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Skip Rock
Skip Rock Shallows
Lilly Gray Corbett has just graduated from medical school and decided to accept an internship in the coal camp of Skip Rock, Kentucky. Her beau, Paul, is doing his residency in Boston and can't understand why Lilly would choose to work in a backwater town. But having grown up in the mountains, Lilly is drawn to the stubborn, superstitious people she encounters in Skip Rock--a town where people live hard and die harder and where women know their place. Lilly soon learns she has a lot to overcome, but after saving the life of a young miner, she begins to earn the residents' trust.As Lilly becomes torn between joining Paul in Boston and her love for the people of Skip Rock, she crosses paths with a handsome miner--one who seems oddly familiar. Her attraction for him grows, even as she wrestles with her feelings and wonders what he's hiding.
375 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
163 people are currently reading
555 people want to read
About the author
Jan Watson
18 books110 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Jan Watson won the 2004 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest for her first novel, Troublesome Creek. Her other awards include a nomination for the Kentucky Literary Award in 2006 and second place in the 2006 Inspirational Readers Choice Contest sponsored by the Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Willow Springs and Torrent Falls are the sequels to Troublesome Creek. Jan was a registered nurse for 25 years at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. She incorporated her nursing experience in the hospital's mother/baby unit into her novels. Jan resides in Kentucky.
Jan Watson won the 2004 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest for her first novel, Troublesome Creek. Her other awards include a nomination for the Kentucky Literary Award in 2006 and second place in the 2006 Inspirational Readers Choice Contest sponsored by the Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Willow Springs and Torrent Falls are the sequels to Troublesome Creek. Jan was a registered nurse for 25 years at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. She incorporated her nursing experience in the hospital's mother/baby unit into her novels. Jan resides in Kentucky.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
October 24, 2016
Skip Rock Shallows was one of those nice, historical fiction reads. It is clean, full of mountain and mining life, and brimming with intrigue and adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Skip Rock Shallows -- the characters felt real and believable, the storyline never slacked.
Lilly Corbett has been sent to Skip Rock Shallows as the mining company's-hired doctor. This being the first woman doctor that Skip Rock Shallows has seen, they are all against her. However, tragedy strikes soon and often in Skip Rock Shallows, giving Lilly ample opportunity to prove herself as a doctor and friend. Meanwhile, there is a hint of mystery going around the mine. Are they playing it safe or could some of the tragedies be avoided?
I appreciated that there was a continual thread of faith in the book. I didn't have to search to see if this book was a Christian book. And there was a clear (if brief) presentation of the Gospel, explaining that it's not works but belief in Jesus Christ.
Even though I enjoyed it, there were a couple things that I feel I should balance my review with.
- I'm getting a little tired of the whole "cutting edge" early-1900's women. Those who are "not supposed" to do things, yet prove that they can (like, in this book, Lilly gaining the respect of the community for being a doctor). I know that it was a part of the era, but the attitude (not necessarily the positions) seems to lean towards feminism. For example, in this book, Lilly told her lover that he must agree to go wherever she went; if she stayed in Skip Rock Shallows, he had to stay too, because that was where her calling was. I personally disagree with the woman making the choice there.
- I would say that Lilly was a pretty strong believer. However, as with many stories that I've read recently, the guy she loves isn't necessarily a strong believer. He does grow in the book, and it appears that he was saved at a young age, but he was definitely a baby Christian. And it slightly bothered me that she didn't even consider whether or not the guy is saved. I don't recall the two of them having any spiritual conversations. They just followed their hearts.
So, I enjoyed this book immensely because of its historical fiction setting (except a few minor details that I'm not sure were accurate), but there were just a few things with which I disagreed.
(I read this as a stand-alone, not realizing it was book three to a series -- and it reads just fine by itself)
Lilly Corbett has been sent to Skip Rock Shallows as the mining company's-hired doctor. This being the first woman doctor that Skip Rock Shallows has seen, they are all against her. However, tragedy strikes soon and often in Skip Rock Shallows, giving Lilly ample opportunity to prove herself as a doctor and friend. Meanwhile, there is a hint of mystery going around the mine. Are they playing it safe or could some of the tragedies be avoided?
I appreciated that there was a continual thread of faith in the book. I didn't have to search to see if this book was a Christian book. And there was a clear (if brief) presentation of the Gospel, explaining that it's not works but belief in Jesus Christ.
Even though I enjoyed it, there were a couple things that I feel I should balance my review with.
- I'm getting a little tired of the whole "cutting edge" early-1900's women. Those who are "not supposed" to do things, yet prove that they can (like, in this book, Lilly gaining the respect of the community for being a doctor). I know that it was a part of the era, but the attitude (not necessarily the positions) seems to lean towards feminism. For example, in this book, Lilly told her lover that he must agree to go wherever she went; if she stayed in Skip Rock Shallows, he had to stay too, because that was where her calling was. I personally disagree with the woman making the choice there.
- I would say that Lilly was a pretty strong believer. However, as with many stories that I've read recently, the guy she loves isn't necessarily a strong believer. He does grow in the book, and it appears that he was saved at a young age, but he was definitely a baby Christian. And it slightly bothered me that she didn't even consider whether or not the guy is saved. I don't recall the two of them having any spiritual conversations. They just followed their hearts.
So, I enjoyed this book immensely because of its historical fiction setting (except a few minor details that I'm not sure were accurate), but there were just a few things with which I disagreed.
(I read this as a stand-alone, not realizing it was book three to a series -- and it reads just fine by itself)
June 14, 2018
Skip Rock Shallows by Jan Watson
Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction
Format: Kindle
Timeframe: 1908
Location: Skip Rock, Kentucky
Characters:
Lilly Gray Corbett: Finished Medical school.
Tern Still: AKA Joe Repp Saved Lily when she was abducted as an 11 year old
Stanley James: Overseer for this mining camp
Myrtie James: Mr. James’ wife (where Lily stayed)
Ned Tippen: Lily’s constant help at the camp, and an unknown cousin
Armina Eldridge: 17 year old in charge of her grandmother’s health care
Prejudices, fear, respect, engagement, and a surprise from the past. These are all things Lily faced on her first assignment straight out of medical school with her new title as Dr. Corbett. Instead of an assignment in Boston with her fiancé, she is back in the hills of Kentucky, this time in a coal mining camp where who knows how often mining accidents, lung ailments and “catching babies” will occur. The cushy life with her aunt in Lexington, and the well equipped hospitals of Boston are far behind her.
