After years spent traveling the world as a flight attendant, Gracie Walden is ready to stay a little closer to her roots, starting with two weeks at home in Amarillo, Texas. But there’s unexpected turbulence between her mother, Ella, and her older sister, Hope—and it will lead to a revelation that changes Gracie’s life in amazing ways.
MEANT TO BE by Lori Foster
When Cory Creed was just a little girl, she knew she’d grow up to marry Austin Winston—and she made the mistake of telling him so. Tired of watching him avoid her ever since, Cory has decided it’s time to leave Visitation, North Carolina, and Austin, behind. But Austin has finally realized what Cory was once so sure of, and now it’s his turn to prove they belong together . . . with a little help from their mothers.
THE MOTHER’S DAY CROWN by Carolyn Brown
Monica Allen still hasn’t forgiven Tyler Magee for breaking her heart when they were teenagers. Ten years on, they’re back in Luella, Texas, visiting their respective grandmothers. and there’s just a white picket fence and a whole lot of awkwardness between them. Will two weeks be long enough for Monica to learn to stop holding a grudge—and hold on to love?
IN BLOOM: Three Delightful Love Stories by Fern Michaels, Lori Foster, and Carolyn Brown is a trio of charming short stories. All the novellas are easily read as standalones even with a few characters from other books.
All three authors are long time favorites of mine and have very distinctive voices. I could have told you who the author was for each, even if they were not marked. This is a good collection that gives you a chance to test out a new author or settle in for a quick read with one you know and love.
Sometimes you only have time for a short read and this anthology meets my expectations in a short amount of time. The only downside is that the characters may not be as developed as you like as they would be in a longer novel. While these are not my favorite stories by these authors, they are all heartwarming stories with satisfying endings.
***
About the Authors
Fern Michaels is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Sisterhood, Lost and Found, Men of the Sisterhood, the Godmothers series, and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over ninety-five million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret. Visit her Website at FernMichaels.com.
Lori Foster is a New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author and a dominant force in the arena of sexy contemporary romance whose books have sold over 10 million copies. Visit her online at LoriFoster.com.
Carolyn Brown is an award‑winning New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author with more than one hundred published books to her name and over 4 million copies sold. With a career spanning more than two decades and her books translated into nineteen foreign languages, she’s known for writing heartwarming women’s fiction, contemporary cowboy, and country music romances. She’s a recipient of the Bookseller’s Best Award, the prestigious Montlake Diamond Award, a three‑time recipient of the National Reader’s Choice Award, and a RITA Award finalist. Born in Texas and raised in Oklahoma, she and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows everyone else, including what they are doing and when‑and they read the local newspaper on Wednesdays to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren and great‑grandchildren to keep them young. For more information, visit CarolynBrownBooks.com –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
THE BANTY HOUSE by Carolyn Brown is a sweet, feel-good, poignant story that drops you into the lives of three elderly sisters in small town Texas who are about to have their lives changed forever.
Ginger Andrews has aged out of the system, has a baby on the way and no where to go. She dreams of seeing the ocean in California, but her bus ticket only goes as far as Hondo, Texas. As she is sitting on the bench outside of the hair salon, an elderly woman sits beside her. She is offered room and board for the weekend, but she is soon to find herself wrapped in the love and lives of the Carson sisters of the Banty house.
The Banty House was a long-ago brothel run by the sister’s mother, Belle. For more than seventy-five years, Kate, Betsy and Connie Carson have lived in and cared for their mama’s home. They have big hearts and each has her own passion.
Ginger is not only a breath of fresh air to the sisters, but she also intrigues their handyman, Sloan Baker. Sloan came home from the Army broken and swore to never get close to anyone ever again. Ginger’s past may not be the same, but it is just as broken. Slowly, the two discover they may just be what the other needs to heal.
The Banty House is once again to be the safe place where healing happens and hopes and dreams never fade.
I felt like I was wrapped in the love and acceptance of the three sisters as I read this story. They are wonderful characters who always lived their lives on their own terms, but also followed the moral upbringing of their mama. They are just what Ginger needed, even as it took awhile for her to accept that. Ginger was just what Sloan needed, but I was disappointed by how often she kept thinking about leaving. The romance that grew between Ginger and Sloan was a cozy romance, but never overshadowed the main themes of love, healing and acceptance overall. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it, but it was not my favorite by this author.
You are going to love the Carson sisters of Banty House.
***
Author Biography
Carolyn
Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s
Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a
RITA finalist with more than ninety published books. Her genres include
romance, history, cowboys and country music, and contemporary mass-market
paperbacks. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma,
where everyone knows everyone else, knows what they are doing and when . . .
and reads the local newspaper every Wednesday to see who got caught. They have
three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. Visit Carolyn
at www.carolynbrownbooks.com.
Today I am very happy to share my Feature Post and Book Review for Carolyn Brown’s new release THE FAMILY JOURNAL. This is my favorite of Ms. Brown’s books to date. Being able to read about your female ancestors in their own words for generations and while doing so, rebuilding your bond with your own daughter leads to a story that is heartfelt and endearing.
Below I have included an interview with the author about her 100th book!, an excerpt from the title, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book. As always, good luck and enjoy!
***
Carolyn Brown Answers Questions About Writing a Hundred
Books
1.
