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Chatsworth #1
Small-Town Girl
Will a small-town solution work for a big-city girl?
After her son is seriously injured in a car accident, Julie Matthew wants two things: for him to regain his health and for her family to return to normal. What a shock when she learns that Russell, her husband, sees normal as a rut. His solution? To move their family from Vancouver back to the tiny rural town in Saskatchewan where he grew up.
It's for the sake of their child, he claims, and a guilty conscience leads Julie, who loves big cities, to go along with his plan. But once in Chatsworth, she begins to suspect that Russell has his own interests at heart. Especially after she sees him and his former girlfriend together at the school where they'll both be teaching.
And that's not the only surprise her husband has for her!
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2003
5 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Carmichael
108 books838 followersUSA Today bestselling author C. J. Carmichael has written over 50 novels, including two mystery series, as well as romance and women’s fiction. Three of her novels have been nominated for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, including A Bramble House Christmas. A film version of A Bramble House Christmas premiered as a Hallmark Mystery movie in 2017.
Married, with two grown daughters and some adorable grandchildren, C. J. and her husband and their Welsh Springer Jazz divide their time between their home in Calgary, Alberta and the family cottage on Flathead Lake, Montana. C.J. enjoys giving workshops to aspiring authors--her talk on writing a Christmas story is a favorite.
Visit C.J.'s website at http://CJCarmichael.com
For information on C. J.’s new releases and giveaways please sign up for her newsletter.
https://cjcarmichael.com/contact/#sub...
Married, with two grown daughters and some adorable grandchildren, C. J. and her husband and their Welsh Springer Jazz divide their time between their home in Calgary, Alberta and the family cottage on Flathead Lake, Montana. C.J. enjoys giving workshops to aspiring authors--her talk on writing a Christmas story is a favorite.
Visit C.J.'s website at http://CJCarmichael.com
For information on C. J.’s new releases and giveaways please sign up for her newsletter.
https://cjcarmichael.com/contact/#sub...
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 11, 2015
I can tell you one thing, if my husband started associating with his ex girlfriend, no matter what the background story, I wouldn't be so fucking nice about it. He'd have a black eye.
This didn't seem like a real life scenario with how "nice" the characters acted...
This didn't seem like a real life scenario with how "nice" the characters acted...
April 28, 2013
I loved this romance. Author C.J. Carmichael has a gift for capturing the heart of the challenges of life that bring her characters vividly alive. Love doesn't suddenly get perfect at the altar, despite the idealism of fiction. Romance authors are catching on, however, as Carmichael so gracefully demonstrates.
The novel begins with married professionals Julie and Russell Matthew living the good life in Vancouver, Canada. Their priorities shift almost immediately when their 9-year-old son Ben is seriously injured in a car accident. Ben is left in a coma and faces months of slow recovery when he awakens. The issues that the couple has buried deeply surface when Russell suddenly announces that he’s quit his job as a university professor and wants to move back to the small town of Saltspring in Saskatchewan where he was born and raised. Naturally, Julie, a designer with a promising career at a home décor magazine, is angry and resentful that Russell’s made this decision without consulting her first.
Julie, raised in London, thrives on city life. How will she adapt to life in a small town? Her in-laws aren’t exactly welcoming, particularly her mother-in-law Betty, who is annoying as a character but very realistic; the little disputes that she and Julie get into are familiar to many. What Julie doesn’t realize is that Russell’s ex-girlfriend Heather will be teaching at the school where Russell will also be teaching, and now Julie is confronted with unexpected challenges and surprises.
Seeing Julie adapt to small town life is very nice; it doesn’t happen immediately, but she carves a niche for herself. The couple learn that even a decade of marriage doesn’t prepare you for dealing with past secrets, present mistakes, and personal insecurities. The characters, while somewhat colorful, are all very believable. I would love to read a sequel to this book.
The novel begins with married professionals Julie and Russell Matthew living the good life in Vancouver, Canada. Their priorities shift almost immediately when their 9-year-old son Ben is seriously injured in a car accident. Ben is left in a coma and faces months of slow recovery when he awakens. The issues that the couple has buried deeply surface when Russell suddenly announces that he’s quit his job as a university professor and wants to move back to the small town of Saltspring in Saskatchewan where he was born and raised. Naturally, Julie, a designer with a promising career at a home décor magazine, is angry and resentful that Russell’s made this decision without consulting her first.
Julie, raised in London, thrives on city life. How will she adapt to life in a small town? Her in-laws aren’t exactly welcoming, particularly her mother-in-law Betty, who is annoying as a character but very realistic; the little disputes that she and Julie get into are familiar to many. What Julie doesn’t realize is that Russell’s ex-girlfriend Heather will be teaching at the school where Russell will also be teaching, and now Julie is confronted with unexpected challenges and surprises.
Seeing Julie adapt to small town life is very nice; it doesn’t happen immediately, but she carves a niche for herself. The couple learn that even a decade of marriage doesn’t prepare you for dealing with past secrets, present mistakes, and personal insecurities. The characters, while somewhat colorful, are all very believable. I would love to read a sequel to this book.
April 21, 2023
I enjoyed this book I enjoyed the characters.Julie and Russell have a son called Ben who is seriously injured after a car accident.julie feels like things won't get back to normal can this family save their marriage and be supportive and help Ben with his recovery I loved the ending a wonderful book about things that go wrong one day doesn't mean it has to go wrong every day.
September 19, 2018
Such a good book. This is book right up my ally, I can’t pass up the marriage in trouble trope.
May 30, 2015
What a beautiful gift this book was!!!
It really shows how sometimes we took some things for granted until something shakes us to the bones, opening eyes to appreciate the world surrounding us and its often present but sometimes ignored treasures.
It really shows how sometimes we took some things for granted until something shakes us to the bones, opening eyes to appreciate the world surrounding us and its often present but sometimes ignored treasures.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews