Angel Lane

Heart Lake #3

by Sheila Roberts

Keep the heart in Heart Lake. That's exactly what three small-town shop owners hope to do when they launch their crazy-ambitious "Have a Heart" campaign―asking neighbors to commit one random act of kindness every day. Emma, Sarah, and Jamie love their lakeside community, but the little town is growing too big too fast, and a doing a good deed never hurt anyone. Or so they thought…

When Emma slashes prices at her quilt shop, practically giving away blankets to anyone who looks vaguely cold, she almost stitches her way into bankruptcy. Sarah's free cooking class boils down to a hotbed of crime when some punk kid swipes her favorite heirloom. And at Jamie's chocolate shop, things take a bittersweet turn when a local policeman starts giving her grief, stirring up feelings she's tried to forget―and slowly melts away her defenses…

With irresistible humor, warmth, affection― and recipes! ―author Sheila Roberts serves up a generous, open-hearted story about the friendships we make, the chances we take, and the lives we touch every day.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Christmas, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Womens Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2009

About the author

With fifty books to her credit, both fiction and non-fiction, Sheila Roberts is a frequent USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller - and a fan favorite. Her books have sold over three million copies and have been turned into movies for the Hallmark, Lifetime and Great American Family channels. Before settling into her writing career, Sheila owned a singing telegram company and played in band. When she's not traveling, Sheila can be found hanging out with friends, playing tennis, and, of course, writing and reading. Sometimes she even remembers to post books she's read!

Reviews

[Jeanne Adamek · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Kathy Warren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok. No real meat to the story line.

[Tisha (IG: Bluestocking629) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Second Sheila Roberts book. So you cannot say that I didn’t try.

The first book was not a fluke. Apparently Ms. Roberts is really a 15 year old boy. I have never read a book that overuses (uses) the words “hot” “babe” and “chick” to describe women. Repeatedly. Ad nauseam. Funny thing is that I am NOT a feminist. This book was simply a joke.

The sad thing was the premise of the book was enjoyable. But it was ruined by this that and the other thing…for me. The main thing that ruined it was the Leo Steele character. Larry from Three’s Company - in a nutshell. He was absolutely horrific. Creepy. Icky. I would have had to shoot him in a kneecap if he came at me like that.

If I have any other books by this author they are going to a Little Free Library because it appears she has fans out there. More power to her….

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angel Lane is a delightfully, wonderful and inspiring story, that I had to literally pull myself away from. Every once in a while, you come across a book that you can delve right into and feel as though you, yourself, are a part of the story. Angel Lane is one of those precious books. I absolutely loved Sheila Roberts's style of writing and her characters are so real and true to life. They are, quite simply, everyday women that most anyone can relate to in some way.

Jamie, Sarah and Emma are each very different in their own ways, however, they are the best of friends and have a single goal in mind - to put the 'Heart' back in Heart Lake, their beloved and Mayberry-esque town. To do this, the women decide to put forth a campaign of doing one good deed a day, a kind of "pay it forward". If they could get everyone in town to do this simple act, imagine how much friendlier and closer life would be.

Meanwhile, each of the woman have their own troubles they are dealing with. Sarah is suffering from severe grandchildren withdrawals when her daughter, husband and two granddaughters move away. Emma is feeling defeated when her beloved quilt shop continues to unravel and business continues on the snail pace side. Jamie has moved to Heart Lake to take back her life, after divorcing her abusive policeman husband. She seems to be doing just fine until a handsome widowed cop with two young daughters continues to pop up into her life, creating a bit of havoc within her heart.

I truly loved every aspect of Angel Lane. The story is entertaining, heartwarming, fun and brings the holiday season to life with the true meaning of giving. For fans of such authors as Debbie Macomber, I think that Sheila Roberts and her delicious novel Angel Lane will be a huge hit. This is the perfect book to relax with and gives a delightful reminder that even the smallest of good deeds brings about huge results! So, do yourself a favor and run out and grab Angel Lane and enjoy a lovely time in Heart Lake!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, heartwarming story. I loved the town and the shops along with the three women that are the main characters.

