Looking For Leroy - Book Review

Looking for Leroy by Melody Carlson

Brynna Philips, a teacher heads out on a camping adventure with a fellow teacher for the summer. When they start sharing stories, Brynna tells the tale of when she met a boy and fell in love at summer camp so long ago. Her friend Jan decides that they should go on a hunt to find this boy. The adventure of looking for Leroy begins.

Leroy is running his family’s winery and is a widower with three grown daughters. His life is fine, and he is happy doing what he loves. When Leroy’s daughter finds his stash of photos and letters from a girl at summer camp so long ago, he begins to wonder what has happened to her.

This was such a fabulous novel of first loves, family, friendship and taking chances. Melody Carlson developed such interesting, complex characters, I was drawn into the story from the very first page. There were many humorous moments that had me giggling to those tender moments that just warmed my heart. I really enjoyed all the characters and especially Leroy’s daughters who were so diverse, they just added to the already brilliant story line. I also loved that the two main characters were middle aged which brought a great dimension into the story. Revell Publishing so graciously gifted me an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion, so my thanks to them. This is a solid five stars, friends. 

Thank you so much for stopping by the farmhouse. Lynn 

  Affiliate Disclosure: I am so blessed to be able to share and create content free of charge. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases so, please note that when you click links and purchase items, in most (not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links is very much appreciated. All the items are supplies that I personally use and recommend. Thank you again for your support.

All That We Carried - Book Review

All That We Carried by Erin Bartels

 Two sisters, Olivia and Melanie head out on a hike that will change their lives. Ten years have passed since their parents were killed in a fatal car accident, and since then Olivia and Melanie have hardly spoke. Olivia poured her heart and soul into law school and distanced herself from her family. Melanie dropped out of college and became a life coach as she struggled to sort through her parent’s belongings. Each girl has harboured regrets since that day, and hopefully this hike will begin to repair the distance between them, even as secrets long carried are revealed.

I really enjoyed Erin Bartels writing style as she draws the reader not only into the story of Olivia and Melanie, but into the beauty of the wilderness as the girls begin their journey. The description of the hills, valleys and rivers becomes so crystal clear, you feel you are walking along with them. The two main characters were so diverse, it added much interest to the story as they discuss religion, life choices and forgiveness. I really enjoyed the novel and would love to thank the author  Erin Bartels, Revell Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to review. All opinions expressed for this review are unbiased and entirely my own.

 

ERIN BARTELS is the award-winning author of We Hope for Better Things--a 2020 Michigan Notable Book, winner of the 2020 Star Award from the Women's Fiction Writers Association in both the debut and general fiction categories, and a 2019 Christy Award finalist--The Words between Us--a 2020 Christy Award finalist--and All That We Carried (coming January 2021). Her short story "This Elegant Ruin" was a finalist in The Saturday Evening Post 2014 Great American Fiction Contest. Her poems have been published by The Lyric and The East Lansing Poetry Attack. A member of the Capital City Writers Association and the Women's Fiction Writers Association, she is former features editor of WFWA's Write On! magazine and current director of the annual WFWA Writers Retreat in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

She lives in Michigan, where she is never more than six miles away from a body of water. She grew up in the Bay City area waiting for freighters and sailboats at drawbridges and spent her college and young married years in Grand Rapids. She currently lives with her husband and son in Lansing, nestled somewhere between angry protesters on the Capitol lawn and couch-burning frat boys at Michigan State University. And yet, she claims it is really quite peaceful.

You can find her on Facebook @ErinBartelsAuthor, Twitter @ErinLBartels, and Instagram @erinbartelswrites

 

Thank you so much for stopping by the farmhouse. Lynn

 

 Affiliate Disclosure: I am so blessed to be able to share and create content free of charge. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases so, please note that when you click links and purchase items, in most (not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links is very much appreciated. All the items are supplies that I personally use and recommend. Thank you again for your support.

The Christmas Swap - Book Review

 

The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson

 Emma Daley is a substitute teacher and an aspiring musician. She would love to stay home this Christmas, but her best friend Gillian’s family has done a house swap, so she is off to the Colorado Rockies. She hopes there is no family drama this year like in previous years or that her friend Gillian tries to play matchmaker.

Tyler Prescott is a famous songwriter and is not happy when his family talks him into giving up his home in a house swap so that they can spend Christmas in Arizona. When Tyler forgets something at the house he has to return, but he is not counting on being there when his house guests arrive or hearing a sweet voice and being intrigued by one of of the guests.

Tyler tries to hide his identity while getting to know Emma. Emma is busy trying to fit into the family dynamics and is excited when she can go on a little adventure with her new ski instructor. Will Emma find out the truth about Tyler? Will Tyler be able to keep his cover?

What a sweet romantic story. I loved all the family dynamics and twists to the storyline. The characters all had such different personalities and it really added to the story. I really enjoyed reading this book and I am looking forward to purchasing more books by this author. Thank you so much to the author Melody Carlson, Revell Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to review. It was fabulous! All opinions expressed for this review are unbiased and entirely my own.

To check out or purchase Melody's books, just click here.

 Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women and children. That's a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a "storyteller." Her novels range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She's won a number of awards (including Romantic Time's Career Achievement Award, the Rita and the Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog. To find out more about Melody Carlson, visit her website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/

Thank you so much for stopping by the farmhouse. Lynn

 

 Affiliate Disclosure: I am so blessed to be able to share and create content free of charge. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases so, please note that when you click links and purchase items, in most (not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links is very much appreciated. All the items are supplies that I personally use and recommend. Thank you again for your support.