Lisa Wingate

Dear Readers,

I fell in love with Lisa Wingate's writing years ago when she was writing for the ABA market.  So when she started writing for the CBA (Christian Market) I was so excited to start carrying her books here at the store, but also to start reading them. 

The Sea Keeper's Daughter is her newest release and once again Lisa takes us on an emotional roller coaster ride.  One that may even have you packing your bags to head to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to find the Excelsor Hotel and help Whitney find her past. 

Whitney and her business partner Denise are struggling.  They have one restaurant that is doing well and another that is not.  They are fighting the "good old boy system" where their second restaurant is located.  It is actually driving them to bankruptcy and Whitney just doesn't know where else to turn. 

She receives a message from a stranger in North Carolina telling her that her step-father is not doing well and she needs to come and take care of him.  She sees it as a way to maybe get some quick money from the sale of the Hotel she inherited from her mother.  The only problem is that Clyde lives there and gets to, according to the will, as long as he wants. 

What Whitney finds doesn't change her attitude about Clyde or the Hotel.  She just wants to clean it out and sell it to the highest bidder.  But as she starts sorting through her mother's and grandmother's stuff, she discovers a story that changes how she understands her family.  

If you have read The Story Keeper, then you will for sure want to read this one.  They are not really a series and yet I do recommend you read them in order if possible.  Once again Lisa writes a story that draws you in and makes you wish to join the journey of discovery.   It may even make you do a little research on your own, it did me. 

Happy Reading

Lisa Wingate

Dear Readers,

I have read several of Lisa Wingate’s books.  Each of them has been loads of fun to read, but none of them have stuck with me like The Story Keeper has. The Story Keeper is about Jen Gibbs, who fled her abusive, conservative, almost cult-like church and family.  She has made a place in the publishing world.  In fact she is on top of her game.  She has just started a new job at Vida house and stumbles on a manuscript that is set in the part of the Blue Ridge Mountains that Jen grew up in.  She is eager to pursue the author and see if they can get the rest of the manuscript and publish the book. 

There are several threads and storylines that run throughout this book.  There is the story that is the manuscript which is about a young Melungeon girl and the young man who rescues her, there is the story of the author and why he is a recluse and then there is the story of Jen and her family. They all twine together and paint a wonderful picture for us all to enjoy. 

I read most of the book sitting in my rocker by the window on a wonderful Sunday afternoon.  It is that type of book, one you will just want to sit and enjoy.  It won’t make you turn pages quickly and it won’t hold a lot of suspense to it, but it is one that you will find yourself returning to as quickly as possible.  I found myself wishing the story of Sarra and Rand continued so I could find out what happened to them.  Yet, the story of Jen and her family's dynamics is also interesting, so when I was reading that part I wanted that part to continue. 

This is one of those books that I didn’t want to end and yet I needed to know what was going to happen.  Yes there is a spark of romance, but that is so much not part of the story and Lisa really leaves it alone.  It is almost like she was letting it develop on its own and when it didn’t she didn’t feel like she had to.  Maybe that is why this book is so enjoyable to read, she just let the characters dictate the pace.  Whatever it was, this should be on your must read book list.

Happy Reading,

Lisa Wingate

Dear Readers,

I am going to be completely honest with you all.  I had a terrible time getting into this book.  I am not sure what it was, but it just wasn't hitting a chord with me.  I struggled with the start of it, but am very glad I stuck with it. 

Blue Moon Bay by Lisa Wingate is the second book in the Moses Lake series.  I use the word series very loosely here as the two books (Larkspur Cove is the first one) have very little to do with each other.  The background characters are who you will remember the most from the first one with the main characters coming and going as part of the natural part of the community. 

Heather fled Moses Lake as soon as it was legally okay for her to go.  She has not been back since and has no desire to return now.  Her family has forced her to revisit the place of her worst memories.  She has been working on a deal with her boyfriend’s brokering firm to buy her Uncle's home and land.  In return her architecture firm gets to help design the new building that will be going in and she may get lead architect.  Everything is looking good, that is until her mother changes her mind and meddles in the sale.

Heather flies into town thinking she will be back in time to spend Valentine’s Day with her boyfriend. 5 days, that should be enough time to put everything in motion again and save her job.   When she arrives in town no one seems to want to talk to her about why they are stalling the sale.  Her brother is there and he seems to think he is going to open a bed and breakfast, but Heather knows he has never finished anything in his life including college.  So how can he think he is going to run a resort? 

Then there is that guy from high school, the one Heather had the crush on.  He is still in town and even better looking than ever.  Could things get any worse? 

Like I said, I struggled with the beginning of the book.  I am thinking I had a hard time warming up to Heather herself.  She is very focused and doesn’t seem to care about anything or anyone except herself.  She is probably someone that if I met her, she would be a hard one to get to know or even like and that may have been why.  Just like I said earlier I also am glad I did finish the book.  It is a good story and Heather’s story is interesting.  It just took me a while to warm up to her.

Just rest assured that if you liked Lisa Wingate’s other books you will like this one.  Her writing style is consistent and very good.  She develops her characters well and that is why I am sure that I liked the end of the book.  I was just anxious to like Heather and Lisa knew I needed to understand her more than I would like her.

Happy Reading.

Lisa Wingate

Dear Readers, 

Larkspur Cove by Lisa Wingate is a story with many different threads to it.  Andrea has moved back "home" again to recover from a divorce and needs to start over.  She is dealing with a new job, a teenage son who has quite the attitude about... well everything that has to do with mom, and parents that want to help but seem a bit overbearing. 

Mart, short for Martin, has returned to a place of many wonderful childhood memories.  He remembers the time he spent there while his father worked in the area with great fondness.  He needs time to recover from his own tragedy. 

Len is a Vietnam war vet.  He was wounded in battle and sent home to recover.  He reclusive and is never happy to see visitors.  He doesn't really hurt anyone, but he is not overly friendly either. 

So when a little girl is spotted across the lake with Len everyone is curious as to who and why he would have a little girl living with him.  He doesn't have any local family that anyone has ever heard of or seen, so who is this little girl?  Is there something horrible going on?  The rumors start to fly.

This is a story of recovery, trust and community.  How it does sometimes take a village to raise a child.  How sometimes while helping others we find ourselves able to heal from our own wounds. 

Happy Reading.