Immediately a cave-in is how the community is introduced to this new camp doctor, and they are unhappy. Who ever heard of a woman doctor, especially such a young, inexperienced one? Immediate dislike - this city slicker with dresses and hats.. here in this mining community of work roughened men and backward, uneducated women. But as time goes on and Lily shows her mettle, plus the added bonus of being related to some of them, Lily is soon accepted into their bosom, and respect is won.
In this last book of the Copper Brown series, Copper’s daughter Lily (now 23) finds herself with nightmares of the abduction incident of her childhood. Something about this camp keeps bringing this back and she can’t figure out why. Then her fiancé, who is the absolute opposite of how she was raised, doesn’t seem to have her heart. She realizes decisions need to be made and what she thought was buried needs to be dealt with. She turns to the Word of God to guide her in these needs.
An aside… the way she went about that was uncomfortable to me… letting the Bible fall open and what verse she sees is what she needs to pay attention to. The Bible is not a figurative Ouija Board, or luck-of-the-draw book. I was surprised that this was included in such important issues in her life.
Okay, done. Anyway, there was also an unexpected romance that was a sweet addition to the book. Worth the read.
Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction
Format: Kindle
Timeframe: 1908
Location: Skip Rock, Kentucky
Characters:
Lilly Gray Corbett: Finished Medical school.
Tern Still: AKA Joe Repp Saved Lily when she was abducted as an 11 year old
Stanley James: Overseer for this mining camp
Myrtie James: Mr. James’ wife (where Lily stayed)
Ned Tippen: Lily’s constant help at the camp, and an unknown cousin
Armina Eldridge: 17 year old in charge of her grandmother’s health care
Prejudices, fear, respect, engagement, and a surprise from the past. These are all things Lily faced on her first assignment straight out of medical school with her new title as Dr. Corbett. Instead of an assignment in Boston with her fiancé, she is back in the hills of Kentucky, this time in a coal mining camp where who knows how often mining accidents, lung ailments and “catching babies” will occur. The cushy life with her aunt in Lexington, and the well equipped hospitals of Boston are far behind her.
Immediately a cave-in is how the community is introduced to this new camp doctor, and they are unhappy. Who ever heard of a woman doctor, especially such a young, inexperienced one? Immediate dislike - this city slicker with dresses and hats.. here in this mining community of work roughened men and backward, uneducated women. But as time goes on and Lily shows her mettle, plus the added bonus of being related to some of them, Lily is soon accepted into their bosom, and respect is won.
In this last book of the Copper Brown series, Copper’s daughter Lily (now 23) finds herself with nightmares of the abduction incident of her childhood. Something about this camp keeps bringing this back and she can’t figure out why. Then her fiancé, who is the absolute opposite of how she was raised, doesn’t seem to have her heart. She realizes decisions need to be made and what she thought was buried needs to be dealt with. She turns to the Word of God to guide her in these needs.
An aside… the way she went about that was uncomfortable to me… letting the Bible fall open and what verse she sees is what she needs to pay attention to. The Bible is not a figurative Ouija Board, or luck-of-the-draw book. I was surprised that this was included in such important issues in her life.
Okay, done. Anyway, there was also an unexpected romance that was a sweet addition to the book. Worth the read.
September 24, 2016
Skip Rock Shallows is the third book in Jan Watson’s series, COPPER BROWN. This one was about Copper’s grown daughter, Lilly, and her journey to finding her true dreams. –Do they lie in her fiancé, Paul, or the mysterious blue-eyed stranger she feels she knows somehow?
I have immensely enjoyed all of Jan Watson’s books, in her TROUBLESOME CREEK series, and COPPER BROWN series. She writes with such a real touch, bringing to life days of old. Her books usually center on mountain folk with their unique problems, real heartache, strange superstitions, and sweet romances. They tend to have surprising twists too, that I like very much. The end of Skip Rock Shallows had me sighing and smiling with sweet contentment. ^_^
Can’t wait to read more by Jan Watson!
I have immensely enjoyed all of Jan Watson’s books, in her TROUBLESOME CREEK series, and COPPER BROWN series. She writes with such a real touch, bringing to life days of old. Her books usually center on mountain folk with their unique problems, real heartache, strange superstitions, and sweet romances. They tend to have surprising twists too, that I like very much. The end of Skip Rock Shallows had me sighing and smiling with sweet contentment. ^_^
Can’t wait to read more by Jan Watson!
September 24, 2012
I loved this story and the setting. When I started reading it I thought it was going to be another cliche story of a woman doctor in a mans world. But although there were a few cliche elements it was a sweet and page turning story. Thank you Rachelle for lending it to me
June 9, 2018
What a cute story this was! I read it in 2 days. Super easy read. I was a little was a little confused by the Salvation message, it almost sounded like being baptized was what saves a person, though Jan said that wasn't so it might just not have come across right. I'm still giving it 5 stars though, because let's just say it was that cute!
June 5, 2012
"I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever; yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God."
~ Jonah 2.6
In 1908, women physicians were not as well received as men. Add in a superstitious mining town with its first female physician, and you have a backdrop for many story lines. Jan Watson has woven a beautiful novel of commitment, respect, and love with the harsh realities of a coal miner's life. As much as we have read idealized accounts of a miner's life in the late 1800s and early 1900s, this book brings the real life drama of mining disasters and the cost to each family and town to life.
Click HERE to read Chapter 1!
I love a well-written historical fiction novel. I know the author brings the characters to life, but the historical time in which they live is based on true events and time periods. In Skip Rock Shallows, I learned more about the people who lived and breathed life into the coal mining industry. They lived a hard life with many superstitions and fears.
How would my life have been different if I had been born and raised in Skip Rock during this time? Would I be helping to raise my siblings because my father died in the mine? Would an education be only a dream for the very few fortunate ones?
This is Jan Watson's 6th novel. I look forward to reading her other books as well!
I received a complimentary copy of Skip Rock Shallows from Tyndale House Publishers for my honest review.
~ Jonah 2.6
In 1908, women physicians were not as well received as men. Add in a superstitious mining town with its first female physician, and you have a backdrop for many story lines. Jan Watson has woven a beautiful novel of commitment, respect, and love with the harsh realities of a coal miner's life. As much as we have read idealized accounts of a miner's life in the late 1800s and early 1900s, this book brings the real life drama of mining disasters and the cost to each family and town to life.
