Home to Chicory Lane (Abingdon Press), book one in Deborah Raney'sChicory Inn series, offers a tender mix between big-city New York and small-town Langhorne, between big family drama and a faith that binds them together---for better or worse.
Landyn longs for home, but her mother may have other plans.
Audrey Whitman's dreams are coming true. Now that their five kids are grown, she and her husband, Grant, are turning their beloved family home into a cozy bed and breakfast just a mile outside of Langhorne, Missouri.
Opening weekend makes Audrey anxious, with family and friends coming from all over to help celebrate the occasion. But when Audrey's daughter, Landyn, arrives, the U-Haul she's pulling makes it clear she's not just here for a few days. Audrey immediately has questions. What happened in New York that sent Landyn running home? Where was Landyn's husband, Chase? And what else was her daughter not telling her? One thing was for sure, the Chicory Inn was off to a rocky start. Can Audrey still realize her dream and at the same time provide the comfort of home her daughter so desperately needs?
My review:
I rarely review books like this, and this one is even boldly labeled "Women's Fiction" on the spine, enough to scare interested men away. But I didn't see that warning label when I requested it, and I read a couple of books by Deborah Raney some years ago and enjoyed them, so I went ahead and asked for the book.
This is the first book in a series, and even if it is women's fiction, I liked it so well I will probably read more in the series. I liked the setting. It made me want to step into the book and spend a few nights at the new Inn. And I loved the characters, especially Landalyn and Chase, married only a year and already having marriage problems. I thought the author did a great job of having them work through their issues, and the thought came to me that this would be a great book for a new married couple to read, whether or not they are having problems or not.
And in spite of the women's fiction label, I think a lot of men would enjoy the book. Much of the book is from the viewpoint of a man and his take on marriage and the problems in it.
Maybe I shouldn't admit liking a book so muchthat is specifically labeled "women's fiction", but I did. I read it through as fast as I would a suspense novel, which is my favorite genre', and will definitely be recommending it to others.
About the author:
Deborah Raney's books have won numerous awards including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Deb enjoys teaching at writers' conferences across the country. She and her husband, Ken, recently traded small-town life in Kansas---the setting of many of Deb's novels---for life in the (relatively) big city of Wichita where they enjoy gardening, antiquing, movies, and traveling to visit four children and a growing brood of grandchildren who all live much too far away.
Visit Deb on the web at DeborahRaney.com.
Home to Chicory Lane is available from Abington Publishing.
Thanks to Litfuse for the review copy.
Deborah is celebrating the release of her new series with a $200 B&B Weekend Getaway and a Facebook author chat party.
One winner will receive:
- A B&B Weekend Getaway (via a $200 Visa cash card)
- Home to Chicory Lane by Deborah Raney
So grab your copy of Home to Chicory Lane and join Deborah on the evening of September 9th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)
1 comments:
Excellent review. I hadn't specifically thought about this book being interesting to men and therefore potentially useful for young married couples. Thanks for mentioning that angle.
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