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Love Train #9
Talulla
Will returning home bring Talulla the peace that’s eluded her for half her life?
Ten-year-old Talulla watched in horror as her beloved older brother fell through the ice while trying to save her. Thanks to the quick actions of Max, her brother’s closest friend, she survived. Her brother didn’t. When she overhears Max tell her father that she’s to blame, Talulla feels betrayed by the two people she thought she could most trust.
Unable to bear their disappointment, she begs to be sent to a boarding school halfway across the country, and in twelve years she’s never looked back. Until now.
Widowed father Max is traveling home with his seven-year-old daughter. When a bad case of travel sickness overtakes the little girl, Max turns to the conductor for help. When the man finds a passenger willing to share her Pullman section, Max is relieved until he discovers his daughter’s benefactor is Talulla, a woman who abandoned her own father and whose last words to Max were an impassioned I hate you.
Can these two find a way to push past their mutual distrust to regain the friendship they once shared. And perhaps something more…
Ten-year-old Talulla watched in horror as her beloved older brother fell through the ice while trying to save her. Thanks to the quick actions of Max, her brother’s closest friend, she survived. Her brother didn’t. When she overhears Max tell her father that she’s to blame, Talulla feels betrayed by the two people she thought she could most trust.
Unable to bear their disappointment, she begs to be sent to a boarding school halfway across the country, and in twelve years she’s never looked back. Until now.
Widowed father Max is traveling home with his seven-year-old daughter. When a bad case of travel sickness overtakes the little girl, Max turns to the conductor for help. When the man finds a passenger willing to share her Pullman section, Max is relieved until he discovers his daughter’s benefactor is Talulla, a woman who abandoned her own father and whose last words to Max were an impassioned I hate you.
Can these two find a way to push past their mutual distrust to regain the friendship they once shared. And perhaps something more…
172 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2022
46 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Winnie Griggs
68 books246 followersWinnie Griggs grew up in south Louisiana in an undeveloped area her friends thought of as the very back of beyond. With her two younger siblings and another family of two siblings for playmates, she spent many an hour exploring the overgrown land around her home, cutting jungle trails, building forts and frontier camps, and looking for pirate ships on the nearby bayou.
Once she ‘grew up’ she found other outlets for dealing with all those wonderful, adventurous imaginary friends by filling notebooks with their stories. And somewhere along the way, those scribblings gave way to full length stories.
Eventually she found her own Prince Charming, a rancher whose white steed takes the form of a tractor and whose kingdom is situated in a small rural community that she loves to call home, and together they’ve built their own storybook happily-ever-after. Their lives together expanded to include four now grown children who share Winnie’s vivid imagination and her husband’s steadier influences and are now out in the world pursuing their own adventures.
Winnie shares her stories with readers through her writings for Love Inspired and Love Inspired Historical books. You can learn more about Winnie at www.winniegriggs.com
Once she ‘grew up’ she found other outlets for dealing with all those wonderful, adventurous imaginary friends by filling notebooks with their stories. And somewhere along the way, those scribblings gave way to full length stories.
Eventually she found her own Prince Charming, a rancher whose white steed takes the form of a tractor and whose kingdom is situated in a small rural community that she loves to call home, and together they’ve built their own storybook happily-ever-after. Their lives together expanded to include four now grown children who share Winnie’s vivid imagination and her husband’s steadier influences and are now out in the world pursuing their own adventures.
Winnie shares her stories with readers through her writings for Love Inspired and Love Inspired Historical books. You can learn more about Winnie at www.winniegriggs.com
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 9, 2022
Talulla is going home to retrieve a valuable and sentimental heirloom from her estranged father's home. As a result of a family tragedy, which she feels she has been blamed for, she has stayed away from her father for half of her life. Who should she meet on the train but a long-lost childhood friend, Max, and his precocious 7 year old daughter. The kindly and well-meaning conductor and part-time matchmaker, Henry, puts the two of them together so as to ease the little girl's travel sickness. Max is the last person she wanted to encounter but she is enchanted with the little girl. The gist of the story is three people (father, daughter and former childhood friend) painfully and slowly undoing years of misunderstanding. Max and Talulla realize they have a special chemistry together, in spite of their past and the story unfolds with quiet drama and suspense as they seek to reconcile. Again, this is another stellar effort in the Love Train Series, Book 9, and one not to be missed.
January 16, 2023
Misconceptions
Talulla was ten years old when her brother, who was five years older than her, died by trying to save a kitten. Talulla blamed herself and thought that her father and her brother's best friend Max, also blamed her. She talked her father into letting her go to a boarding school a few years after the accident and eventually became a music teacher at the school. When she turned 22, her father sent her a train ticket for her to go home to receive her mother's pearl necklace. Once she was situated in the Pullman car, Henry, the conductor, asked her if she would mind allowing a little girl who wasn't feeling well to spend time in her Pullman car so she could get some better rest. Of course, Talulla agreed and welcomed the little girl. When she sees who the girl's father is, she gets mixed feelings. It turns out that she's helping to take care of Max's daughter. This story is sweet and shows how quickly people, no matter the age, can perceive things incorrectly. It's also difficult to accept that you might be wrong. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did.