Click HERE to read Chapter 1!
I love a well-written historical fiction novel. I know the author brings the characters to life, but the historical time in which they live is based on true events and time periods. In Skip Rock Shallows, I learned more about the people who lived and breathed life into the coal mining industry. They lived a hard life with many superstitions and fears.
How would my life have been different if I had been born and raised in Skip Rock during this time? Would I be helping to raise my siblings because my father died in the mine? Would an education be only a dream for the very few fortunate ones?
This is Jan Watson's 6th novel. I look forward to reading her other books as well!
I received a complimentary copy of Skip Rock Shallows from Tyndale House Publishers for my honest review.
July 10, 2012
4.5 Stars
This was my first book by this author, and while it took awhile to get used to her style, I ended up really enjoying the story. At first, I thought the pace was a bit slow, and the characters and plot a bit too predictable. But soon, the characters and story were fleshed out and I really loved the slow, small town style of the story.
I think the things I enjoyed the most about the book were the setting of Skip Rock, KY, and the full, lively cast of supporting characters. Lilly's assistant, Ned, and her prickly but well-meaning friend, Almina, were two of my favorites. They really kept the story skipping right along. I also liked that the story had a lot of heart, but it wasn't a tear-jerker or depressing.
One drawback was that the romance seemed a little off for me. I really liked the characters together, but I felt like it wasn't really explained enough. I know they had history together, but I would have liked for their romance to be more explained in the here and now instead of both of them clinging to a very brief memory of the other. It seemed like they were more in love with the idealized memory of the other than with the real person.
Overall, I really enjoyed this gentle, heart-warming novel.
sent by publisher in exchange for honest review
reviewed for http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com
June 25, 2012
Skip Rock Shallows by Jan Watson takes readers into a small coal town where at first the idea of a lady doctor is rejects. Only after saving a young miner she starts to win there trust but even then it is slow and not all want her there. Though there are many residents who become very fond of her and she of them. Throughout the story Lilly faces many battles and wrestles with what to do with the future. Should she stay in Skip Rock or go home to Boston? Then there is the character from her past, who is he and why is he so familiar. Lilly will not only have to face the future but the past as well but she is one strong lady with a trust in God that will help through all she does. Join Lilly and the cast of characters in this fun novel.
This book for me was fun to read and I enjoyed meeting all the residents of Skip Rock but the only thing for me was it never fully drew me in. I was easily able to set it down for awhile and come back to it. I am definitely glad I read it and would recommend it to those who love book about lady doctors in a time where that was not common. Overall good job Jan Watson!
* I received this book through Tyndale for the purpose of this review. My honest opinion was all that was requested. Thank you Tyndale.
This book for me was fun to read and I enjoyed meeting all the residents of Skip Rock but the only thing for me was it never fully drew me in. I was easily able to set it down for awhile and come back to it. I am definitely glad I read it and would recommend it to those who love book about lady doctors in a time where that was not common. Overall good job Jan Watson!
* I received this book through Tyndale for the purpose of this review. My honest opinion was all that was requested. Thank you Tyndale.
March 14, 2019
There was so much I loved about this one - It's a fantastic read if you love unexpected but believable events, unique characters (more so with the minor than the major ones), and a storyline undergirded by evidently well-researched interesting historical details. This is the first book I've read by Jan Watson, and I found her writing to be fluid with creative and fitting metaphors - which I loved.
The not-so-great: I wasn't fond of the feminist twang that entered the novel at some point and resulted in the main character telling her fiance that he would need to be satisfied with going wherever her work called her. I wondered, what if his work called him elsewhere, you know? :-) What'll they do then? :-) A second not-so-great part was the way the main character's love for the hero was strongly emotionally/love-at-first-sight-based. I know a lot of readers may like that, but it's not my cup-of-coffee. ;-)
Overall, though, I really enjoyed this stand-alone novel and look forward to reading more of Jan Watson's books.
The not-so-great: I wasn't fond of the feminist twang that entered the novel at some point and resulted in the main character telling her fiance that he would need to be satisfied with going wherever her work called her. I wondered, what if his work called him elsewhere, you know? :-) What'll they do then? :-) A second not-so-great part was the way the main character's love for the hero was strongly emotionally/love-at-first-sight-based. I know a lot of readers may like that, but it's not my cup-of-coffee. ;-)
Overall, though, I really enjoyed this stand-alone novel and look forward to reading more of Jan Watson's books.
October 18, 2014
This was quite an enjoyable read. This book follows Lilly Corbett through the mining town of Skip Rock. I enjoyed every person in this book right down to the forewarning bird. It had great description and plenty of towns people charm. I enjoy books that weave many people into the story line and this one did just that. Lilly is pure down home Kentucky true and I was pleased to see she stayed in character with the way I imagined her to be. Lovely ending; can't wait for the next one. This one is well worth the read.
April 28, 2015
I really liked this story. Looking forward to reading the next one in the series. I felt the Gospel could have been clearer. Baptism is not necessary for salvation and I almost felt that is what the characters were indicating. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (death, burial and resurrection) and thou shalt be saved."
I really enjoyed the overall story. I like the way the author chose to bring about the romance part between the main characters...not sure how to describe it other than it had a surreal feel to it. Character development is good too. I want to be like Myrtie. :)
I really enjoyed the overall story. I like the way the author chose to bring about the romance part between the main characters...not sure how to describe it other than it had a surreal feel to it. Character development is good too. I want to be like Myrtie. :)
September 1, 2022
Historical fiction set in the mountains of Ky 1908. Lily Corbett MD took a job with the mining company of Skip Rock. She experienced a lot of prejudice being a woman doctor. Only when she sticks it out serving the community steadfastly. Only when one resident finds out she was raised in the Ky herself, is related to his family and she saves the life of a young miner do the people of this isolated community give her as their doctor. Her big city fiancé can’t understand her attraction to the “primitive” conditions and it causes a rift. When she meets up with a miner who looks really familiar - what happens when her past meets her present in an unexpected way?
Lily struggles to figure out God’s call and how to serve the people of Skip Rock.
