The Christmas Pony

The Christmas Pony by Melody Carlson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweet little Christmas story to fall in love with - it's 1937 and 8 year old Lucy wants a pony for Christmas, but times are hard, and her mama - a young widow - has to take in boarders to barely make ends meet. Grandma helps with the cooking and Lucy does a lot of chores on the neglected farm. When she walks into town to do the weekly shopping, Lucy comes across two stranded motorists. Asking them to stay at her farmhouse and fill the rooms while their car is repaired, Lucy falls in love with the exotic woman and George, her handsome companion. With one prayer answered for paying boarders, Lucy gives up her wish for a pony and prays instead for her Mama's smile to come back.

I love Melody's little Christmas books - this gem is told from Lucy's perspective and is so heartwarming and hopeful. Read with a snuggly blanket and a hot cup of tea!

View all my reviews

Porch Lights

Ms. Frank never fails to amuse and entertain me. Her characters always touch my funny bone and in this novel Annie Britt, matriarch and owner of her home, The Salty Dog down on Sullivans Island, makes me giggle out loud with her thoughts and words. Things like: “I had two hormones left. Benedict and Arnold” and “I still believed I could handle Dr. Love. That’s why the Lord invented dimmer switches. There comes a time when we’re all better off in the dark.” Annie’s daughter Jackie and her sweet ten year old son, Charlie, have come to spend the summer with her. Jackie’s husband, a New York City fireman, recently lost his life doing the job he loved and both Jackie and Charlie were still distraught – so back to the island they came. Can the lovely Low Country and Annie’s love heal their hearts? This novel is a great summertime read or anytime read… Another line by Annie and wholeheartedly agreed with is: “…because a book lets your imagination soar and a movie makes all the decisions for you.”

Like a Watered Garden

Like a Watered Garden by Patti Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mibby Garrett, a garden designer, is trying to crawl back from the brink of depression - her beloved husband recently passed away in a bicycle accident. She can't even help her thirteen year old son, Ky, deal with his own grief or feed the poor child, much to her shame. Each day holds "whammies of grief" or terrible reminders of the way life used to be. Thanks to her neighbor, Louise - a well dressed debutante some thirty-something years past, Mibby is kept in home baked sweets and prayers. As page 16 says: "Louise came to make sure my boat was still tied to the dock, that the knot hadn't loosened and set me adrift. She tightened the knot with love, southern style - indulgent and usually fattening." Then there is Blink, the family's black Lab, who appears to read Mibby's mind and comforts her every day. Much to Mibby's surprise and outrage, a young woman appears on her doorstep claiming to be related through Mibby's late husband - will this be the final straw to send her over the edge?

One of the best fictional, humorous books on the slow, painful process and recovery from grief that I've read in a long time - the author's writings remind me a wee bit of Erma Bombeck - a real, feel-good read.

View all my reviews

In Too Deep

In Too Deep by Mary Connealy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Book 2 in the Kincade Bride series picks up right where one ended. Whereas book 1 focused on the sparring and lively exchange between Rafe Kincade and Julia Gulliland, book 2 moves on to the relationship between the always smiling middle brother, Ethan and the newly widowed Audra Gulliland (Julia's young stepmother) and her two children. Poor Ethan and Audra are railroaded into marriage by who of course, but Rafe, but both are determined to be good parents for the little ones. The youngest brother, Seth, is fleshed out more and you feel very deeply for what he has been through at such a young age. In the background still lurking are the dangerous, deep caves and the bad guys looking to recover their money from Audra's late husband. Some of the conversations and thoughts, especially by the brothers, are hilarious and the men, who are really heroes, must face their own deep-seated fears to protect their family.



Please read book 1, Out of Control, to really understand the characters. In Too Deep begins with a bang and without knowing a bit of the background could make it hard to get off on the right foot! A few new characters are also brought into the book.



Book 3, Over the Edge, is released in August and will focus on Seth, the youngest brother, who was so deeply hurt in the cave and wandered for years, before coming home.