Tell us about the first time you remember ever putting pen to paper. Was it a
slow evolution to becoming an author, or did you have an epiphany that this is
what you were supposed to be doing?
I really can’t remember when I didn’t write stories, but I got serious about
writing a book when my third child was born. She had her days and nights turned
around. Since I had to be up until the wee hours of the morning, I got out a
notebook, sharpened some pencils and started my first novel. I was twenty-four
that year. For the next twenty-five years I collected rejection slips. I do
believe I have enough to wallpaper the White House. I don’t mean that little
two holer down at the end of the path in Grammie’s back yard, but the one in
Washington, D.C. When I was forty-nine, I got “the call”. That was twenty-two
years and one hundred books ago, and I know in my heart and soul that this is
what I’m supposed to be doing.
2. Is there anyone in your family that writes? Did you have a mentor that
helped you push forward to become a full-time author?
My husband, Charles C. Brown, has written nine mysteries and is working on his
tenth. He’s been my biggest supporter through my whole career. He’s a retired
high school English teacher and he does the first edit on my books. Commas are
not my friend, but they are his buddies—thank goodness.
3. How have you evolved as an author? What are some things that have changed
since when you started writing up until now?
In the physical part of the business, lots has changed. I wrote most of my very
first book by hand. When Mr. B bought a used typewrite at a garage sale and
brought it in to me, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. In those sent in
proposals with SASE (that’s self-addressed stamped envelopes) and if the editor
wanted to see more, we sent in the full manuscript by mail. Now everything is
sent over cyberspace. I will be donating the typewriter Mr. B bought me to the
Johnston County Chickasaw Bank Museum on November 16th. My display shares a
room there with Te Ata, Gene Autry and Blake Shelton. I’m signing copies of The
Family Journal there on that day from 2 to 4 p.m.
In
the evolution as a write, I hope that each book is better than the last and
that all my books resonate with readers, touch their emotions and make them
anxious to get the next one.
4. Do you have a set schedule for writing? Do you have any writing rituals
or things that get you in the mood to write?
I’m very disciplined. I write somewhere between three and five thousand words a
day. Sometimes it’s pure trash, but you can fix trash. You can’t fix nothing.
From the time I start a book, my characters are in my head. They eat with me,
sleep with me, talk to me…. shhhh…don’t tell anyone I hear voices!
5. Tell us about some turning points as a writer – some big things that
happened that really changed your career.
One of the biggest things that changed my career was when Amazon bought the
literary company, Avalon, and turned more than forty of my titles into
paperbacks and digital. That made them financially available for more people,
and my readership grew by leaps and bounds. Another was when I finally made the
New York Times and the USA Today bestseller lists. But I have to
say that hitting the number one spot on Amazon was a really the icing on the
cupcake.
6. What does your writing future look like?
My future will simply be to keep on doing what I’m doing, and hope my readers
continue to love my stories. There are five books on the docket for 2020, and
four or five novellas. And we’ve already got a few scheduled for 2021.
7. What made you want your book, The Family Journal, your hundredth
book? What makes this story and these characters special to you?
Family! Plain and simple. What better way to celebrate reaching one of my
goals—to publish one hundred books—than to write about family? This story is
about several generations of strong women in the past, a mother who’s at her
wit’s end in the present, and a young daughter who represents the future. It’s
family from the emotional first scene to the last.
***
Excerpt:
Lily
reached for her tea at the same time Mack was setting his glass back down.
Their hands touched again. Her breath caught in her chest, and her pulse jacked
up several notches.
“I’m
going to ask you a dumb question,” he drawled. “Do you feel chemistry between
us?”
Her
chest tightened. Of course she felt something between them, but she damn sure
didn’t want to talk about it like they were discussing the price of goat feed.
And yet . . . they were adults, not hormonal teenagers who jumped into the fire
with both feet when they felt something for another person. How many times had
she told her clients in therapy sessions to talk things out?
“Why
is that dumb?” she asked.
“It
kind of sounded dumb in my head, and even more so when I said it,” he
said.
“Yes,
I do feel something between us.” She nodded. “I’ve wondered if it’s because I
haven’t dated all that much. How about you?”
“No
dates in three years. Nothing serious since Natalie,” he admitted.
“Do
you think it’s because we hav-haven’t,” she stammered.
“No,
I think there’s definitely an attraction between us, and I’ll tell you right
now, up front, you deserve better than me,” he said.
Lily
frowned so hard that her eyes became mere slits. “Why would you say a stupid
thing like that?”
“I’m
a high school vo-ag teacher, and I’ll never be rich. Hell, I’m forty-one, and I
don’t even own a house. I’ve just got a pickup that’s paid for and a herd of
goats,” he said.
“Why,
Mack Cooper, are you thinkin’ marriage?” she joked. “You haven’t even kissed me
yet.”
“I’m
just thinking that we shouldn’t start anything without being completely honest,
and, honey, I can remedy that kissing part anytime.” His green eyes
twinkled.
Lily
felt heat rising to her cheeks when she thought of kissing him. How in the
devil would it even work if they did decide to go out, or got into a
relationship beyond friendship? They lived in the same house with Holly and
Braden underfoot all the time. “I’ve got two kids,” she blurted out.
“I’ve
got forty goats.” He grinned.
