You and Kelly share something special. I'd like to find my soul mate, too. Starting over in Chestnut Grove with an infant was such a major life change. At first, I wasn't sure if I was ready to move on, but it was time to stop dwelling on the past, so I took Kelly's advice and registered with a singles' Web site. I met the nicest e-mail buddy, but I also like your new assistant pastor, Scott Crosby. So, big brother, maybe this Thanksgiving we can all give thanks for our blessings―large and small.
New York Times bestselling author Terri Reed’s romance and romantic suspense novels have appeared on Publishers Weekly top 10 Romance Mass Market Paperback and Publishers Weekly top 10 Religion Fiction, Nielsen’s Bookscan top 50, Amazon #1 Bestseller, featured in USA Today and a Fresh Pick at FreshFiction.com. Her 2016 novel, A Family Under the Christmas Tree, was adapted into the Hallmark movie and retitled Picture a Perfect Christmas. She resides in the Pacific Northwest with her college-sweetheart husband and when not writing, she enjoys agility with her Australian shepherd. For updates about Terri and her books sign up for her newsletter https://bit.ly/3Ihz48q Be sure to follow Terri on BookBub for updates on her new releases https://www.bookbub.com/authors/terri...
There were a few cute parts to this book, but overall, I was not impressed.
A lot of the subplots were left with untied threads. I kept looking in the front and back of the book to see if this was part of a bigger series. From what I could see on Goodreads, the Love Inspired “A Tiny Blessings Tale” series are all standalones, though several are from the Chestnut Grove fictional town, as well as a few other of Terri Reed's Love Inspired books.
But that still doesn't explain why so many of the supporting characters had their own very dramatic backstories mentioned. If they are not the main characters, I don't care why they do what they do, unless that motive has a direct impact on the main plot. These didn't.
And I did not like the hint of suspense that was brought in but not alluded to in any of the marketing. I don't do suspense. The telephone call with someone crying and the cut brake lines did not belong in this supposedly sweet romance. And the car brakes were never explained. So unnecessary.
The romance was cute, and of course the last chapter was a great, heart-warming moment. But it still ended too early for me. Couldn't we have had a kiss, a proposal, a wedding, something?
There were a couple of inconsistencies, as well. One was that Scott didn't realize that Trista was the woman he was texting, Momof1. He doesn't find out until the last chapter. But in chapter 5, after he texted Momof1, it says, “And he'd serve Trista as best he could and keep emotionally detached, no matter what.”
Another inconsistency was in chapter 6 when Trista left the church. It says, “It wasn't Kevin walking into the sanctuary but an older woman with red hair and kind eyes.” It's revealed that this Naomi. But in chapter 11, Trista recognizes her, “wishing she had half as much energy as Naomi.” And Naomi greets her, “Trista, it's so nice to see you again.” Maybe I missed it, but as far as I could tell, there was no record of Trista and Naomi ever being introduced between these two chapters.
In addition, in the second part of chapter 10, Scott's appearance is described to us yet again, as if “his blond All-American good looks” was important enough to repeat. And I still have no idea why we needed to know that “she could picture him on some tropical beach with a surfboard in hand.”
I also disagreed with Scott, a pastor, pursuing a divorced woman whose ex-husband was very much alive. I personally don't agree with remarriage, though divorce must sometimes be an option, as was shown in Lynda's case. I'm not sure Trista's ex could be accused of abuse, though of course he wasn't being a loving husband. And he divorced Trista, which she probably couldn't help. But that doesn't make it right.
I will not be reading this story again, so I must rate it low.
(I received this book for free in a giveaway. The decision to write a review, as well as the opinions expressed in it, are all my own. I was not compensated for this review.)
Divorced mom tries to fit in at new location. An online singles group helps her make friends. She meets Pastor Scott at a bookstore. Part of a series. This book left me with questions of other characters.
The main characters were very likeable but all the references to other tiny blessing books were confusing. I would like to read the last book to see what happens to Linda
ok, this was another difficult book for me to get thru, altho, not quite as bad as "Healing Touch".
my ex-husband is/was a combination of 2 of the semi-main characters in this book, and worse. like the wife of one of one of those characters, i stayed in the marriage WAY too long. partially because i didn't have much self-worth of my own, and partially because i had a priest tell me i had to. that whole til-death-do-you-part thing. anyway ...
my current husband is on his way home right now after having been gone on a mission trip for 6 days w/ 2 of our daughters. i think i'm going to appreciate him upon his return even more than i originally anticipated, after having read this book!
amazing what a simple little story can do for a soul, huh?!
good, quick, uplifting (there IS a happy ending to the story! the book's AND mine!) book
This was a sweet little story. I liked that Trista and Scott were able to help each other come to a place of understanding with their respective parents. I also liked the bit of mystery that was added to the book. Since the next book is the last in the series, I look forward to finding out if I'm right about who has been wreaking havoc upon the Tiny Blessings Adoption agency.
Trista and Scott are very enjoyable characters, and the way in which they both change and grow during the course of the book is wonderful. In addition to a sweet romance, other issues tackled in the book are abuse, custody battles, Alzheimer's, and family relationships and traditions.
Kelly has moved to Chestnut Grove with her son after her divorce. Scott is an assistant pastor and feels he should reconcile Kelly and her former husband. Can a life of family teasing be a blessing or curse as Scott explores his feeling for Kelly.