the authors I’ve reviewed here on my blog. For the next three days, I’ll be meeting other authors, listening in on panels, and attending classes to help improve my own craft. Many of the writers here have contributed to the Year of Weddings novella series over the past two years. And I was so excited to see October’s author on the list this year. I’ve only learned of and read Katie Ganshert last year when I read A Broken Kind of Beautiful but have not been disappointed in anything I’ve read of hers thus far. Including…

perfect arrangement

On the day of her ex’s wedding, Amelia Woods can’t help but take a peak. Her best friend accuses her of sitting on the sidelines in her small Wisconsin town as the owner of a flower shop her mother once owned, unwilling to experience life.

When she runs into someone else’s car while surveying the group of people in front of the church, she’s horrified and hurriedly flees the scene before her stepsisters see her. Her stepsisters who, by the way, are in the wedding.

She and the owner of the car strike up an email correspondence because of an email address fail and are soon conversing about more than the fender bender. Amelia’s confused about her brother’s engagement and believes she saw something that will break her brother’s heart. She’s always looked after him and doesn’t want to see him hurt.

As Amelia and Nick grow to know each other via the computer, they also learn that maybe love can blossom even with distance.

This story has a little bit of a You’ve Got Mail feel to it. A fun communication between the main characters, some quirky and embarrassing (for Amelia) incidents, and the beginnings of love. While reading this novella, I felt like I was in the flower shop right alongside Amelia as she made the bouquets. And her regular Monday customer, George, is a throwback to days when gentlemen were the rule, not the exception. His story within the main story was an added bonus.

The Perfect Arrangement really is a great way to spend an evening. If you’re a rom com fan, definitely pick this one up (Available Sept. 29).

***BookLook Bloggers and Zondervan fiction provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.