“Did
you say it’s time to go feed the goats?” Braden came across the room and leaned
his arms on the back of the sofa.
Point
proven, she
thought.
“Yep,
it is,” Mack answered. “I reckon we both need to get changed so we don’t ruin
our good clothes.”
“I’ll
be down in five minutes.” Braden ran up the stairs.
Mack
crossed the room and bent to brush a sweet kiss across her lips. The tenderness
of his mouth barely touching hers and his drawl combined to send a heat flash
through her whole body. If that brief contact created such an effect, a
relationship might burn down the house.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
THE FAMILY JOURNAL by Carolyn Brown is her 100th novel
and it is my favorite to date! This is a wonderful, heartfelt and endearing
story of a divorced mother who has decided to make a new start with her
children in her childhood home in rural Texas.
Lily Anderson has had enough. She caught her disrespectful
teenage daughter smoking a joint and has found out her preteen son is sneaking
out to drink beer and smoke cigarettes with his friends. Her ex-husband gave
Lily full custody in the divorce, so she has taken all their electronic devices
and is packing up and moving out of Austin to her rural childhood hometown of
Comfort, Texas. Lily is desperate to get her children back on the right path.
Mack Cooper has been renting Lily’s home since the death of
her mother and raising goats on the property while also teaching ag classes at the
high school. Lily is willing to share the house with Mack until she decides if
they will be staying or moving back to Austin when the school year is over.
Never married and having been cheated on not once, but twice Mack is happy with
the company, but wary with his heart.
As Lily and her children begin to find a new normal, friends
and reconnect, Mack plays an active part in their lives. Lily is also able to bond
with her daughter over an old journal found in her mother’s desk. Passed down
in her family for generations from mother to daughter, Lily and her daughter learn
of all the strong women in their family’s past in their own words.
Will Lily be able to make this move work for herself and her
children? And will she stay in Comfort to take a chance on a new man to make
her house a home?
I curled up on my couch to start this book after lunch and I
could not stop reading until the end. Having raised my son as a single mom, I
could easily empathize with the trials Lily was going through with her children.
Mack was a strong and steady hero for both Lily and her children and I feel the
cozy romance was written perfectly for their situation. All of Lily’s childhood
friends in Comfort added depth to the story. The most intriguing parts for me
were reading the journal entries. I had to keep turning the pages because I was
as interested in the women’s stories as Lily and her daughter.
This is an all around wonderful story of family love that I
can highly recommend!
***
About the Book:
Title: The Family Journal
Author: Carolyn Brown
Release Date: November 12, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary:
At the end of her rope, single mom Lily Anderson is
determined to move her rebellious children in the right direction. That means
taking away their cell phones, tablets, and computers—at least temporarily—and
moving to the house where Lily grew up in the rural town of Comfort, Texas. But
Lily has a bigger challenge than two sulking kids.
The house comes with Mack Cooper, high school teacher and handsome longtime
renter. The arrangement: just housemates. But Mack’s devoted attention to the
kids starts to warm Lily’s resistant heart. Then Lily finds an old
leather-bound book in which five generations of her female ancestors shared
their struggles and dreams. To Lily, it’s a bracing reminder about the
importance of family . . . and love.
Now it’s time for Lily to add an adventurous new chapter to the cherished family journal—by embracing a fresh start and taking a chance on a man who could make her house a home.
***
Author Biography:
Carolyn Brown is a RITA finalist and the New York Times,
USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling
author of one hundred books. Her genres include contemporary and historical
romances, cowboy and country music romances, and women’s fiction. She and her
husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows
everyone else, knows what they are doing and when . . . and reads the
local newspaper every Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three grown
children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. Visit Carolyn at www.carolynbrownbooks.com.
I am very excited to share this Feature Post and Book Review for Carolyn’s Brown new book THE EMPTY NESTERS. I always enjoy a Carolyn Brown story, but this one is my favorite to date!
Below you will find a message from the author, my book review, a book summary, author bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway.
I loved all of these characters and can highly recommend this book for a great read. As always, good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Jump Into Author
Carolyn Brown’s Empty Nest
Good morning, and thank you for inviting me to
stop by to talk about my new book, The Empty Nesters. I’ll be
giving all y’all a few of my favorite scenes and a little commentary during the
time we get to spend together.
As Ma used to say on Golden Girls,
imagine this—Carmen, Joanie and Diana have just dropped their daughters off at
the recruiter’s office. They’ve managed to keep the tears at bay and put up a
brave front, but now it’s time to let the tears loose.
“For the first time ever, Natalie and I won’t
decorate the house for Halloween together. Nine months of carrying them, then
we basically raised them on our own while our husbands were deployed or got
sent someplace to train other officers. And now they’re gone, and we won’t see
them for Halloween or Thanksgiving. And who even knows about Christmas? It’s
not fair.”
It’s always amazing what comes to mind during a
sad time, isn’t it? Things pop into our heads that seem trivial in the face of
the event, and yet, at the time, the good memories are what keep us sane.
Tootsie, their elderly neighbor, has just lost
her husband, after they’d bought the huge RV and planned a trip to northeast
Texas. She’s trying to convince the women that they need to get away from their
empty nest for a while.
“You need to get away for a little while and
get some perspective,” Tootsie said.
