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Two to Tango–clean romance
Two to Tango
by Kathleen Fuller
Join the residents of Maple Falls, Arkansas, for a romance between highly organized librarian Olivia Farnsworth and over scheduled pediatrician Kingston Bedford. It takes quite a while for them to get together because Kingston promises to contact Olivia and then can’t find the time to do it between his busy practice and his volunteer activities. He is filled with guilt, and she has a hard time trusting him.
A group of older women, including Kingston’s domineering mother, decide to play matchmaker. Comedy shows up in the situation when the pair decides to have a pretend relationship to get the ladies to back off. Of course, things don’t go exactly by plan. Others become involved as the matchmaking extends to some older residents. The couple’s contemporaries are excited for them, and the new dance teacher could be a potential match.
This is the fourth book in the Maple Falls Romance Series. Each one focuses on a different couple, but in Two to Tango all of the couples from the various books play a role.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Women’s Fiction, Romance
Notes: 1. #4 in the Maple Falls Romance Series. I don’t recommend this as a standalone. There are a lot of characters assembled from previous books. If you are interested in this clean, character-driven series, I suggest you start with the first one.
Publication: July 11, 2023—Thomas Nelson
Memorable Lines:
Aunt Bea was right. It was easier to hide behind the familiar and benign than to face the elephant in the room—life was changing, and she didn’t like it. While her life was staying routinely the same, the relationships she’d depended on had altered.
His mother was putting on her best social smile, but he could see she was simmering underneath the ruse. The woman considered punctuality the eleventh commandment.
But his mother’s expectation was clear. Being good wasn’t enough. He had to be the best.
Tilling the Truth–civic action by the garden squad
Tilling the Truth
by Julia Henry
When I met the Garden Squad in Pruning the Dead, I was charmed by this group of Goosebush denizens who anonymously take on gardening projects and accomplish them at night for the good of the community. In Julia Henry’s sequel Tilling the Truth, the Garden Squad which is led by Lily, a prominent senior citizen in Goosebush, gets involved in solving murders and uncovering shady real estate deals. At the same time, Lily is acting as the executor of a friend’s estate which includes a controversial bird sanctuary.
The main characters do not appeal to me. They seem cliquish and concerned with their own prominence. They love to eat and a lot of the book’s activity centers around food as much as gardening.
Setting is very important in this book, and the author describes the individual locations quite well. Unfortunately, the locations of the houses in relation to each other, to various businesses, and to the town center is not defined adequately, and that is a distraction for me in trying to picture the action.
Although there are many potential suspects, the investigative path is not terribly complex and not very surprising. The action scene that reveals the murderer is well-written and satisfying.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #2 in the Garden Squad Mystery Series
2. There is an addendum of interesting gardening notes.
Publication: August 27, 2019—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
“She is such a miserable woman. Honestly, when she comes into my store the flowers wilt.”
“Braden was born on third base and acts like the world owes him a home run.”
But hosting a fundraiser? That felt like the seventh circle of hell closing in.
Where I End–A Story of Tragedy, Truth, and Rebellious Hope
Where I End
by Katherine Elizabeth Clark
In Where I End, Katherine Elizabeth Clark shares a chance accident, a moment in time, that altered her life and the lives of her family members forever. She describes and analyzes the event and her journey to healing from the viewpoint of a Christian. Although she did not have a “leap to her feet dancing” experience, she did eventually regain the ability to walk, which her surgeon regarded as a miracle: “I can take no credit. God did this.”
Although Kate is left with residual, fairly dramatic difficulties and constant pain, her progress has been remarkable. As she shares her story, she relates how God worked in her life through family, friends and strangers who ministered to her. She tells of the humiliation and frustration of being unable to do even the simplest things for herself. Before the accident Kate was employed as a writer by a Christian organization so her prose is excellent and well thought out and her ideas are clearly expressed. She backs up her theological positions with Scripture references and quotes from Biblical scholars. She shares her story not to put a focus on herself, but on Jesus, who was and is with her through the trials and pain of the accident, surgery, rehabilitation and daily renewal of her hope and trust.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Moody Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Memoir, Christian
Publication: January 2, 2018—Moody Publishing
Memorable Lines:
In that moment, my steady world, where bodies work in harmony with brains, was bartered for an unrecognizable universe, something resembling a Salvador Dalí painting; I felt as if I had slipped into a surreal, disorientated dream.
Yet though our Father promises to hear the cries of His children, He has not promised to exhaustively reveal His mind or plans. We must trust Him, and sometimes in the dark.
When Scripture speaks of not being afraid, it is always cloaked in the presence of the Lord. Be not afraid, not because the situation isn’t terrifying, but because you’re not alone. You have a Good Shepherd who hides you beneath His wing.
It is a great mercy of God that we cannot see the future.
Mother’s Day, Muffins, and Murder–a cozy teachers will love
Mother’s Day, Muffins, and Murder
by Sara Rosett
Mother’s Day, Muffins, and Murder is a thematic shoe-in for me, and it surpassed my expectations. The setting is Georgia, but the author grew up in and currently lives in Texas. The action occurs at an elementary school which is the unlikely scene of a murder. Except for the murder and mayhem, this could have been the elementary school I taught at for a few years in Leander, Texas. The details are perfect for a middle class school where parent participation is high, students wear an assigned color T-shirt for field day, and the Teacher Appreciation Week is five days of food, small gifts, and recognition for hard-working, appreciated teachers.
The main character is Ellie Avery, an Air Force wife, mother of two children, part-time organizing consultant, and very active volunteer at her children’s neighborhood school. The amiable Ellie finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She tries not to actively involve herself, but others look to her for help because of previous associations with a murder. Later, someone takes the threat to her doorstep, potentially endangering Ellie and her children.
This mystery is a fun, “don’t put me down” kind of read. The plot has twists and turns that keep the reader engaged and wanting more. The characters are interesting and there is a subplot concerning a competing organizer in town which enhances the appeal. If you like cozy mysteries, you will love Mother’s Day, Muffins, and Murder.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #10 in the Ellie Avery Mystery Series, also called the Mom Zone Series. I enjoyed it as a standalone.
2. The book also includes “Organizing Tips for PTA Moms” placed at the end of some chapters so as not to be intrusive into the storyline. They are practical and are approved by this former teacher who also volunteered with my school’s Parent/Teacher Organization.
Publication: March 28, 2017–Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
“Yes, that is my favorite way to relax, supervising twenty-two eight-year-olds hyped up on sugar at eight in the morning.”
I wished the rest of the school year could be more like the end of the year. The end of the year–when the standardized tests were over–was when the kids got to do all the fun stuff, instead of studying for the standardized tests. Why couldn’t the kids do more hands-on activities like this throughout the year?
We rush through our days so quickly and have so many little rituals that we do, day in and day out, but then a moment like that last day of school comes along. It’s a milestone that makes a definite break in the continuum and emphasizes that one phase is ending and another beginning.
education pathways 