[Laurel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had some issues with this story, there was a lot of church going, ick. It's a romance novel, not need to cram your religious beliefs on your readers. It was painfully sweet. One of her characters chirping "By gumdrops!" was so sickeningly sweet it made me teeth grind. The female characters were patsies who bent to other's wills habitually. In one case an annoying man walked right past a married woman into her home, cornered her and French kissed her and she didn't do anything but mutter she was happily married and tried to explain why he was mistaken. If it had been me or any female character worth her salt, he'd be on the floor clutching his gonads but she couldn't bring herself to do more than mutter and clutch her pearls, only to be rescued by her man. Another female was going out of business but let moochers waltz off with her goods without paying over and over. She had a horrible cat who made her life miserable and when she finally did more than enable its bad behaviour she regretted the things she said and tried to apologize. To. A. Cat. The last female was, no surprise there, an abused woman. No surprise because they are all abused women. It's a terrible message to send to young women, go to church and be less than others. They end up happily rewarded for their enabling behaviour and winning lovers, who odds are would take advantage of them. This book should have been written in 1952.

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book about being kind to members of your community, there were quite a few snarky little fat-shaming thoughts/comments in this one…

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

ein Wohlfühlbuch 🌟

[Malena Goerl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a Hallmark Christmas movie in a book, but there were some dark parts of this book that made me realize it was more like a Lifetime movie. While I appreciate the plot and the female friendships, some main characters seemed more like caricatures instead of genuine people. It wanted to be a feelgood novel about friendship and community, but it also teetered back and forth with serious subjects - are the characters making quips about domestic abuse, or are they traumatized by it? Are they laughing about the assault, or are they genuinely shaken by it and needing to process it? The power of female friendship and independence was ultimately lost in the writing. That being said, I did get my holiday romance story that ended with a kiss in the snow.

[Kerry Goerl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Hallmark feel, which is what I had hoped it would be. Even though you can pretty well predict the ending, it was still interesting to read about the dynamics between all of the characters. I would recommend this book to my friends. I ended up reading this in one sitting!

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book 3.5 stars.

A brief summary: three women named Sarah, Emma and Jamie all live in a small town named Heart Lake. They have all become a little disheartened over their town's "decline". Basically it's growing, and as more and more people flood the area, it's slowly losing it's hometown spirit. People are becoming less interested in their neighbors, and more interested in themselves. The three women decide that they need to restore Heart Lake to it's past greatness. They begin their campaign called Have a Heart. Each woman will do a random act of kindness and hope that the person they help will "pay it forward" to someone else. Unfortunately, it doesn't really turn out the way they expected. Emma might run her store into bankruptcy, Sarah has something important stolen from her shop, and Jamie is at risk of breaking her heart all over again. The book follows the women through their separate yet connected paths as they try to help save their beloved town, and help improve their own lives in the process.

This is not normally I book that I would pick up and read, but I ended up reading it for a buddy read with a person from one of my groups. By reading the back description, I really thought it was going to be a little sad and depressing. But the author had such humor, and I found myself laughing at the antics of these women. It was entertaining, just a little sappy, and overall it was a feel good book.

I've already requested (and received) another book by this author. I hope it is on the same level as this one. We will find out.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in the mail earlier this week after winning it here on goodreads. It had sat on my coffee table until late last night when I picked it up. "I'll just read the first few pages before bed," I thought. I didn't put it back down until I finished it.

Angel Lane is just a simple feel good story about three friends that are trying to keep the heart in their small town. All the characters are real, three-dimensional characters with real problems and real emotions. They find that their simple plan isn't always so simple and that it actually ends up coming back to them in ways they'd never imagined.

It would be the perfect story for anyone looking for a light-hearted holiday read. It takes place from about mid-October through early January so it has a holiday setting without it really being about the holiday if that makes sense.

I would have given the book 4 1/2 stars if I could have. It wasn't something I finished reading and went "Wow, that was awesome and totally original" but it did make me feel good. And it is something I will probably read again. I've already passed it on to my mom to read.

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the cover of this book, but I couldn't get past the first chapter, while I enjoy reading books, no pleasure do I get from the author placing others' contemporary political discontent, perv behavior, disrespect for police, & more into the characters' description. A divorced mature male who salivates when seeing women, a woman having had a bad marriage/domestic abuse, claiming "gay" to ward off approaches, the lead female thinking & treating police with rudeness. None I want to read about. Nothing of interest in the characters or storyline for me.

Before your personal attacks on me, I was domestically by my ex-husband, my niece wants to be a boy (I'm OK with that,) & when I was young girl in work force I was harassed constantly by male co-workers.

Sheila Roberts is not the author for me.

[Georgine · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great book by Sheila. I would recommend this book to everyone.
It was about paying it forward by doing a good deed for some one. It made me feel good after reading this. The world would be a better place to live if more people got in the spirit of doing this.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but nothing special. The main characters, at times, were doormats who couldn't say no and/or let others (even a cat) walk all over them. Jaime & Josh's story dragged then wrapped up ridiculously fast so ended up being disappointing.

