#BookReview- Heartwarming #Reads from @JillWeatherHolt @KristinHannah, and Heather Marshall

Three heartwarming reads to start out the New Year!

There’s nothing like a good book and a hot cup of tea on a chilly winter’s evening. We’ve had a bit of a cold snap (for us) here on the west coast and I’ve been holed up inside with hubby and our restless teenage grandson. They’ve been arm wrestling, doing push-ups, and a variety of other exercises in preparation for the warmer weather when they can hit the basketball court, and I’ve been curled up in my chair reading (Hey, someone has to do it! :))

I was thrilled to see Jill Weatherholt’s new release show up on my Kindle December 28th and couldn’t wait to dive right in.

Can three little matchmakers

lasso a cowboy father?

When injured professional bull rider Luke Beckett returns to his hometown to recover, he doesn’t expect his B and B host and physical therapist to be his first and only love, Meg Brennan. He’s also unprepared for Meg’s adorable triplets to steal his heart. Luke’s past has him doubting he’s good enough for Meg and the children, but they might be just what the doctor ordered to help him heal… 

Jill Weatherholt

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By day, Jill Weatherholt works for the City of Charlotte. At night, and on the weekend, she writes sweet romance about love, faith and forgiveness for Harlequin Love Inspired. She’s sold over half a dozen sweet romance short stories to Woman’s World Magazine. Raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., she now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, but her heart belongs to Virginia. She holds a degree in Psychology from George Mason University and Paralegal Studies Certification from Duke University. She shares her life with her real-life hero and number one supporter. Their relationship grew on the golf course, and now they have one in their backyard. Jill believes in enjoying every moment of this journey because God has everything under control.

My Review

Meg Brennan gave up a promising career in physiotherapy to raise her sister’s triplets after their parents abandoned the family. She doesn’t regret her decision but the pressure of caring for the boisterous children combined with multiple unpaid bills left behind by her sister and brother-in-law makes her wonder if she can keep them going in the B&B they ran.

When champion bull rider Luke Beckett returns to his hometown to recover from an injury, he’s stunned to find the woman he’d left behind running the Bed and Breakfast he’d booked a room in for the next six weeks. And she’s less than overjoyed to see him.

Meg was unbearably hurt when Luke left her to pursue a rodeo career- the same thing that killed her father- and now that he was back, she was determined to keep him at arm’s length. Needing the money, she reluctantly lets him stay at the inn, and takes him on as a client in her little therapy clinic but tries unsuccessfully to keep the fascinated children away from Cowboy Luke.

There’s such a lot of pent-up feelings between these two and I kept thinking if they would only talk it out, they could put the past to rest! lol

Whispering Slopes is the type of place where everyone knows and cares for each other. I could easily see a series developing around the interesting characters who live in the area. Tucker tugged on my heartstrings while his sisters made me laugh. I wanted to give them all a great big hug.

Searching for Home is a wonderful 5 star read ❤

Years of trying unsuccessfully to conceive a child have broken more than Angie DeSaria’s heart. Following a painful divorce, she moves back to her small Pacific Northwest hometown and takes over management of her family’s restaurant. In West End, where life rises and falls like the tides, Angie’s fortunes will drastically change yet again when she meets and befriends a troubled young woman.

Angie hires Lauren Ribido because she sees something special in the seventeen-year-old. They quickly form a deep bond, and when Lauren is abandoned by her mother, Angie offers the girl a place to stay. But nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching repercussions of this act of kindness. Together, these two women—one who longs for a child and the other who longs for a mother’s love—will be tested in ways that neither could have imagined.

Kristin Hannah

Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale, which was named Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year. It was also named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week. In 2018, The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller and was named the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads.

The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore’s bestseller lists. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club.

The Nightingale is currently in production at Tri Star, with Dakota and Elle Fanning set to star. Tri Star has also optioned The Great Alone and it is in development. Firefly Lane, her novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix show around the world, in the week it came out. The popular tv show stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke and Season Two is currently being filmed.

http://www.kristinhannah.com

My Review

When her marriage disintegrates under the weight of sorrow, Angie Desaria moves back to her hometown to recuperate and finds love can heal a broken heart.

After a series of painful miscarriages and the loss of their days-old baby daughter, Angie also endures the death of her father and the heartbreaking end of her marriage. Distraught, she goes home to her boisterous Italian family and attempts to get hold of her derailing life.

Grief was like a rain cloud; sooner or later, if you were patient, it moved on. All she had to do was keep breathing.…

Hannah, Kristin. The Things We Do for Love (p. 59). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

With the family restaurant in trouble, Angie is persuaded to put her organizational skills to use and work with her sisters to rebuild the business. It helps, but there’s still a hole where her heart used to be and she’s afraid she’ll never recover. But then, a chance meeting with a troubled teen gives Angie someone to lavish all the loving she’s been longing to share- if only she can get past the young girl’s pride.

This is an emotional story of love and loss and family ties, and how life can throw us curveballs but it’s what we do with them that count.

The Things We Do for Love is a Must-read- 5 stars but worth more!

For readers of Joanna Goodman and Genevieve Graham comes a masterful debut novel about three women whose lives are bound together by a long-lost letter, a mother’s love, and a secret network of women fighting for the right to choose—inspired by true stories.

Tell them you’re looking for Jane.

2017

When Angela Creighton discovers a mysterious letter containing a life-shattering confession in a stack of forgotten mail, she is determined to find the intended recipient. Her search takes her back to the 1970s when a group of daring women operated an illegal underground abortion network in Toronto known only by its whispered code name: Jane…

1971

As a teenager, Dr. Evelyn Taylor was sent to a home for “fallen” women where she was forced to give up her baby for adoption—a trauma she has never recovered from. Despite harrowing police raids and the constant threat of arrest, she joins the Jane Network as an abortion provider, determined to give other women the choice she never had.

1980

After discovering a shocking secret about her family history, twenty-year-old Nancy Mitchell begins to question everything she has ever known. When she unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she feels like she has no one to turn to for help. Grappling with her decision, she locates “Jane” and finds a place of her own alongside Dr. Taylor within the network’s ranks, but she can never escape the lies that haunt her.

Weaving together the lives of three women, Looking for Jane is an unforgettable debut about the devastating consequences that come from a lack of choice—and the enduring power of a mother’s love.

My Review

Told in three timelines, this is a story based on true events.

When bookstore owner Angela accidentally opens the wrong letter, it starts a chain of events that will change her life forever. The letter belonged to a Nancy Marshall and was sent from her mother before she died. It states Nancy was adopted and gives the name of her birth mother.

Nancy’s younger cousin needs an abortion in 1970’s Toronto, Canada, and her only option is to seek a back-alley surgeon who causes her to hemorrhage. Nancy helps her cousin to a hospital where she is told to ask for Jane if it ever happens again. A few years later, it’s Nancy’s turn to need help. She finds out Jane is actually an underground abortion network and joins them as a volunteer.

It’s 1961 and Eleanor’s fiancé dies unexpectantly, leaving her pregnant and alone. Eleanor’s parents take her to St. Agnes, a church-run home for unwed mothers. She’s to remain there until birth, give the child up for adoption, and work three more months to pay for her stay. Scarred by the tumultuous ordeal, Eleanor grows up to become a doctor and starts the underground adoption network called Jane.

As a Canadian who appreciates our freedom of choice, I was horrified to read this book and learn of the sacrifices made so that we could have a right to decide what is best for our bodies.

This is an eye-opening read I won’t soon forget- 5 well-deserved stars!

Do you like books that tug on the heart? I think it’s a sign of great writing and all three of these authors have the gift ❤