+ strength of character and Faith in the characters leading them to go above and beyond for others not dependent of them deserving it: staying with a man trapped a mine, risking their own lives trying to get him out, baptizing a trapped man even though they were sure how
Quotes: 25 Myrtle about having to leave teaching after she married: you wouldn’t know it now, but I trained as a teacher before a married Stanley. But you can’t be married and a teacher both, so it said. Folks would rather the school house stand empty then to have a married woman in it.
Lily: why is that, do you suppose?
Myrtle: it’s men folk having their way. They’re all afraid won’t be anybody home when they come in for supper. They don’t ever get over needing a mommy.
85 Lily offering to help Lynn with her delivery of her baby, Lynn: ain’t God good? I was praying for an angel just this morning and now here you are, sitting at my kitchen table, bold as brass.
Lily: I don’t know about the angel part, but I do know God meets our needs if we could ask. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avail of much. “That’s from James, I think.
Lynn: that’s my favorite scripture, I can’t believe you just said that! See, you are an angel.
87 Lily Took away important lessons: look for the easiest diagnosis first – it might be as simple as Soum that Mac juice! – And don’t assume a person can win. Actually, don’t assume anything.
223 about lightning bugs, Armina: don’t they make you sad? They’re just so hopefully you know? Spending what little time they have on earth pining for something they probably ain’t gonna get. There’s something more info about this time of day. Antori calls it the gloaming, when the sun setting and everything gets real still – makes me lonesome light. Would you ever set them on the porch on a night like this and heard a train slow whistle for the cool of the morning Dove? It’ll flat out give you the shivers.
358 after Lily gets upset about Tern’s disappearance Ayer a mine explosion, Myrtle tells about losing her 3year old: how could a boy be alive one minute and be gone the next? I never got a satisfactory answer.
Lily: i’m sorry how did you get through it?
Myrtle: you just do. Sorrows a tall mountain you climb 1 inch at a time. You ain’t supposed to do it quick; else you won’t profit from the journey.
Lily: but I don’t want to.
Myrtle: I know. But weren’t he worth it?
Lily: yes, he was. Loving him for this short time was worth every tear, every heartache. It was worth climbing the mountain.
Myrtle: you’ll be surprised with that teach you.
359 Myrtle when Lily tried to aplogize for her outburst about Tern’s disappearance: i’ve had my fill of sorrys.
Lily struggles to figure out God’s call and how to serve the people of Skip Rock.
+ strength of character and Faith in the characters leading them to go above and beyond for others not dependent of them deserving it: staying with a man trapped a mine, risking their own lives trying to get him out, baptizing a trapped man even though they were sure how
Quotes: 25 Myrtle about having to leave teaching after she married: you wouldn’t know it now, but I trained as a teacher before a married Stanley. But you can’t be married and a teacher both, so it said. Folks would rather the school house stand empty then to have a married woman in it.
Lily: why is that, do you suppose?
Myrtle: it’s men folk having their way. They’re all afraid won’t be anybody home when they come in for supper. They don’t ever get over needing a mommy.
85 Lily offering to help Lynn with her delivery of her baby, Lynn: ain’t God good? I was praying for an angel just this morning and now here you are, sitting at my kitchen table, bold as brass.
Lily: I don’t know about the angel part, but I do know God meets our needs if we could ask. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avail of much. “That’s from James, I think.
Lynn: that’s my favorite scripture, I can’t believe you just said that! See, you are an angel.
87 Lily Took away important lessons: look for the easiest diagnosis first – it might be as simple as Soum that Mac juice! – And don’t assume a person can win. Actually, don’t assume anything.
223 about lightning bugs, Armina: don’t they make you sad? They’re just so hopefully you know? Spending what little time they have on earth pining for something they probably ain’t gonna get. There’s something more info about this time of day. Antori calls it the gloaming, when the sun setting and everything gets real still – makes me lonesome light. Would you ever set them on the porch on a night like this and heard a train slow whistle for the cool of the morning Dove? It’ll flat out give you the shivers.
358 after Lily gets upset about Tern’s disappearance Ayer a mine explosion, Myrtle tells about losing her 3year old: how could a boy be alive one minute and be gone the next? I never got a satisfactory answer.
Lily: i’m sorry how did you get through it?
Myrtle: you just do. Sorrows a tall mountain you climb 1 inch at a time. You ain’t supposed to do it quick; else you won’t profit from the journey.
Lily: but I don’t want to.
Myrtle: I know. But weren’t he worth it?
Lily: yes, he was. Loving him for this short time was worth every tear, every heartache. It was worth climbing the mountain.
Myrtle: you’ll be surprised with that teach you.
359 Myrtle when Lily tried to aplogize for her outburst about Tern’s disappearance: i’ve had my fill of sorrys.
June 13, 2012
GENRE: HISTORICAL ROMANCE
PUBLISHER: TYNDALE
PUBLICATION DATE: JUNE 01, 2012
RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5 – GOOD
PROS: Heroine is a doctor in a period when this was uncommon; easy and relaxing read; engaging secondary characters and setting
CONS: Took a while to get interested in the story due to slow pace; story often skips large periods of time; romance wasn’t convincing
Despite her fiancé’s disapproval, Doctor Lilly Corbett decides to spend the first six months after graduating from medical school in Boston interning at a rural coal camp in Skip Rock, Kentucky. While her beau, Paul Hamilton, can’t understand why anyone would want to leave the city where he spent most of his life, the part of Kentucky that Lilly grew up in wasn’t all that different from Skip Rock. But no matter how similar an upbringing she had, nothing can prepare her for the reception that awaits her in Skip Rock. The miners believe that a woman in the mines is bad luck, and even the women are reticent to accept her as a trained medical professional. The doctor she was meant to be training with has died just days before she arrived, and to begin with, Lilly can’t wait for her internship to be over. But as she spends more time caring for the people of Skip Rock – setting broken limbs, birthing babies, trekking across rivers for house calls and even stitching up a cow – Lilly becomes accepted as a member of the community, especially when it is revealed that she has relatives there. As she develops a fledging relationship with the mysterious Joe Repp, who bears a striking resemblance to a boy Lilly grew up with, and makes friends with many of the inhabitants of Skip Rock, Lilly can’t help but want to stay in this town and help these people. When she’s offered the chance to remain in Skip Rock after her internship finishes, Lilly has a difficult choice to make – does she do the sensible thing and return to Boston to marry the reliable Paul, or take her chances on Skip Rock and a man with a fake name who is in the town under false pretences?