[Merve S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Çok güzel bir kitaptı :) İnsanın içini ısıtıyor :)

[Karen Geurts]

I enjoyed this story. Many lives interweaving. Great characters. Loved the storyline.

[Julie]

It was a fun Christmas romance, and it wasn't too corny! :-) I was really rooting for one of the couples.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable, slow moving, nice characters but not at all exciting

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three small town shop owners—baker Sarah, chocolatier Emma, and quilter Jamie—ask community members to commit a daily random act of kindness (RAK). Will they agree to help put the "heart" back into the town of Heart Lake?

"A town was like a quilt—one work made of many small pieces. When you fit all the pieces together just right you got a thing of beauty."

Even though this was the third in a series, I thought it read just fine as a standalone. It was a nice palate cleanser in between heavier reads and since it revolved around "giving season," it would be a cute read at Christmas time. Throughout, I was irritated by the over use of the phrase, "movie moment" but since it was incorporated into part of the ending, I now understand why. This story about friendship (and of course, a little bit of romance) would be perfect when you're in the mood for a light, quick, Hallmark-type read.

Lastly, Christmas from the Heart (4 stars) remains my favorite book by this author.

3.5 stars

Location: Heart Lake, Washington

[Gina Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angel Lane by Sheila Roberts is a book about 3 women who set out to bring the heart back to their community by starting a good deeds campaign. As best friends and business owners, they each are rooted in the town of Heart Lake and want to see it live up to its name. I loved the dynamic of the 3 friends, their relationship reinforces the importance of friendship between women, the transparency and bonding that brings healing. Each woman has her own struggles but together they support and champion one another. Sarah owns a bakery, Jamie owns a chocolate shop, and Emma owns a quilting shop, so a lot of the book’s setting takes place around each shop which is a cozy little escape. The time period spans from Halloween through January but the story is not focused on the holidays throughout, just mentions them, if that makes sense. I think most females would enjoy this book. As always with SR’s books, there is humor and heart and a little PG romance, relatable and likable characters!

[Shelly Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

After my initial personal embarrassment of not realizing this was the third book in a series, I'm finally ready to type this review.
After the above confession, I can say that this book is terrific as a standalone. I'd imagine it would be even better if you were to read the others as well! Anyway, this book is a hoot. The characters are delightful. Though at times a character may get on your nerves just a little bit, it makes them all the more realistic. The three main females in this book have the greatest friendships! When things get rough they sure do have each others backs and when one of them comes up with a sort of pay-it-forward idea the others are right there with her. So much chaos ensues and make this one of those Christmas stories you are going to absolutely eat right up! It's excellent!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a great premise: 3 friends worried about how their town is growing but people are being less involved in each other. So they come up with the idea to each do an act of kindness for someone else, and encourage everyone to pass it on. The 3, Sarah, Emma and Jamie each have a shop, and they’re real people, with real problems. There are adorable (and not so adorable!) kids, handsome guys, and all kinds of quirky characters. The author does a good job of bringing out the humor and angst of life, and I love her books.

[BookWormYami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I read by the author and it won't be my last. I really enjoyed it. It is a feel good book. I liked all the characters that were introduced. At first, I thought this was going to be a romance book and even though there was a romance story in there, it was more a book about giving to others.

[Debbie Beeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story line but dragged on too long. These women acted as doormats with Emma being the worse. Sarah was clueless when the guy was obviously a perv and Jaime took forever to see that Josh was a good guy when it was pretty obvious by the way he treated his daughters. I feel this book could have been much shorter.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Christmas stories!

I treat myself to Christmas romances every year and I've gotten myself hooked on Sheila Roberts because of them. Angel Lane is a perfect example of a great Christmastime novel.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great idea to pull a small town together by doing a good deed everyday. I really liked the main characters and the way they help and support each other, too. And, there's that "It's a Wonderful Life" moment.

[Charlene Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second book

I decided to wait until the second book Because many times The 1st book is fantastic And then the second book you feel like you were let down And I read so many books That I just want to watch Read a series of good books This 1's good

[Linda O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book. What a brilliant idea to do good deeds for people & then get them to pass it on. If only it happened in real life, what a lovely world we'd be living in!

[Shelley Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
Another fun, sweet story by Sheila Roberts reminding us of the importance of friendship, giving, doing a good deed a day, and being open to love.