View all my reviews

A Lawman's Christmas

A Lawman's Christmas: A McKettricks of Texas Novel by Linda Lael Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I don't often read Linda Lael Miller, but this little Christmas novel was a light, sweet romance set in Texas. Dara Rose is a widow with two small, precocious children. Her husband, the former lawman in town, died a rather embarrassing death and she is soon to be removed from the small home that they lived in. When the new marshall arrives, Dara is relieved that he has decided to room in the jail with his new found friend, an old mangy dog. Over the course of the book, the marshall, Clay McKettrick, falls for the children and the beautiful, hardworking Dara and full intends on making her his McKettrick wife by Christmas.



View all my reviews

Solomon's Oak

Solomon's Oak by Jo-Ann Mapson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Solomon's Oak - the words alone invoke strength and character...photographers come from miles away to capture the beauty of the lovely, huge White oak that sits on Solomon's farm in California, where White Oaks should never grow. Glory Solomon, now a widow, owns the farm where once her and her beloved husband took in foster boys and taught them to be kind, responsible men. Now alone with only her horses and dogs, Glory is faced with the dilemma of possibly losing the farm. On top of all this worry and grief, she is ask to foster a teenage girl, angry, broken 14 year old Juniper McGuire with her own passel of problems and Glory has trouble, even under the circumstances, saying no. When a couple approaches her with a crazy idea of hosting a pirate wedding under the famous oak, Glory runs with it - baking, preparing food, and decorating the small chapel her husband had built - all with a pirate theme. Unlucky for a her, a former policeman (with a body and a mind full of pain), Joseph happens to arrive when the "pirates" are at their worst - with guns and swords drawn! On the other hand, lucky for Glory, he also has his camera and is willing to take photos for Glory of the fun, wild wedding. Will Solomon's Oak shelter and mend all three heartbroken souls?

Real life characters with real, gritty life problems. You will cry with Glory, Juniper, and Joseph, but laugh with Glory's zany friend, store owner Lorna.

You may wonder at the beginning to this novel, but loose threads will be tied in the end.



View all my reviews

The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted

The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A lovely little book that tugs on your heartstrings and pulls you into the characters and setting...



A young widow, Heidi, with a son, Abbott, can not move forward after her husband's tragic car accident. Her mother and sister thrust her into as what they describe as a "needed lost summer" at their homeplace in Provence, France in hopes that the magical stone house and countryside will bring her back to life. Heidi also takes her niece, misunderstood 16 year old Charlotte, along with her. The lovely mountains and fresh air surround the threesome with peace and a childhood friend of Heidi's arrives, bringing with him a restlessness for more than just friendship. But, when Abbott disappears and fear returns, Heidi is ready to go back to the US and the continued life of mourning.



I love the characters and the depth of their emotions. Abbott is a smart, sweet character with obsessive compulsive tendencies, that have appeared after his father's death. Heidi is very patient and loving in dealing with this, knowing that Abbott is part of her beloved husband. You feel for Heidi as she tries to paste on a smile and act normal around her friends and family. Don't think this book is all about sadness, because there is a lot of laughter thrown in and romance that lightens up the heavy sadness that permeates the first part of the novel. Oh my goodness, I haven't talked about the descriptions of the delicious food and pastries that is cooked and served....



View all my reviews

Almost Forever - A Hanover Falls Novel

Almost Forever by Deborah Raney

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Bryn, wife of firefighter Adam, was working at the homeless shelter, the night it caught on fire and burned to the ground - taking the life of Adam and four other firefighters. As the weeks wear on, and Bryn and the little town she's from tries to recover from that devastating night, Bryn can't remember if she snuffed out the candle in the staff room before she left to play cards with one of the shelter's residents. Has she buried the memory to protect herself?



A heartbreaking story of easily made mistakes and hard to give forgiveness.



View all my reviews

Available for holds @ http://www.alleganycountylibrary.info