Considering how many historical romances are released by the CBA every year, you’d think that I’d get bored of this genre, or that authors would run out of original ideas. I’ll admit, every now and then I read a book that seems just a little bit too similar to something I’ve already read, but novels like Skip Rock Shallows prove that authors are not running out of steam when it comes to making their characters unique. Yes, a female doctor has been done before by Mary Connealy, but Doctor in Petticoats and Skip Rock Shallows couldn’t be more different. If Skip Rock Shallows reminded me of anything in particular, it was the writing of Janette Oke. The plot was very slow moving, and not as structured as more recent historical novels, often moving from one episode to another rather than having a particular arc or direction it was heading in. While this isn’t a style of writing that I’m particularly fond of – I prefer more structure to my novels – it did make for an easy, relaxing read. If Oke’s continued popularity has anything to suggest, a lot of readers will be pleased that Skip Rock Shallows contains some of the elements of the older novels in this genre. While I wasn’t aware that Skip Rock Shallows was part of a series until I started reading, I didn’t have any trouble getting to know the characters, and necessary details from other books are summarised without detracting from the current story. I don’t think that you have to read the other Copper Brown novels before starting Skip Rock Shallows, but I’m definitely intrigued to see whether they have the same relaxed pace as this book.
The pacing of the Skip Rock Shallows did make it hard to for me to really become involved in the story to start with. This was an incredibly easy novel to read, but it wasn’t the sort that grabbed my attention within the first few chapters. Initially, it was very easy to put down, and the story didn’t really becoming gripping towards the end of the novel when a mining accident occurred. That said, I did enjoy reading about Lilly’s house calls and the people she met in Skip Rock. All of the secondary characters were engaging and none of them felt like cardboard cut-outs, as can often happen when an author introduces a lot of background characters. I also enjoyed reading about the setting of Skip Rock, and while I found it difficult to imagine the mines, Lilly’s explorations of the wildlife were much more visual. Skip Rock definitely felt real to me by the time I finished this book
Sometimes I found it hard to grasp how Lilly’s character was developing, mainly because the story would skip several weeks or months at a time. While the reader was always told how long had passed since the last chapter, I wasn’t particularly fond of this style of storytelling. It often meant that we were told how friendships had progressed during that time and I sometimes felt that I was missing out on witnessing certain developments. Lucy’s relationship with Joe was similarly treated. They engaged in a couple of conversations – even Lucy and Paul spoke more over the course of the novel, and he spent the majority of it in Boston – and then a few chapters later were declaring their love for each other. (This is a romance novel, so I’m not spoiling the plot. If you don’t know that Lucy and Joe are going to fall for each other from reading the synopsis, you’re probably not too familiar with this genre). I liked Lucy and I liked Joe, but I just wasn’t convinced by the progression of their relationship. There were hints that they’d known each other as children and that meeting again made them fall in love, but I just didn’t buy it. It was far too much “love at first sight” for my liking. I’m afraid the way the romantic aspect of this book was approached was its biggest downfall for me. I wished that Lilly and Joe had spent more time together and really convinced me of their love, but ultimately, I didn’t find their professions of love genuine and this stopped me from really caring about whether they’d get together by the end of the book.
If you’re looking for a book that will grab you from the first page and keep you gripped with suspense and anticipation, Skip Rock Shallows definitely isn’t the one for you. Rather, I’d say this is a good book to read if you know you can’t commit to reading more than a few chapters at the time. It’s easy to put down and later reimmerse yourself in Lilly’s doctoring and explorations of Skip Rock. Lilly’s profession, as well as some of the more unusual characters in the town, were what made this novel really stand out for me, and why I’d recommend it in spite of my personal opinions on the writing style. While I was disappointed in how rushed Lilly and Joe’s relationship was, Skip Rock Shallows is still worth reading for the mining and doctoring details and the secondary characters.
Review title provided by Tyndale.
PUBLISHER: TYNDALE
PUBLICATION DATE: JUNE 01, 2012
RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5 – GOOD
PROS: Heroine is a doctor in a period when this was uncommon; easy and relaxing read; engaging secondary characters and setting
CONS: Took a while to get interested in the story due to slow pace; story often skips large periods of time; romance wasn’t convincing
Despite her fiancé’s disapproval, Doctor Lilly Corbett decides to spend the first six months after graduating from medical school in Boston interning at a rural coal camp in Skip Rock, Kentucky. While her beau, Paul Hamilton, can’t understand why anyone would want to leave the city where he spent most of his life, the part of Kentucky that Lilly grew up in wasn’t all that different from Skip Rock. But no matter how similar an upbringing she had, nothing can prepare her for the reception that awaits her in Skip Rock. The miners believe that a woman in the mines is bad luck, and even the women are reticent to accept her as a trained medical professional. The doctor she was meant to be training with has died just days before she arrived, and to begin with, Lilly can’t wait for her internship to be over. But as she spends more time caring for the people of Skip Rock – setting broken limbs, birthing babies, trekking across rivers for house calls and even stitching up a cow – Lilly becomes accepted as a member of the community, especially when it is revealed that she has relatives there. As she develops a fledging relationship with the mysterious Joe Repp, who bears a striking resemblance to a boy Lilly grew up with, and makes friends with many of the inhabitants of Skip Rock, Lilly can’t help but want to stay in this town and help these people. When she’s offered the chance to remain in Skip Rock after her internship finishes, Lilly has a difficult choice to make – does she do the sensible thing and return to Boston to marry the reliable Paul, or take her chances on Skip Rock and a man with a fake name who is in the town under false pretences?
Considering how many historical romances are released by the CBA every year, you’d think that I’d get bored of this genre, or that authors would run out of original ideas. I’ll admit, every now and then I read a book that seems just a little bit too similar to something I’ve already read, but novels like Skip Rock Shallows prove that authors are not running out of steam when it comes to making their characters unique. Yes, a female doctor has been done before by Mary Connealy, but Doctor in Petticoats and Skip Rock Shallows couldn’t be more different. If Skip Rock Shallows reminded me of anything in particular, it was the writing of Janette Oke. The plot was very slow moving, and not as structured as more recent historical novels, often moving from one episode to another rather than having a particular arc or direction it was heading in. While this isn’t a style of writing that I’m particularly fond of – I prefer more structure to my novels – it did make for an easy, relaxing read. If Oke’s continued popularity has anything to suggest, a lot of readers will be pleased that Skip Rock Shallows contains some of the elements of the older novels in this genre. While I wasn’t aware that Skip Rock Shallows was part of a series until I started reading, I didn’t have any trouble getting to know the characters, and necessary details from other books are summarised without detracting from the current story. I don’t think that you have to read the other Copper Brown novels before starting Skip Rock Shallows, but I’m definitely intrigued to see whether they have the same relaxed pace as this book.
