Magnolia

Bellamy's Blossoms #1

by Ginny Aiken

Series premiere special price! Magnolia is the first book in a contemporary series centered around the ladies of the Bellamy Garden Club. Southern belle Magnolia Bellamy has hired a Yankee contractor to restore a Confederate treasure--Ashworth Mansion. This unlikely pair teams up to solve the mystery of break-ins at the mansion and learn about love and forgiveness along the way. Magnolia is light-hearted, entertaining reading that will help readers face the obstacles from the past, recognize their worth to God, and realize the need to forgive.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery

304 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2000

About the author

Ginny Aiken, a former newspaper reporter, lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and their three younger sons--the oldest is married, has flown the coop, and made her a doting grandmother. Born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Valencia and Caracas Venezuela, Ginny discovered books at an early age. She wrote her first novel at age fifteen while she trained with the Ballets de Caracas, later to be known as the Venezuelan National Ballet. She burned that tome when she turned a "mature" sixteen. An ecletic list of jobs--including stints as reporter, paralegal, choreographer, language teacher, retail salesperson, wife, mother of four boys, and herder of their numerous and assorted friends, including the 135 members of first the Crossmen and then the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps--brought her back to books in search of her sanity. She is now the author of twenty-seven published works, but she hasn't caught up with that elusive sanity yet.

http://ginnyaikenwrites.com/About_Me....

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, east to read story, I found it interesting enough to keep me reading, but a little bit corny also. The characters are funny, and Magnolia and her sisters seem realistic, but a few of the secondary characters seemed more like caricatures of people, exaggerating their faults. I would read another one if I am in the mood for something funny that doesn't take much thought.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lighthearted story about sisterhood which I bought nearly twenty years ago and hadn't yet read. It also turns out to be part of a series. The next two books are about the sisters in this book. Magnolia is the name of our main character and she's a history fan and a middle child. As a bank employee in the loan department of a small bank in the town named after her family, she tries hard to achieve. She is also interested in antiques, especially those related to the confederacy. Of course there is a romance going and and a minor disaster which melds the story together.
Good, fun read.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This book wasn’t what I expected, not to say it was bad, but it was about 20% story line 80% religion. I didn’t realize that when I got the book.
I did find Clay to be a pretty likable character and found myself rooting for him. Maggie was a little harder to like however she was the only character that was not a Christian so I think the author really tried to play up her “sins”. It was definitely a quick read however I did find myself skimming some parts that got too preachy for me.

[Challice · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fun read. more of a nastolgic for me since this was a teen favorite. over the top? yes. ridiculous at times? you bet. but just like watching You've Got Mail on a good autumn evening, this has sweet moments and a cast of characters not easily forgotten.

[Lori Henrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magnolia Bellamy is in charge of the restoration of the Ashworth mansion. She has worked her way up in the bank, even though she feels like no one really takes her seriously. Even her sisters treat her like she isn't able to handle the responsibility of her job. It was her responsibility to find the right contractor. Her choice was Clay Marlowe, a Yankee. She went with clay because of his track record for doing good work and for the references he gave, but part of her has a hard time believing that he isn't up to no good. When vandalism begins to occur after the mansion is locked up for the night, Magnolia automatically thinks that somehow Clay is behind it.

Magnolia and her dog Bufford start staking out the mansion, but nothing happens when they are there. But yet when Clay does his inspection there is always some kind of damage. Clay was accused of a crime he didn't commit when he was in college and went to prison, he was eventually cleared of the crime. The fear of going back to prison haunts him and no matter how much he prays about it he can't shake the feeling that Magnolia is behind the vandalism. Which doesn't help with the fact that he is started to fall in love with her.

As Clay struggles with her faith, Magnolia struggles with her lack of faith. She is seeking something that Clay knows only God can provide. Will he be able to show Magnolia that God loves her? Will they find out who is behind the damage?

I have read several mysteries by this author and took a chance at reading this book. It is part of a trilogy. It started out slow, but it finally grabbed my attention. I like Ginny Aikens style. The spiritual aspect is handled with care. Showing how normal people struggle with fear and their pasts and dealing with family dynamics. This story has some very good biblical principals and I was glad I kept going. I look forward to reading the other two books in the series which concentrate on Lark and Cammie, Magnolia's sisters.

[Lisa]

Bellamy's Blossoms series / book one

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1 of 3
*Great! Love Ginny Aiken!

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book and has some humor also. :)