#tammylgrace – Rosepoint Publishing

Greetings from Lavender Valley by Tammy L Grace #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Sisters of the Heart Book 1

Book Blurb:

Six women. Four decades. One long, unexpected reunion.

Jewel Austin is a foster mother to dozens, but forms a special bond with five foster girls she welcomed under her roof long ago. Through handwritten letters, Jewel keeps in touch with these women she nurtured to adulthood.

Now in her eighties, Jewel’s time is short, and her last letter spells out an unusual request. The five women have never met but Jewel’s last wish is for them to return to Lavender Valley Farm together, back to the refuge where they once found the love and support they craved. Jewel has a keen sense of knowing their needs before they do and she knows they are going to need their sisters of the heart.

Life’s been hard, but facing the inevitable loss of the only parental figure you’ve known can be harder. Will the five women be able to overcome the obstacles that stand in their way of granting the beloved matriarch of their family her last wish?

My Review:

Not my first experience with the author as I’ve read offerings in a couple other series, the most recent being Welcome Aboard, a collaboration.

This short and sweet offering is actually a prequel to the Sisters of the Heart series and through a series of letters to her foster children introduces the five who stood out from the dozens. Of course, not all children were with her long term and these were those with whom she had extended experience from child to adult.

The setting is rustic, rural farm country in Oregon where Jewel and her husband Chuck took in dozens of foster children. It’s a look at not only those who sacrifice to take in children, some in the worst circumstances, but of the children themselves and the stake that is given them to continue.

Each of the letters introduces us to that special someone who stayed until aged out and moved on. Then she continued to follow them, through triumphs and tribulations, marriages, happiness and heartbreak. She wishes for a grand reunion in which each now adult acknowledges the sisterhood that was created in the home that became their shared sanctuary.

It’s an interesting concept, the letters, though I assume would not be everyone’s cup of tea, particularly as it’s a one-way communication, only getting ideas of what the response might have been to the previous letter by the next.

Still, the letter whets the interest in what the girls might be like now, the reunion, and how they might all relate to each other—and to their foster mom. Might very well be something of interest to you and worth checking out. Enjoy unusual domestic fiction? Uncommon concepts of family?

Many thanks to our local library for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Friendship Fiction, Women’s Sagas, Saga Fiction
Publisher: Lone Mountain Press
ISBN: 978-1945591419
ASIN: B0BQ4T1C39
Print Length: 119 pages
Publication Date: April 5, 2023
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Tammy L. Grace is a USA Today bestselling author of women’s fictions, family sagas, mysteries, and Christmas stories. She’s known for writing perfect escapes, unforgettable characters, and binge-worthy stories. Readers often say her characters feel like old friends and love the dogs she weaves into all her books. She brings readers entertaining stories that take them on an emotional journey, filled with complex relationships of friendship and family in her women’s fiction novels. Mystery readers delight in her fast-paced whodunits and fans of Christmas love her small town holiday stories filled with family, friendship, and furry characters.

Tammy also writes under the pen name Casey Wilson and has released two emotional and heartwarming stories about the bond we have with our beloved canine companions.

When Tammy isn’t working on ideas for a novel, she’s spending time with family and friends or supporting her addiction to books, tea, and chocolate. She and her husband make their home in Nevada and have one grown son and a spoiled golden retriever.

Tammy invites you to subscribe to her newsletter at http://www.tammylgrace.com/newsletter and she’ll send you a free interview with all the dogs in her Hometown Harbor Series as a thank you gift. Find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tammylgrace.books

#TuesdayBookBlog

Welcome Aboard by Jessie Newton, Tammy L. Grace, and six more – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

(Sail Away Series Book 1)

Book Blurb:

Set sail to new adventures and escapes with eight best-selling authors in the exciting new Sail Away series!

Pack your bags and get ready to set sail on a variety of cruise ships…all without leaving home! Experience the waves, the wind, and the call of the birds in the Sail Away series with a sneak peek of the Sail Away Series in this prologue novella. Each bestselling author will take you on a sea adventure filled with friendship, healing, some romance, and all the heartfelt storytelling you crave.

★ Don’t miss a Sail Away book! ★
Book 1: Welcome Aboard – prologue book
Book 2: The Sound of the Sea by Jessie Newton
Book 3: Uncharted Waters by Tammy L. Grace
Book 4: A Not So Distant Shore by Ev Bishop
Book 5: Caroline, Adrift by Kay Bratt
Book 6: Moonlight On the Lido Deck by Violet Howe
Book 7: The Winning Tickets by Judith Keim
Book 8: Lost At Sea by Patricia Sands
Book 9: The Last Port of Call by Elizabeth Bromke

My Review:

Yes, I thought I was finally getting in on the first book of a new series. Well, sorta, but not.

The Sail Away Series is actually made up of nine books by eight different authors and Book 1 provides the prologues to each of the books. While they are part of a series, a consistent theme, each is a stand-alone book that includes different characters, locations, and plots. The common thread, of course, is that each will result in a cruise.

Getting into the first prologue and realizing what the book consisted of, I was initially disappointed. Having read the first one, however, I was hooked, regained enthusiasm, and dove into the second prologue.

Having read the prologue though you want to continue with each and every book. They are all written by seasoned authors offering their own contemporary fiction stories with empathetic characters that quickly gains engagement.

Each story is different; the ladies are made up of different ages and circumstances. Some would prefer taking an enema rather than joining a cruise—absolutely NOT in their wheelhouse. Yet someone, or multiple love ones, see that they will go—whether or not kicking and screaming.

Some expect to find solace or peace, while others look forward to a new challenge or adventure. Something to reset their lives. The prologue provides the excitement and anticipation.