The pacing of the Skip Rock Shallows did make it hard to for me to really become involved in the story to start with. This was an incredibly easy novel to read, but it wasn’t the sort that grabbed my attention within the first few chapters. Initially, it was very easy to put down, and the story didn’t really becoming gripping towards the end of the novel when a mining accident occurred. That said, I did enjoy reading about Lilly’s house calls and the people she met in Skip Rock. All of the secondary characters were engaging and none of them felt like cardboard cut-outs, as can often happen when an author introduces a lot of background characters. I also enjoyed reading about the setting of Skip Rock, and while I found it difficult to imagine the mines, Lilly’s explorations of the wildlife were much more visual. Skip Rock definitely felt real to me by the time I finished this book
Sometimes I found it hard to grasp how Lilly’s character was developing, mainly because the story would skip several weeks or months at a time. While the reader was always told how long had passed since the last chapter, I wasn’t particularly fond of this style of storytelling. It often meant that we were told how friendships had progressed during that time and I sometimes felt that I was missing out on witnessing certain developments. Lucy’s relationship with Joe was similarly treated. They engaged in a couple of conversations – even Lucy and Paul spoke more over the course of the novel, and he spent the majority of it in Boston – and then a few chapters later were declaring their love for each other. (This is a romance novel, so I’m not spoiling the plot. If you don’t know that Lucy and Joe are going to fall for each other from reading the synopsis, you’re probably not too familiar with this genre). I liked Lucy and I liked Joe, but I just wasn’t convinced by the progression of their relationship. There were hints that they’d known each other as children and that meeting again made them fall in love, but I just didn’t buy it. It was far too much “love at first sight” for my liking. I’m afraid the way the romantic aspect of this book was approached was its biggest downfall for me. I wished that Lilly and Joe had spent more time together and really convinced me of their love, but ultimately, I didn’t find their professions of love genuine and this stopped me from really caring about whether they’d get together by the end of the book.
If you’re looking for a book that will grab you from the first page and keep you gripped with suspense and anticipation, Skip Rock Shallows definitely isn’t the one for you. Rather, I’d say this is a good book to read if you know you can’t commit to reading more than a few chapters at the time. It’s easy to put down and later reimmerse yourself in Lilly’s doctoring and explorations of Skip Rock. Lilly’s profession, as well as some of the more unusual characters in the town, were what made this novel really stand out for me, and why I’d recommend it in spite of my personal opinions on the writing style. While I was disappointed in how rushed Lilly and Joe’s relationship was, Skip Rock Shallows is still worth reading for the mining and doctoring details and the secondary characters.
Review title provided by Tyndale.
June 19, 2012
5.0 out of 5 stars Jan Watson's Skip Rock Shallows, c2012, June 10, 2012
This review is from: Skip Rock Shallows (Paperback)
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Jan Watson's Skip Rock Shallows, c2012
Coal Miners c1908
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.
Jonah 2:6
Skip Rock Shallows: Lilly Gray Corbett has just graduated from medical school and decided to accept an internship in the coal camp of Skip Rock, Kentucky. Her beau, Paul, is doing his residency in Boston and can't understand why Lilly would choose to work in a backwater town. But having grown up in the mountains, Lilly is drawn to the stubborn, superstitious people she encounters in Skip Rock--a town where people live hard and die harder and where women know their place. Lilly soon learns she has a lot to overcome, but after saving the life of a young miner, she begins to earn the residents' trust.
As Lilly becomes torn between joining Paul in Boston and her love for the people of Skip Rock, she crosses paths with a handsome miner--one who seems oddly familiar. Her attraction for him grows, even as she wrestles with her feelings and wonders what he's hiding.
.
My Review:
I have read all of Jan Watson's novels, except one which I have and will be going back to read. I first saw her books at our local library when I was reshelving sections being moved to other shelves. The one that caught my eye? Willow Springs. Just happens to be the new community we had just moved to... in Missouri.
I like Jan Watson's style of writing very much. As I was reading, I felt like I was looking in alongside the daily activity and thoughts of each one as they lived it. I feel this is a great accomplishment in a story separate from the telling.
Lilly's love of the people beyond their acceptance of her, charts her course as a surprise connection is unintentionally mentioned in conversation. She feels right at home, although missing her Troublesome Creek home. How will she be able to move to Boston and leave her heart behind? Her medical internship is turning into an unexpected adventure. I have a missing part here! Here are the books before Skip Rock Shallows. Still House Pond is the novel I will be going back to read! I ordered and received it just before Skip Rock Shallows came. I need to find out how Lilly felt about her time with her Aunt Alice in the city and how she chose to go to Skip Rock when she was newly engaged.
Still House Pond: Lilly Gray Corbett loves living on Troublesome Creek, but she would much rather play with her best friend than watch her little brother and the twins. Her mama, Copper, is often gone helping to birth babies, and Lilly has to stay home. When Aunt Alice sends a note inviting her to visit in the city, Lilly is excited to go, and Copper reluctantly agrees to let her. Later, when they hear the news that the train crashed, Copper and her husband, John, rush to find out if their daughter is injured . . . or even alive.
Sweetwater Run: In 1891 in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, two young women stand at a crossroads. Both are protégées of the same mentor, Copper Brown, yet they couldn't be more different. Darcy Whitt falls in love with the town's handsome yet unscrupulous attorney who plots to take not only Darcy's land but that of her sister as well.
Meanwhile, her beautiful sister-in-law, Cara Whitt, suddenly finds herself alone and afraid, living in a rickety cabin on the backside of nowhere. As they struggle with the realities of life, both women learn to rely on their faith above all else.