“Let’s pool our money and blow it all on a trip
to Paris. We can shop and have lattes in little bistros,” Diana suggested.
Joanie sighed. “That’s a pipe dream. We
probably don’t have enough money to even get to Paris, Texas, between the three
of us.”
The three of them have known the support of
each other through the past thirteen years, and just because they’re now alone
in their homes, they have no doubt that the love is still there between
them—and that it’s even stronger than blood sisters.
“We’re only half a block and a phone call away.
If any of us feel the world dropping out from under our feet, we can get back
together in less than five minutes.”
I was amazed at how supportive all of them,
including Tootsie, were of each other. They might disagree, but Lord help the
person that tried to come between them, or who had the nerve to say an ugly
word about one of them.
Everything happens for a reason and in the time
that it should happen. I believe that with my whole heart. Diana had gotten her
divorce years before the book opens, but she remembers the pain and anger of it
all. Then she focused all her energy and time on raising her daughter. But now
it’s her time to find a new love, and a new life—maybe with a younger man.
“That many trips into town on those roads would
shake the hell out of their Caddy. And believe me, Aunt Tootsie treats that car
like family.” Luke chuckled. “Age, on a truck or on a person, makes no
difference. It’s how well they’re maintained that matters.”
Why, oh, why, couldn’t he have smooth pickup
lines like other men? Luke asked himself. What he’d just said could be taken as
an insult. She might think that he thought she looked like an old pickup truck
at her age, when in reality she was downright gorgeous. He wouldn’t be a bit
surprised if she still got carded at bars when she ordered a drink.
Thank you again, for inviting me into your
world, and letting me talk about the amazing ladies (and Luke of course),
from The Empty Nesters. Happy reading to each and every one of you!
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
Sometimes if you are lucky, you pick up a book at just the
right time in your life that every emotion written by the author resonates and
you cannot put it down. THE EMPTY NESTERS by Carolyn Brown is that book
for me.
The story starts by introducing us to Tootsie and Smokey
Colbert. Smokey is retired Army and Tootsie is his beloved wife of over 50
years. They never had children of their own, so they are very excited when
three new military couples move into the neighboring homes each with their own
young daughter. The men are in the same unit and the wives are close friends.
Jump ahead thirteen years. Diana, Carmen and Joanie are all
still best friends and about to face an empty nest at home as all three of
their daughters leave for bootcamp after having enlisted in the Army together. Diana
has been divorced and moved on, working and focusing on her daughter Rebecca.
Joanie is still an army wife, waiting for her husband to come home as her
daughter Zoe leaves also. Carmen just said goodbye to her daughter, Natalie and
she receives the emotional punch of receiving unexpected divorce papers in the
mail after 20 years of marriage.
After losing the love of her life, Smokey, one month ago,
Tootsie decides to go on their planned trip to his family’s reunion and take
the girls with her. They have nothing to lose and no one at home, so they begin
their two month long life changing journey as “The Empty Nesters” in a large RV
driven by Smokey’s nephew, Luke. Tootsie faces the memories of her late husband
and hopes to ease her loneliness and broken heart, Joanie receives life
changing news from her husband which will alter the group, Carmen must deal
with the hurt, betrayal and end of her marriage and Diana just may learn to
open her heart to a new relationship and love.
This is my favorite Carolyn Brown book to date. Keep the
tissues handy for not only sad, but happy tears. I read this in one sitting
because I just had to know the resolution of all of “The Empty Nesters”. This
book deals with so many stages of life and love. It also shows each character
dealing with what life dishes out to them and how they cope with the help of
their friendship. I felt the dialogue, the emotions and the trials and triumphs
were realistically written and handled by Ms. Brown. Each of the women as a
character is unique and yet they mesh so well together.
I highly recommend The Empty Nesters!
***
Title: The Empty Nesters
Author: Carolyn Brown
Release Date: August 20, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary
Dear friends and army
wives Diana, Carmen, and Joanie have been through war, rumors of war, marital
problems, motherhood, fears, joy, and heartache. But none of the women are
prepared when their daughters decide to enlist in the army together. Facing an empty
nest won’t be easy. Especially for Carmen. With emotions already high, she
suffers an even greater blow: divorce papers. Diana understands the fury and
tears. She’s been there.
With nothing to lose and
no one at home, the girlfriends impulsively accept an unexpected offer from
their elderly neighbor. The recently widowed Tootsie has an RV, a handsome
nephew at the wheel, and an aim for tiny Scrap, Texas, to embrace memories of her
late husband. Still grieving, she can use the company as a balm for her broken
heart. So can the empty nesters.
Embarking on a journey of hope, romance, and healing, Diana, Carmen, and Joanie are at a turning point in their lives. And with the open road ahead of them, it’s just the beginning.
***
Author Biography
Carolyn
Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s
Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a
RITA finalist with more than ninety published books. Her genres include
romance, history, cowboys and country music, and contemporary mass-market
paperbacks. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma,
where everyone knows everyone else, knows what they are doing and when . . .
and reads the local newspaper every Wednesday to see who got caught. They have
three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. Visit Carolyn
at www.carolynbrownbooks.com.
Welcome to the Feature Post and Book Review for Carolyn Brown’s upcoming release THE PERFECT DRESS. Below you will find a message from the author, an excerpt from the title, my book review and info about the book and author.