If you are feeling hesitant about signing up for nine different books, I’d urge you to take a good look at this one and then be prepared to set sail. Each of the backstories grip, set the stage, and provide the impetus for participating in the series. It’s going to be a delightful series to share on your lunch hour, on a vacation, or on your back porch enjoying the sun. It’s a fun, fast, and surprisingly entertaining Book 1. Then pack your bags.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from one of the authors that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Family Life Fiction, Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Women’s Romance Fiction
ASIN: B09VJVBCCJ
Print Length: 126 pages
Publication Date: January 1, 2023
Source: Author contact

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Authors: Jessie Newton, Tammy L. Grace, Ev Bishop, Kay Bratt, Violet Howe, Judith Keim, Patricia Sands, Elizabeth Bromke

Pieces of Home (Hometown Harbor Series Book 4) by Tammy L Grace – #BookReview – #Contemporary American Fiction

Book Blurb:

An unexpected visitor. A buried secret she is forced to divulge. Does she have the strength to overcome the pain of her past?

Ellie hasn’t seen or spoken to her parents in twenty years—since she came to live on the island with her aunt and uncle. She’s all grown up now and runs the popular family bakery, Sweet Treats.

Things change when she meets Blake. The newcomer frequents the bakery each morning and over fresh cinnamon rolls they develop a friendship. He renews a sense of hope and joy in Ellie. She’s hesitant to trust him with her heart.

An unforeseen plea for help forces Ellie to reveal a secret. One she’s kept hidden from even her closest friends. And that’s just the beginning of her turbulent journey. The past she’s worked so hard to escape resurface and bring only heartache. She’s forced to tackle challenges that threaten her livelihood and those she holds most dear. Instead of letting her past define her future, will Ellie summon the courage to recognize an unexpected path may be a welcome gift?

Pieces of Home is the fourth book in the Hometown Harbor Series, stories filled with the emotional journeys of women in midlife, and a touch of romance. If you like stories that tug on your heartstrings, small town life, and characters you’ll fall for again and again, then you’ll love Tammy L. Grace’s latest tale of loss, love, and the perseverance of a woman determined to succeed, despite the threat of losing all she cherishes.

My Review:

Trust me to come into a series at Book 4 and wonder how I got here. Ellie is owner/manager of Sweet Treats. She bought the bakery from the aunt and uncle she was sent to at age 16 when her mother banished her from their home.

They taught her the bakery business and retired when she took it over. She has made a solid base of family and friends on the island where they live, a tight knit community.

Two events happen that change the course of her journey. First, she meets Blake, a newcomer to the island and the new owner of a winery he hopes to expand and develop. Secondly, she has a visitor that turns her world completely upside down. In an effort to confront the challenge, she undergoes some lab work that reveals she is a diabetic in urgent need of a lifestyle change. But it doesn’t alter the challenge and she continues to pursue a solution.

As Ellie experienced a horrific childhood culminating in her being forced out of the home, she has trust issues…even with the wonderful aunt and uncle who supported her throughout her young adult life. But now she’s had to face the secret she’s held and share her problems with the circle of friends who eventually go well above and beyond friendship when she is unexpectedly dealt two deaths.

Big upheaval in her life and through it all the friends rally and rally again.

Lots of characters, some of whom are hard to keep straight, not so well developed now. With all her experience in a bakery, the narrative is full of cupcakes, tons of sweets (of course) and food—lots of food.

The first good portion of the book is more tell than show, then converts to a lot of dialogue. Seems there is an extra effort put into wringing emotional scenes, but really, none of the tragedies were unexpected. There are dogs throughout the novel, but at one point I couldn’t understand how a dog who’d waited all day for his person to come home then had to wait another hour to go out while Ellie researched on her computer. The romance that sounded very 50ish/early 60ish came late into the book. Thinking this is not a book or series for me, though I can see many people loved it.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and these are my unbiased opinions.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point five stars

Book Details:

Genre: Dog Breeds, Love & Romance, Contemporary American Fiction
Publisher: Lone Mountain Press

ASIN : B015JPAXJ8

Print Length: 269 pages
Publication Date: October 14, 2015
Source: Author request

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Tammy L. Grace is a USA Today Bestselling and award-winning fiction author who brings readers entertaining stories that take them on an emotional journey, filled with complex relationships of friendship and family in her Hometown Harbor Series. Set in the picturesque San Juan Islands in Washington, escape with a close-knit group of friends and their interwoven lives filled with both challenges and joys that resonate with women. Each book in the series focuses on a different woman and her journey of self-discovery.

Tammy creates compelling characters who readers love or love to hate. In her Cooper Harrington Detective Novels, readers will delight in the fast-paced whodunits, featuring Coop and his loyal golden retriever, Gus. Set in Nashville, Coop, a snarky t-shirt wearing lawyer turned private detective, with the help of his dog and faithful friend and assistant, Annabelle, work to solve murder mysteries with plenty of twists.

Fans of sweet Christmas stories will love her small town Christmas novellas filled with family, friendship, and furry characters.

Tammy also writes under the pen name Casey Wilson and has released two books, A Dog’s Hope and A Dog’s Chance, both emotional and heartwarming stories about the bond we have with our beloved canine companions.

Born and raised in Nevada, Tammy loved reading at a young age. With the help of her middle school teacher, she discovered the joy of writing. After spending a career in local and state government service, she retired and finally has the time to dedicate to writing.

When Tammy isn’t working on ideas for a novel, she’s spending time with family and friends or supporting her addiction to books and chocolate. She and her husband have one grown son and a spoiled golden retriever.

Tammy invites you to join her exclusive reader group by subscribing on her website at http://www.tammylgrace.com and she’ll send you a free interview with all the dogs in her Hometown Harbor Series as a thank you gift. Connect with her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tammylgrace.books and follow her on Amazon by clicking the yellow button below her photograph on her author page.