Torrent Falls: The year is 1888; Copper is a young widow with a baby trying to make a go of the ramshackle farm she received from her father in Troublesome Creek. Copper's life seems as dilapidated as the farm as she struggles to come to terms with her shattered world. Desperate to rekindle the easy faith she had as a child, she searches for peace and God's direction in the serenity of the Kentucky mountains. Further complicating her life is a budding romance with John Pelfrey, Copper's long ago sweetheart. Once sure she could never love again, Copper gives her heart to John only to face betrayal. A skilled midwife, Copper is challenged in many ways as she ministers to the women of eastern Kentucky. Always a believer, Copper still has much to learn as she grows in wisdom and in faith.
Willow Springs: The year is 1883 and following a whirlwind courtship, seventeen-year-old Copper Brown finds herself living in the bustling city of Lexington, KY, far away from her beloved mountain home, newly married to a man she barely knows. Having been raised to put her trust in God, Copper sets out to find a purpose for this new life that she'd never imagined.
Troublesome Creek: A charming historical novel set in the late 1800s. Born and raised in the hills of Kentucky, Laura "Copper" Grace loves the wilderness of her home in Troublesome Creek. But when her stepmother threatens to send her away to boarding school to become a lady, Copper faces the possibility of losing everything that is precious to her. Copper must come to terms with her family and discover the true meaning of home. Nothing can drag her off the mountain, until the day she realizes that God has other plans for her life.
Each of Jan Watson's novels are like walking alongside. I look forward to reading more of them!
Jan's award winning historical novels, are uniquely set in the Appalachian Mountains. In all her books, she artfully draws on the folklore and culture of times long past to create colorful characters living their faith in a world that offers comfort and peril in equal measure. Jan lives in Lexington, Kentucky.
I received this copy of Skip Rock Shallows from Tyndale in exchange for this review in my own words! Thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
This review is from: Skip Rock Shallows (Paperback)
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Jan Watson's Skip Rock Shallows, c2012
Coal Miners c1908
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.
Jonah 2:6
Skip Rock Shallows: Lilly Gray Corbett has just graduated from medical school and decided to accept an internship in the coal camp of Skip Rock, Kentucky. Her beau, Paul, is doing his residency in Boston and can't understand why Lilly would choose to work in a backwater town. But having grown up in the mountains, Lilly is drawn to the stubborn, superstitious people she encounters in Skip Rock--a town where people live hard and die harder and where women know their place. Lilly soon learns she has a lot to overcome, but after saving the life of a young miner, she begins to earn the residents' trust.
As Lilly becomes torn between joining Paul in Boston and her love for the people of Skip Rock, she crosses paths with a handsome miner--one who seems oddly familiar. Her attraction for him grows, even as she wrestles with her feelings and wonders what he's hiding.
.
My Review:
I have read all of Jan Watson's novels, except one which I have and will be going back to read. I first saw her books at our local library when I was reshelving sections being moved to other shelves. The one that caught my eye? Willow Springs. Just happens to be the new community we had just moved to... in Missouri.
I like Jan Watson's style of writing very much. As I was reading, I felt like I was looking in alongside the daily activity and thoughts of each one as they lived it. I feel this is a great accomplishment in a story separate from the telling.
Lilly's love of the people beyond their acceptance of her, charts her course as a surprise connection is unintentionally mentioned in conversation. She feels right at home, although missing her Troublesome Creek home. How will she be able to move to Boston and leave her heart behind? Her medical internship is turning into an unexpected adventure. I have a missing part here! Here are the books before Skip Rock Shallows. Still House Pond is the novel I will be going back to read! I ordered and received it just before Skip Rock Shallows came. I need to find out how Lilly felt about her time with her Aunt Alice in the city and how she chose to go to Skip Rock when she was newly engaged.
Still House Pond: Lilly Gray Corbett loves living on Troublesome Creek, but she would much rather play with her best friend than watch her little brother and the twins. Her mama, Copper, is often gone helping to birth babies, and Lilly has to stay home. When Aunt Alice sends a note inviting her to visit in the city, Lilly is excited to go, and Copper reluctantly agrees to let her. Later, when they hear the news that the train crashed, Copper and her husband, John, rush to find out if their daughter is injured . . . or even alive.
Sweetwater Run: In 1891 in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, two young women stand at a crossroads. Both are protégées of the same mentor, Copper Brown, yet they couldn't be more different. Darcy Whitt falls in love with the town's handsome yet unscrupulous attorney who plots to take not only Darcy's land but that of her sister as well.
Meanwhile, her beautiful sister-in-law, Cara Whitt, suddenly finds herself alone and afraid, living in a rickety cabin on the backside of nowhere. As they struggle with the realities of life, both women learn to rely on their faith above all else.
Torrent Falls: The year is 1888; Copper is a young widow with a baby trying to make a go of the ramshackle farm she received from her father in Troublesome Creek. Copper's life seems as dilapidated as the farm as she struggles to come to terms with her shattered world. Desperate to rekindle the easy faith she had as a child, she searches for peace and God's direction in the serenity of the Kentucky mountains. Further complicating her life is a budding romance with John Pelfrey, Copper's long ago sweetheart. Once sure she could never love again, Copper gives her heart to John only to face betrayal. A skilled midwife, Copper is challenged in many ways as she ministers to the women of eastern Kentucky. Always a believer, Copper still has much to learn as she grows in wisdom and in faith.
Willow Springs: The year is 1883 and following a whirlwind courtship, seventeen-year-old Copper Brown finds herself living in the bustling city of Lexington, KY, far away from her beloved mountain home, newly married to a man she barely knows. Having been raised to put her trust in God, Copper sets out to find a purpose for this new life that she'd never imagined.
Troublesome Creek: A charming historical novel set in the late 1800s. Born and raised in the hills of Kentucky, Laura "Copper" Grace loves the wilderness of her home in Troublesome Creek. But when her stepmother threatens to send her away to boarding school to become a lady, Copper faces the possibility of losing everything that is precious to her. Copper must come to terms with her family and discover the true meaning of home. Nothing can drag her off the mountain, until the day she realizes that God has other plans for her life.
Each of Jan Watson's novels are like walking alongside. I look forward to reading more of them!
Jan's award winning historical novels, are uniquely set in the Appalachian Mountains. In all her books, she artfully draws on the folklore and culture of times long past to create colorful characters living their faith in a world that offers comfort and peril in equal measure. Jan lives in Lexington, Kentucky.
I received this copy of Skip Rock Shallows from Tyndale in exchange for this review in my own words! Thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
October 29, 2018
Strong characters even if the heroine is a bit too good and naive to be believed. Set in Kentucky, very rural backwoods Kentucky, at a turn of the century coal mine. Bad guys own the mine and want it mined despite the dangers; good guys want to be safe, raise their families, and do the kinds of things we all want to do.
Enter the heroine, a young doctor just out of residency, from another backwoods part of Kentucky. And her hero, a young man working for the government to make the mines safer but who falls afoul of the miners who think he's a "company man." Who also just happens to be from the same tiny town as the heroine.
A bit heavy on coincidence, to be sure. But despite that, a good read.
Enter the heroine, a young doctor just out of residency, from another backwoods part of Kentucky. And her hero, a young man working for the government to make the mines safer but who falls afoul of the miners who think he's a "company man." Who also just happens to be from the same tiny town as the heroine.
A bit heavy on coincidence, to be sure. But despite that, a good read.
October 3, 2018
This is the 6th book of a Christian Historical series set in Kentucky in the late 1800’s. I didn’t realize until recently that a couple of new books had been added so I’m catching up. The series starts with the 3 Troublesome Creek books which follow Copper and her family from teenager to marriage and becoming a midwife. Then it continues with the Copper Brown books that follow her daughter, Lilly, who becomes a doctor. A charming, wholesome series with endearing characters that I’ve enjoyed.
November 1, 2017
Clean Christian hose novel
I loved this book, this series has been precious to me such wonderful godly characters and the story line is wonderful. I hate to end this book on coppers life. This series has been wonderful. I recommend this author and any or all of these books. Lord bless you for writing them.
I loved this book, this series has been precious to me such wonderful godly characters and the story line is wonderful. I hate to end this book on coppers life. This series has been wonderful. I recommend this author and any or all of these books. Lord bless you for writing them.
April 8, 2018
And on it goes
The story continues but goes deeper into the backwoods of KY. Lilly has her job cut out for her just trying to be accepted as a newcomer, throw in that she is a woman doctor, and she will never find her place amongst these hill people. They don't take to strangers and they don't take to change!
The story continues but goes deeper into the backwoods of KY. Lilly has her job cut out for her just trying to be accepted as a newcomer, throw in that she is a woman doctor, and she will never find her place amongst these hill people. They don't take to strangers and they don't take to change!
April 7, 2020
Inspirational
As Jan writes about Lilly, now all grown up as the doctor she wanted to be. She faces challenges that her medical training did not teach. Lilly faced rejection by the town’s people in the small coal mining town where she agreed to go for internship. The old mining doctor had died before she arrives. Being a stranger, and a woman she had a lot to overcome!
As Jan writes about Lilly, now all grown up as the doctor she wanted to be. She faces challenges that her medical training did not teach. Lilly faced rejection by the town’s people in the small coal mining town where she agreed to go for internship. The old mining doctor had died before she arrives. Being a stranger, and a woman she had a lot to overcome!
February 1, 2021
A story of suffering, danger and love
A young doctor signs on with a coal mining company soon after finishing medical school. Her life aspirations change after she left realizes she is badly needed there. Even her love interest changes. A lovely story about a dedicated Christian woman.
A young doctor signs on with a coal mining company soon after finishing medical school. Her life aspirations change after she left realizes she is badly needed there. Even her love interest changes. A lovely story about a dedicated Christian woman.
August 30, 2021
A comfort book
Some books you read for a mystery, some to learn from and some like this book and it’s series, are definitely comfort books they just make you feel good renewing your faith and feeling sad when it ends. They are wonderful books and the author is a genuine story teller. I’m looking for it’s sequel now
Some books you read for a mystery, some to learn from and some like this book and it’s series, are definitely comfort books they just make you feel good renewing your faith and feeling sad when it ends. They are wonderful books and the author is a genuine story teller. I’m looking for it’s sequel now
November 8, 2022
3.5 stars. I didn’t realize this was a continuation of an earlier series and that made it difficult to figure out what was going on at first, since it kept alluding to previous events. I did enjoy this story about a spunky young doctor who comes to love her life and practice in the coal mining community of Skip Rock.
January 22, 2023
Excellent book. Good series. All the books I have read with 3 generations of ladies have been great. This one has typical mountain heritage that makes Jan Watson books original. She always has a Christian atmosphere and the salvation of Jesus Christ in all her books. The entire book was good but the ending was great. Very enjoyable.
September 13, 2023
Jan Watson is a new-to-me author and I am so glad I found this book! The story has everything that a great story should, engaging characters, a bit of humor, some suspense, romance, and woven throughout—faith. I also enjoyed the historical details. I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars! Looking forward to reading more from Jan Watson!
November 20, 2023
Tern and Lilly
This is filled with excitement and adventure. A coal mining town with all of the love of the families, the lack of everyday things and the lost and then found years later again. You will enjoy discovering how Tern and Lilly find and rekindle their love and happily ever after.
This is filled with excitement and adventure. A coal mining town with all of the love of the families, the lack of everyday things and the lost and then found years later again. You will enjoy discovering how Tern and Lilly find and rekindle their love and happily ever after.
April 2, 2019
Jan Watson captured my interest because as a young girl I lived near Lexington. My Mom and I have been avid reader's of Jan's books. Skip Rock Shallows depicts the struggle of young girls to succeed. Loved it ❤️
September 16, 2020
I have book once before and enjoyed it. Coming back and scanning it again was a fun review.
I have read this book once before and coming back to it was a fun review . Now on to the next book.
I have read this book once before and coming back to it was a fun review . Now on to the next book.
September 19, 2020
This was a lovely book. Possibly my favorite from this author. I loved seeing Lilly all grown up as a doctor and every bit as strong and caring as her mother. I only wish there had been a book about her time in Lexington as a medical student.
August 30, 2023
Wonderful
I loved the characters and the setting, how alive it was. I could see it all in my head, it was so well written. The people didn't have much, but were kind and generous for the most part.
Can't wait to start book two!
I loved the characters and the setting, how alive it was. I could see it all in my head, it was so well written. The people didn't have much, but were kind and generous for the most part.
Can't wait to start book two!
May 25, 2018
Enjoyed the characters and the setting. Romance seemed to appear abruptly rather than grow, though.
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