Also included is a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book. Enjoy this preview about three strong female friends and as always good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Carolyn Brown’s Real Life Inspiration for Writing THE
PERFECT DRESS
Hello, everyone and thank you for inviting me to your site
today!
My granddaughter is getting married this fall, and she’s not
one of those size six girls who can walk into wedding dress store, try on a
dozen dresses and find the perfect dress—especially when she has her heart set
on a black lace dress for her wedding. When we began to shop for her dress, I
wished for a custom wedding shop that catered only to women who wore a size
fourteen or larger. So I created one called The Perfect Dress and
set it in the little town of Celeste, Texas. This summer I plan to bring my old
Singer sewing machine out of retirement, and make my granddaughter’s black lace
wedding dress—just the way she and I will design it!
The Perfect Dress is not a real place so don’t
go to the local doughnut shop in Celeste and ask about it, but the town, the
characters and the shop were all very real to me while I was writing about it.
Speaking of characters let me introduce you to Mitzi. She’s
and her two plus sized friends, Paula and Jody, have dreamed of putting in
their own plus-sized wedding dress shop for years. Now it’s a reality. They’ve
bought an old two story house at the edge of Celeste and hung out their
shingle.
Jody is a thin vegetarian now, but when the girls were in
high school, she was a big girl just like her friends. She’s living proof that
a woman will do anything for love, but when love goes awry, she’s sure glad
that she’s got Mitzi and Paula to support her.
Paula is carrying a big secret. The three women have shared
everything since they were little children, but she can’t talk about her
secret, not when both her friends are in the middle of drama themselves. She
has to be the strong one to share Jody’s sorrow and Mitzi’s happiness.
Fanny Lou, Mitzi’s grandmother, is an eccentric old gal with
lots of advice that she’s not one bit shy about spreading around. She’s the
mother role for all of them, constantly popping into the shop with a box of
doughnuts, or the local gossip.
Lately Mitzi has been feeling like maybe her ‘perfect
family’ is missing someone… perhaps the perfect man. She hasn’t seen him
since high school, but that doesn’t mean that Mitizi’s heart doesn’t go
pitter-patter for this awesome single dad. Graham towers above Mitzi, who is
almost six feet tall. He has twin girls, who are also plus sized. He feels the
sparks, too, but questions whether Mitzi could ever love some big guy who
already has teenage daughters.
There is definitely a gap between the teenager girls, who help out in the shop, and Fanny Lou, the granny, and the three best friends. But true friendship knows nothing about age—it’s love, support, and unflinching loyalty towards each other, no matter what the age.
***
Excerpt: The Perfect Dress by Carolyn Brown
Mitzi
rushed back to the sewing room, where the hum of two sewing machines filled the
air. “Graham Harrison just came in the shop to set up an appointment for his
two daughters. He said they only live a few houses up the street from us. He
looked like a bull in a china shop sitting on that pink sofa. And of course he
didn’t even recognize me, but I sure knew him the minute I laid eyes on him.”
At the mention of that name from the past, work
jolted to a halt.
“All the girls in high school swooned over him,
including Mitzi, but she hasn’t told us if he’s still as sexy as he was back
then.” Jody took a bowl of salad from the fridge along with a plate of
vegetables that she stuck into the microwave to heat.
“He’s aged very, very well, and I’m having
cookies,” Mitzi said.
“Smart girl,” Fanny Lou said. “Life is short.
Eat dessert first. So you had a little crush on Graham?”
“Everyone did,” Mitzi answered.
“Not me. I was always in love with Lyle,” Jody
said.
“Well, according to what I heard at the church
bake sale today, Graham moved his daughters here to Celeste because they were
being fat shamed down in Greenville. One of them knocked a girl on her butt,
blacked both eyes, and bloodied her nose with one punch. It was the last day of
school and they said they were going to suspend her for the first two weeks of
next year for fighting,” Jody said.
“She should get a medal, not suspended,” Mitzi
fumed.
Fanny Lou took a gallon jug of sweet tea from
the fridge. “Who all wants a glass?”
Three hands went up.
She filled four glasses with ice and then tea
and carried them to the table. “I remember when he went to work for his dad at
the Cadillac dealership—right after he and Rita got married. His dad gave him a
job on the lowest level, and he had to work his way up. Rita was furious
because she thought they’d get a big house and a new Caddy every year. Stupid
woman figured since his folks had money that he had an open bank account.”
Paula took the ham and cheese containers from
the fridge while Mitzi pulled a loaf of bread from the cabinet. “You eating
with us, Granny?”
“I’ll eat with you and Paula, but I don’t want
any of that stuff Jody is having. I don’t eat fake meat. I’ll eat what I want
and die when I’m supposed to. Slice some of them tomatoes I brought in here
earlier. And I’d rather have bologna instead of ham and mustard instead of
mayo,” Fanny Lou answered.
“Me, too,” Paula said. “I want one like hers.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Mitzi set
about making three sandwiches.
So Graham was divorced and raising girls on his
own. Bless his heart for getting them away from a school that bullied them
because of their size. Mitzi could relate to the girls. But then, so could Jody
and Paula. She’d always figured that Jody adopted her own modern-day hippie
style to combat those feelings of insecurity. Paula had retreated into
superstition. Mitzi had just plowed her way through emotions and other kids,
spending a lot of time in the principal’s office for fighting.
