Book Recommendation - Love and the Dream Come True

 

When looking at contemporary romance as a genre, with gritty down-to-earth characters with real flaws and real growth and development, I look no further than Tammy Gray's works. In this State of Grace series, she also included some humor, which made these books some of my favorites of hers. Fans of the series will be glad to see Cameron finally get his story told. He's been a significant minor character in the first 2 books of the series, so this is a series I would recommend reading in order. If you've read the first 2 books, you know Cameron is a musician. That can make him a bit moody and made him a bit unlikeable to me in the first 2 books (which is surprising since I'm a singer), but he redeemed himself in this book.

 

Here's a bit about the book:

Four years after getting the biggest break of his life, Cameron Lee's music career has taken a nosedive, leaving him two options: become a sellout or give up on his lifelong dream. He reluctantly returns home for his sister's wedding, hoping to avoid his past and find his love for music again.

Single mom Lexie Walters has suffered her fair share of tragedies and setbacks, but she has finally scraped together the money to achieve her dream of going into business with her cousin as an interior designer. When Lexie's life is at an all-time high, she runs into her teenage crush, Cameron Lee.

Lost in the emotional turmoil of failure, Cameron is immediately drawn to Lexie and her infectious smile and optimistic spirit. Moreover, he adores her mouthy, no-holds-barred daughter. But fantasies only last so long, and soon Lexie and Cameron must face the real world, the one fraught with heartbreak, disappointment, and questions that sometimes can only be answered by a leap of faith.

This book releases August 2, 2022 wherever books are sold. For additional information, please check out the links below:

Tammy L Gray's website: http://www.tammylgray.com/

Tammy L. Grays' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tlgraybooks

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4833988803

Book Recommendation - When Stone Wings Fly

 

One of my favorite storytelling methods is a dual timeline story. I really enjoy seeing how history impacts the present and this type of story is good at helping us to see that, and showcases how decisions made by our ancestors impact us in modern times. This story follows Rosie McCauley in the past timeline and Kieran Lucas, Rosie's great-granddaughter, in the present. Kieran seeks out Rosie's story as it is part of her own personal history, of which she has very little understanding. This book was a very enjoyable story set in a familiar-to-me backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains. The mountains were a favorite vacation spot for my family as I was growing up, and so it was fun to "see familiar sights" in both the past and the present in this way. 

Having been a park ranger in the past, author Karen Barnett has several books that take place in our nation's national parks and this one was a lovely addition to that listing. One thing I'd not been aware of is that unlike some of the older parks, The Smokies was not public land prior to the park's acquisition, but rather, much of the land was owned by individuals who lived with fantastic views each day. This story tells of one such family whose land was purchased by the park and how that impacted them and their future generations. This story-line was riveting, with both  mystery and romance, character growth and development, and a solid message of faith. Here's a little bit about the book:

Uncovering a long-lost family story is the only way to bring her grandmother peace

Kieran Lucas’s grandmother is slipping into dementia, and, when her memory is gone, Kieran’s last tie to the family she barely knows will be lost forever. Worse, Granny Mac is being tormented by flashbacks of her mother’s death and the loss of their home.

In 1931, Rosie McCauley’s Smoky Mountains home is threatened by the Tennessee Great Smokies Park Commission as they create a new national park. But Rosie vows the only way they’ll get her land is if they haul her out in a pine box. When a compromise offers her and her disabled sister the opportunity to stay for her lifetime, it seems too good to be true.

Ornithologist Benton Fuller arrives to conduct a bird survey for the park and the two form a tenuous bond. But their friendship broadens a rift between her and the other mountain folk who are suspicious of any government connections. Then the discovery of an illegal still in the woods near her cabin leads to a violent clash between sides that could destroy them all.

Eighty-five years later, Kieran heads back to Great Smoky Mountains National Park to find answers to her great-grandmother’s mysterious death and bring peace to Granny Mac before it’s too late. Park Historian Zach Jensen may be the key to locating both the answers and a precious family heirloom. But just as in the past, Kieran’s needs clash with government regulations. Will Zach block her from recovering what she needs and solving this family mystery?

This one released on June 14, 2022 and it's one I can give a solid recommendation for. Be sure to check it out!

For more information, check out the following links:

Karen Barnett's website: https://karenbarnettbooks.com/

Karen Barnett's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KarenBarnettAuthor

My full 5 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4786362526?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1