Talulla was ten years old when her brother, who was five years older than her, died by trying to save a kitten. Talulla blamed herself and thought that her father and her brother's best friend Max, also blamed her. She talked her father into letting her go to a boarding school a few years after the accident and eventually became a music teacher at the school. When she turned 22, her father sent her a train ticket for her to go home to receive her mother's pearl necklace. Once she was situated in the Pullman car, Henry, the conductor, asked her if she would mind allowing a little girl who wasn't feeling well to spend time in her Pullman car so she could get some better rest. Of course, Talulla agreed and welcomed the little girl. When she sees who the girl's father is, she gets mixed feelings. It turns out that she's helping to take care of Max's daughter. This story is sweet and shows how quickly people, no matter the age, can perceive things incorrectly. It's also difficult to accept that you might be wrong. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did.
March 14, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed Talulla by Winnie Griggs. A childhood tragedy combined with a misunderstanding stemming from that tragedy caused Talulla (Tally) to leave home for a Philadelphia music school. But now she's returning to claim an inheritance and face her father. She's always believed he blamed her for that fateful. The same with her childhood friend, Max. But when she meets up with Max and his musically talented daughter, Bonnie, on the train, Tally re-examines that fateful day and wonders if she's been wrong all these years.
Tally is filled with guilt over the loss of her brother and longing for her father to forgive her, even love her. And Max is hoping she forgives him for the part he played in her brother's death. I really felt sorry for these two. Losing a brother and a best friend at a young age is hard, but I liked the way they bonded together over Max's daughter and came to the a point where they could forgive and embrace the future. A sweet, sometimes heart-wrenching, story you'll enjoy!
Tally is filled with guilt over the loss of her brother and longing for her father to forgive her, even love her. And Max is hoping she forgives him for the part he played in her brother's death. I really felt sorry for these two. Losing a brother and a best friend at a young age is hard, but I liked the way they bonded together over Max's daughter and came to the a point where they could forgive and embrace the future. A sweet, sometimes heart-wrenching, story you'll enjoy!
September 20, 2024
Eavesdroppers never hear anything good about themselves!
For as kind, considerate and patient as Tally can be, she can also be stubborn and blinkered. She allows her own feelings of guilt and grief to overshadow every interaction with her father and a number of those with Max too! Thankfully Bonnie softens every one of Tally's defenses and also her sharp edges. It is lovely to see Tally, Max and Bonnie as they spend time together and become a family. A lovely train journey with Henry and his less than subtle matchmaking. I read this on Kindle Unlimited.
For as kind, considerate and patient as Tally can be, she can also be stubborn and blinkered. She allows her own feelings of guilt and grief to overshadow every interaction with her father and a number of those with Max too! Thankfully Bonnie softens every one of Tally's defenses and also her sharp edges. It is lovely to see Tally, Max and Bonnie as they spend time together and become a family. A lovely train journey with Henry and his less than subtle matchmaking. I read this on Kindle Unlimited.
August 3, 2022
Sweet
Max and Tally made a beautiful couple. Bonnie is a very intelligent and insightful little girl. I'm surely happy they found their way to each other after so much misunderstandings. Hopefully Rupert can find a life, it's so unreasonable that these men didn't find love and companionship after their wives died at such early years in their lives. Give them some joy. A very sweet read.
Max and Tally made a beautiful couple. Bonnie is a very intelligent and insightful little girl. I'm surely happy they found their way to each other after so much misunderstandings. Hopefully Rupert can find a life, it's so unreasonable that these men didn't find love and companionship after their wives died at such early years in their lives. Give them some joy. A very sweet read.
August 3, 2022
I felt like crying for Tally, Max and Mr. Alden. The hurts and misunderstandings in the mind of 10 year-old Tally have had lasting effects on all three. Lack of communication has allowed the estrangement to grow. Winnie Griggs has done an wonderful job in showing how such a misunderstanding can hurt in unexpected ways.
September 25, 2022
Enjoyable
The main take away from this novel is the importance of communication and being honest in your relationships. So much can be lost when you don’t ask or listen to others and rely on your own thoughts of how things are. How wonderful to have such wisdom played out in the form of a good story.
The main take away from this novel is the importance of communication and being honest in your relationships. So much can be lost when you don’t ask or listen to others and rely on your own thoughts of how things are. How wonderful to have such wisdom played out in the form of a good story.
October 24, 2022
Everything I expect in a Winnie Griggs novel.
By now I have read several of the Love Train books in this series. I have loved Ms Griggs' for years. This is one of the best I've read. I liked the forgiveness theme throughout. Forgiveness of others and forgiveness of self. As always, MS Griggs has given me reading pleasure and plenty to think about.
By now I have read several of the Love Train books in this series. I have loved Ms Griggs' for years. This is one of the best I've read. I liked the forgiveness theme throughout. Forgiveness of others and forgiveness of self. As always, MS Griggs has given me reading pleasure and plenty to think about.