She pushed all that to the back of her mind,
put the sandwiches on plates, and carried them to the table. “Y’all know that
this job for Ellie Mae could turn into a big thing. I bet her older sister will
be the maid of honor and her mother will want a fancy dress.”
“That’s what you’re in business for, isn’t it?”
Fanny Lou said. “Man, this brings back memories. Friday night was bologna
sandwich night when I was a kid.”
“Why?” Jody asked.
“Because Mama always cleaned house on Friday,
and she didn’t have time to make a big meal,” Fanny Lou answered.
“Funny how an hour of beading takes forever and
our noon hour goes so fast.” Jody pointed to the clock.
“Good Lord!” Fanny Lou finished off her
sandwich and grabbed a cookie. “I’ve got an appointment with my CPA at one and
it’s a fifteen-minute drive to Greenville. See you girls later. You have my
permission to flirt with Graham, Mitzi.”
Mitzi’s cheeks began to burn. “I had a teenage crush on him. I’ve grown
up since then.”
Fanny Lou winked as she headed for the door.
“Paula, since you live with Mitzi, I’m putting you in charge of being sure she
takes her birth control pills every morning.”
Mitzi felt even more heat in her cheeks.
“Granny!”
“When you get old you get to say whatever the
hell you want to.” Fanny Lou closed the door behind her.
***
My Book Review
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
THE PERFECT DRESS by Carolyn Brown is an emotionally packed women’s fiction story with a cozy romance subplot of three lifelong friends and their plus-size only custom made wedding dress shop “The Perfect Dress” in small town Celeste, Texas. Mitzi, Paula and Jody are three strong female characters that are all going through differing life challenges as the story begins, but no matter the problem they always know they can count on each other for love and support.
Mitzi is the dress designer of the group. Her grandma and
her father have always supported her and her dreams. When her high school crush
moves back to town in the summer divorced and with a set a twin girls, Mitzi
wonders if she has a chance with Graham. The twins love The Perfect Dress shop
and Mitzi has them helping with flower arrangements. She loves the twins and
does not want to ruin her relationship with them if she starts dating their
father and she also is insecure about her larger size since the twins mother
was a tiny woman.
Jody specializes in beading veils and dresses. She has lived
“in sin” with her high school sweetheart since graduation, but she is about to
learn he has not be faithful and is dumping her for the mother-to-be of his
child. Jody has put up with years of abuse from her mother about not being
married and now she has to deal with the entire small town knowing she was
cruelly dumped.
Paula loves sewing the beautiful dresses they make. She has
been criticized and abused by her mother and sister because of her weight her
whole life. She had been secretly seeing a man until she found out his wife is
pregnant and he lied about getting a divorce. When she finds out she is
pregnant, she wants to raise the baby as a single parent and does not want the
cheater to ever know he got her pregnant. Her mother disowns her when she finds
out, but Mitzi and Jody swear they will all be loving her baby right along with
her.
Mitzi and Graham’s cozy romance is more of a subplot than the main focus of this book. This book revolves around the three friends who love each other and will do anything for each other. This is a book about how messy life can be, but with good friends you can get through the tough times and triumph in the end. Ms. Brown deals with many weight related prejudices throughout this story realistically and with heart. The Perfect Dress is a heart-warming, feel good book that had me closing the book with a smile on my face.
***
Title: The Perfect Dress
Author: Carolyn Brown
Release Date: April 16, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary
In the small
town of Celeste, Texas, Mitzi Taylor has never quite fit inside the lines.
Nearly six feet tall, flame-haired, and with a plus-size spirit to match every
curve, she’s found her niche: a custom wedding-dress boutique catering to big
brides-to-be with big dreams. Taking the plunge alongside her two best friends,
she’s proud they’ve turned The Perfect Dress into a perfect success.
Just when Mitzi
has it all pulled together, Graham Harrison walks back into her life, looking
for bridesmaid dresses for his twin daughters. A still-strapping jock whose
every gorgeous, towering inch smells like aftershave, the star of all Mitzi’s
high school dreams is causing quite a flush.
For Mitzi, all it takes is a touch to feel sparks flitting around her like fireflies. She can just imagine what a kiss could do. Graham’s feeling it, too. And he’s about to make that imagination of Mitzi’s run wild. Is it just a hot summer fling, or are Mitzi’s next designs for herself and seeing her own dreams come true?
Author Biography
Carolyn Brown
is a New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s
Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a
RITA finalist with more than ninety published books. Her genres include
romance, history, cowboys and country music, and contemporary mass-market
paperbacks. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma,
where everyone knows everyone else, knows what they are doing and when . . .
and reads the local newspaper every Wednesday to see who got caught. They have
three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. Visit Carolyn
at www.carolynbrownbooks.com.
Today’s Feature Post and Book Review is for Carolyn Brown’s upcoming release THE MAGNOLIA INN. Below you will find a message from a character from the book, an excerpt from the title, my book review and info about the author. At the end of the post, you will also see a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book.
Enjoy and as always good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Dotty Welcomes Readers to The Magnolia Inn
Good morning to all y’all. Thank you for inviting me to your
site today to tell you a little about The Magnolia Inn. I’m so
excited about this book. The characters became like family to me as I was
writing it. Today, I have Dotty with me. She’s one of the four ladies—Sugar,
Dotty, Lucy and Flossie—who’ve been fast friends since their youth. I’m going
to turn this microphone over to Dotty now, and leave the rest of the post to
her.
Hello, folks, I’m Dotty Beauchamp—half Texan, half
Louisianan and all sass. I own the Tipsy Gater bar that sets right on the Big
Cypress Bayou near Jefferson, Texas. When my good friend, Sugar, told me that
she was going to give half of The Magnolia Inn, the bed and breakfast that her
family had owned for generations, to her niece, Jolene, I thought she was bat
crap crazy. When she said that her husband, Jasper, was giving the other half
to his wimpy nephew, Reuben—well, I figured Reuben would sell his half the
minute the ink dried on the papers.
I was right! The little weasel sold out his part of the inn
to Tucker Malone. We—that would be Lucy and Flossie and me since Sugar was
already off in that big ass RV touring the United States—had heard that he was
a tortured soul. And dear hearts, we damn sure believed the rumor. He was the
best of the best when it came to carpentry work, and from what we heard he only
hit the bottle on weekends, but still we didn’t want our precious Jolene in
living in that inn with him.
I really didn’t want to hire Jolene when she came to the bar
looking for work, but I needed help and she sure enough needed a job. I figured
I’d take some flack for it from Sugar, Lucy and Flossie, and I did—believe me I
did. But Jolene and I both lived through it.
When we met Tucker for the first time, we were sure that the
rumors had been right. His wife had died in an automobile accident a few years
back. She’d gone to our church so we all knew her very well, and we’d met
Tucker a few times when he showed up at church with her. When she died, he
turned to the bottle and lost his important job on the police force over in
Dallas. It was rumored that he came to our part of the world to be near her
grave site. Poor man, he wore the guilt like a heavy shroud and just couldn’t
seem to get past it.
But I’m digressing. When we met him we found out that he was
also a Prince Charming. He didn’t have a white horse or a white cowboy hat, or
a crown, but he was so sweet and kind, and he had such a sweet nature, that
pretty soon, we fell in love with him as much as—well, she didn’t know it then,
being as how she had plenty of baggage of her own—but as much as Jolene could
it they’d could get past all the obstacles life kept throwing at them.
I see that my time is up. So let me thank you again for inviting me sit a spell and visit with all y’all. And if you’re ever in Jefferson, Texas, come on down to the Tipsy Gater and I’ll give you a free drink if you tell me that you’ve read The Magnolia Inn.
***
Excerpt: The Magnolia Inn by Carolyn Brown
“Why
is Tucker a tortured soul?”
“He lost his wife, Melanie, a couple of years
ago. She was his whole life,” Lucy whispered. She clucked like an old hen
gathering in her baby chickens. “I just can’t believe he bought half interest
in this place. It takes a people person to operate a B&B, and from what I
hear, Tucker is almost a hermit.”
“I guess we’ve all got our own emotional
baggage,” Jolene said.
“Wait until he hauls his damn sorry ass home
drunk and you’ve got guests in the place,” Lucy declared.
“She loves Jesus, but she still cusses a
little,” Dotty said with a wicked grin.
“He’s a fantastic carpenter. He’s got money to
put into the inn. And I’ll cross the drinkin’ bridge when it happens. And . .
.” She glanced over at Dotty, who shrugged and winked.
“And just so y’all know.” Jolene took a deep
breath. “I’ll be working at the Gator starting Friday night.”
“Lord have mercy,” Lucy groaned. “Have you
talked to Sugar about this?”
“Visited with her last night and was going to
tell her, but . . .”
Lucy threw a hand over her forehead in a
dramatic gesture and then shook a fist at Dotty. “You’re leading our sweet girl
down the path of unrighteousness. Jolene, I’ll give you a job in my place of
business. Full-time with benefits if you’ll quit the Gator right now.”
“I know bartending, and I can only handle
part-time work with the inn, but thank you,” Jolene said and tried to change
the subject. “Do I have the recipe for these cookies in Aunt Sugar’s files?”
“I’m sure you do, chère,” Dotty said. “But now let’s talk about the Easter Tour
of Homes. Surely Sugar mentioned it?”
“Oh, that.” Jolene was glad Dotty had changed
the subject. “She always wanted to be included in it but figured the Magnolia
was too far out of town.”
“It might be, but we want to add it this year,”
Lucy said.
“It’s, what, like three months from now?” Jolene
asked.
“Yes,” Tucker said from the doorway. “We’ll
have it ready by then.”
Jolene felt heat rising from her neck to her
cheeks. How much had he heard? She motioned to the coffeepot and then to the
cookies. “Come on in and meet my friends.”
“Always ready for cookies and coffee. I’m
Tucker Malone.” He stuck his hand out toward Lucy.
Her expression said that she’d rather be
sticking her hand in a rattlesnake pit, but she put her frail hand in his. “You
probably don’t remember us, but we remember you from when you used to come to
church with your wife. I’m Lucy Rogers. I own Attic Treasures, an antique store
in Jefferson.”
“Jolene told me that a couple of you ladies own
antique shops. That’s wonderful.” Tucker brought her hand to his lips and
kissed her knuckles. “I’m right glad to make your acquaintance, ma’am. I hope
to do some business with y’all as we work on this place. We’d like to keep the
antique ambience but use modern things like tubs and showers to make things
nice for our guests.”
From Lucy’s expression, Jolene could’ve sworn
she’d rather have been shaking hands with the devil. “Well, I’ll be sure to
give you a real good price on anything that you can use.”
He turned to settle his crystal-clear blue eyes
on Flossie.
“I’m Flossie Simmons, and I own Mama’s Place in
Jefferson. My antiques are better than Lucy’s.” She winked. “And since Jolene
is like a daughter to all of us, I can beat any deal Lucy would give you.”
“And I’m Dotty Beauchamp.” Dotty’s southern
accent thickened. “I’m a Louisiana girl from the other side of the Big Cypress
Bayou, and I own the Tipsy Gator. I’ve seen you a few times in my bar. You
always sit on the last stool in the shadows, right, chère?”
“Yes, ma’am, I sure do,” Tucker said.
Jolene was totally blown away. One minute they
were ready to crucify her for letting Tucker live there, and the next they were
flirting with him. Good glory! They had to be seventy or older, and he wasn’t a
day over thirty-seven.
“We should let you two get back to work,” Dotty
said with a broad wink toward Jolene. “And since you’re going to be out of
pocket on Friday night, then Sunday afternoon will be our meetin’ time.”
They pushed their chairs back and paraded
toward the foyer. Lucy stopped at the hall tree for her coat, and Tucker
hurried over to help her into it. “Thank
you for the cookies.”
“You’re welcome. Good luck with all this
remodeling.” Flossie gave Jolene a quick hug and whispered, “I hope you know
what you’re doin’.”
Tucker picked up the last coat from the hall
tree and held it out to Dotty. “It’s been a real pleasure to meet you ladies.”
Jolene sank down on the
bottom step of the stairs and sighed when Tucker shut the door behind the
ladies. Tucker sat down beside her
and propped his forearms on his knees. “So you work in a bar?”
“Ever since I was twenty-one. Until then I did
waitress work,” she answered. “How much did you hear?”
“I got there when Lucy was offering you a job
to quit working in a bar,” he answered.
“Sounds like you heard most of it, then. I’ll
be working at a bar on Friday and Saturday nights. I understand that you drink
a little on weekends.”
He got to his feet. “I’m going to get a couple
more cookies and another cup of coffee to take upstairs with me. And, honey, I
drink a lot on Saturday nights.”
“Just so long as we understand each other.”
Jolene stood up and headed toward the kitchen. “Right now we could take fifteen
minutes off and call it a midmorning snack.”
“Got chocolate syrup?” He followed her into the
kitchen. “For the cookies, the coffee, or the milk?”
“Milk, and then I dip my cookies in it,” he
answered.
The ladies had called him a tortured soul. Jolene stole glances at him as she got out the chocolate syrup. It was a shame that he’d lost his wife so suddenly. He might never get over it, but she sure wasn’t looking forward to dealing with another weekend drunk—like her mother or that last worthless boyfriend.
***
My Book Review
RATING 4 out of 5 Stars
THE MAGNOLIA INN by Carolyn Brown is her new contemporary
second chance romance. It is a sweet romance, which I call a cozy romance
because it is written about adults (not YA), any sex is behind closed doors,
some religion may be included and the focus is on the H/h’s emotional growth or
healing. These books also include a strong family, friends and/or community
support system.
Jolene Broussard grew up with a drug and alcohol addicted
mother. She could not get her mother to change or get help for herself, so she
left when she could. She is carrying a lot of guilt though because her mother committed
suicide after she left. The happy times she had growing up were with her mother’s
older half-sister and her husband at The Magnolia Inn B&B during summer
break from school.
Sugar and her husband are ready to retire and travel across
country, so they leave half of the B&B to Jolene and half to her cousin
Rueben. Sugar has big plans, but no money. Rueben hates his memories of the
B&B and decides to sell.
Tucker Malone lost his wife of 5 years in a tragic traffic accident. He hits the bottle hard. After losing his job as a police officer, he vows to only get drunk on the weekends and starts to build a name for himself as a carpenter. Tucker is informed about the sale of Rueben’s half of the Magnolia Inn and decides to buy in and partner with Jolene.
The partnership is rocky at first, but soon each begins to
understand that they each have deep emotional issues to deal with and dealing
with them together as they remodel the inn seems to work better than dealing
with them alone.
I enjoyed this cozy romance. Jolene is so strong and had to survive
so much. Tucker is rebuilding his life, but he is stuck emotionally until he
meets Jolene. I enjoyed how the changes in their lives and the remodel of The
Magnolia Inn seemed to intertwine. The secondary characters are almost show
stealers in this story. Sugar, Flossie, Dotty and Lucy are good for a laugh,
but also share their wisdom with Jolene. This is an emotional growth story with
a very slow build up to romance. Sex is behind closed doors and only in the
last portion of the story. An enjoyable read.
***
Author Biography
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA
Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling
author and a RITA finalist with more than ninety published books, which include
women’s fiction and historical, contemporary, and cowboys-and-country-music
romance. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where
everyone knows everyone else and knows what they’re doing and when. And they
read the local newspaper on Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three
grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. Visit Carolyn
at www.carolynbrownbooks.com.
