Monday, March 26, 2018

The Summer of New Beginnings: A Magnolia Grove Novel


Hello!  I hope everyone had a lovely weekend.  Bette Lee Crosby is the author of The Serendipity Series, Wishing for Wonderful, Wyattsville series, Cracks in the Sidewalk, Blueberry Hill and A Memory House series.  Readers can follow Ms. Crosby on Amazon, Bookbub, Facebook and Goodreads.

The Summer of New Beginnings by Bette Lee Crosby is A Magnolia Grove Novel.    Meghan Briggs has just graduated from high school in Magnolia Grove, Georgia and is looking forward to attending the Grady College of Journalism in the fall.  But then her father has a deadly heart attack, and Meghan steps in to take over the running of her father’s business, Snip ‘N’ Save magazine.  She wants to preserve her father’s legacy and memory by keeping the publication alive.  Tracy is more about enjoying life and rebelling against the norm.  When Tracy’s boyfriend, Dominic gets a job in Philadelphia, she announces she is moving with him.  Two years later Tracy returns home with her son, Lucas who has yet to start talking.  Tracy has grown up while she was away and begins helping Meghan with the magazine.  It turns out that Tracy has a flair for graphic design.  Meghan has devoted her time to running the magazine and not allowing anytime for a personal life.  One day Meghan is out running and sees a puppy struggling in the lake.  She rescues the little fellow and names him Sox.  She does not want to fall for the him in case his owner shows up, but Meghan is soon under his spell.  Meghan takes Sox to Dr. Tom Whitely to check for a chip, and she discovers her love of working with animals.  Megan used to write in composition books and she picks up the habit again.   It gives her an opportunity to work out her thoughts and emotions.  As the summer progresses, new challenges are put in their paths.  These women will need to reconcile the past in order to have a bright new beginning.  Come along for the journey in The Summer of New Beginnings.

The Summer of New Beginnings is nicely written and has a relaxed pace.  Bette Lee Crosby has a writing style that is relaxed (conversational) and draws the reader in.  The point-of-view switches between the characters with sections that remind me of diary entries.  It allows readers to discover what each character is thinking and feeling which I appreciate.  I like how each character is dealing with real life issues such as the loss of a loved one, problems with a child, limited income, dealing with an ex-boyfriend, falling in love, having to give up on a dream, etc.  There is a great family dynamic and it is lovely seeing these three women come together (help each other, support each other and love each other).  The author created realistic characters that readers can relate to along with their issues.  Ms. Crosby handled the issue with Lucas gently and with sensitively (I would say more but I do not want to spoil it for you).  There are some lovely life lessons in the story that many people will be able to relate to and apply to their own life.  The Summer of New Beginnings is what I call a feel-good book that will leave you with a smile on your face and a good feeling in your heart.  The Summer of New Beginnings will be out on Tuesday, March 27 and is part of the Kindle Unlimited Program on Amazon.

Thank you for stopping by today and reading my review.  Tomorrow I will be sharing my thoughts on Natural Thorn Killer by Kate Dyer-Seeley.  It is the first book in A Rose City Mystery series.  Please consider following my blog by clicking the follow button (top right).  I hope your day is filled with joy.  Take care of yourself and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader  

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for this lovely review Kristina, I am delighted that you enjoyed the book.

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