November 6, 2023
Max, Bonnie and Talulla
This is a sweet and sad in parts tale of people finding forgiveness and love. Talulla’s brother drowned years ago despite Max and Tally attempt to save him. Guilt for not being able to save him and fear of not having tried hard enough is eating away at the possibility of finding lost love. You will enjoy discovering how they find their happily ever after.
This is a sweet and sad in parts tale of people finding forgiveness and love. Talulla’s brother drowned years ago despite Max and Tally attempt to save him. Guilt for not being able to save him and fear of not having tried hard enough is eating away at the possibility of finding lost love. You will enjoy discovering how they find their happily ever after.
August 2, 2022
I enjoyed the book! The story was a sweet romance between Max and Tallula. A cute little dog and a sweet little girl made the story complete. I highly recommend reading this book (and all the books in the Love Train series)!
August 5, 2022
A Win for Winnie
Winnie Griggs is a new author to me and I am delighted to have discovered her. Tallula is very well written: the characters are quite attractive and the plot moves well without superfluous conflict to delay their romance.
Winnie Griggs is a new author to me and I am delighted to have discovered her. Tallula is very well written: the characters are quite attractive and the plot moves well without superfluous conflict to delay their romance.
August 7, 2022
Keep the Tissues Handy
Great heart warming, heart tugging story. Tally and Max are both strong characters that you will love. Throw in Bonnie and Nugget and you want to hug them all.
Great heart warming, heart tugging story. Tally and Max are both strong characters that you will love. Throw in Bonnie and Nugget and you want to hug them all.
August 8, 2022
Talulla
A young woman who feels like the trauma in her past is her fault and feels insecure will discover that conversation will answer her questions. She needs friends and family yet stubbornly tries not to. A cute child and dog help to show her the way.
A young woman who feels like the trauma in her past is her fault and feels insecure will discover that conversation will answer her questions. She needs friends and family yet stubbornly tries not to. A cute child and dog help to show her the way.
July 8, 2023
Misunderstood Eavesdropping
Thank you for this heartwarming and heartwrenching story. Guilt almost cost Tally her happiness. Sometimes we need to have a little help from the sidelines. Thank you Henry.
Thank you for this heartwarming and heartwrenching story. Guilt almost cost Tally her happiness. Sometimes we need to have a little help from the sidelines. Thank you Henry.
November 9, 2024
Sweet Historical Romance
While I loved the story, I had hoped to have one more scene with her father and clearing the air there too!
This book took me through a huge range of emotions, but for me that's usually a very good thing!
While I loved the story, I had hoped to have one more scene with her father and clearing the air there too!
This book took me through a huge range of emotions, but for me that's usually a very good thing!
August 1, 2022
Talulla
This is the ninth book in this series and another young woman finds love and gets together with her father and childhood crush
This is the ninth book in this series and another young woman finds love and gets together with her father and childhood crush
August 6, 2022
My Musings
A sweet historical romance with engaging characters and a heartfelt plot. I am so glad I found this book on Kindle Unlimited. Happy reading!
A sweet historical romance with engaging characters and a heartfelt plot. I am so glad I found this book on Kindle Unlimited. Happy reading!
August 19, 2022
This sad story pulled me in right away. A good story line, well written, with good characters. Made me cry.
September 12, 2022
Talulla
Thought provoking about family relationships and the hurt caused by no communication. I would have liked an epilogue on how parts of it was resolved.
Thought provoking about family relationships and the hurt caused by no communication. I would have liked an epilogue on how parts of it was resolved.
September 24, 2022
Easy reading
Another good story in this series. Easy reading at the end of the day. Characters a
re well written
Thank you
Another good story in this series. Easy reading at the end of the day. Characters a
re well written
Thank you
October 29, 2022
Great book
I really enjoyed this book. The author is new to me but I like her story. Especially Bonnie. I recommend this book.
I really enjoyed this book. The author is new to me but I like her story. Especially Bonnie. I recommend this book.
March 6, 2023
I Talulla
Great book. Clean and a good romance story. I believe sometimes we do run away from what we truly want. Sad but true. This book is full of hope after a tragic accident.
Great book. Clean and a good romance story. I believe sometimes we do run away from what we truly want. Sad but true. This book is full of hope after a tragic accident.
May 17, 2023
Reading this series has made me realize how much love makes people stupid! Good job Winnie in getting them straightened up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2025
2.5/5 STARS! Fun & lightweight read. Cute romance & I love the train setting. The story has good heart to it & is an enjoyable & easy read.
August 10, 2022
Talulla: The Love Train Series Book 9
I love the book, it has a wonderful storyline along with characters I cared about. This is Tal's and Max's story, along with a sweet child named Bonnie! I found the book very entertaining. Especially enjoyed seeing the conductor, Henry. I recommend this whole series, The Love Train Series. JudyE
I love the book, it has a wonderful storyline along with characters I cared about. This is Tal's and Max's story, along with a sweet child named Bonnie! I found the book very entertaining. Especially enjoyed seeing the conductor, Henry. I recommend this whole series, The Love Train Series. JudyE
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews