Friend of the 1WriteWay blog and all-around exceptionally wonderful person, Jill Weatherholt, recently came out with a new novel, A Dream of Family. Since I knew I’d be retired at its launch, I requested a copy from Jill in exchange for an honest review. I will readily admit to some bias here since I think Jill is the nicest person I’ve ever met online. I mean, just look at that smile!
Bias or not, I always intend to be honest with my book reviews which is why I share my biases upfront as well as any necessary caveats.
I’ve shared my bias. Now the caveat: Romance is not a genre I naturally gravitate to. I’m a mystery/crime fiction/gothic/literary kind of gal when it comes to novels. But, you know, sometimes I need a break from mist-filled cemeteries and pungent morgues.
A Dream of Family is a sweet, comforting story. Molly Morgan is a young woman trying to salvage her bookstore in the quaint town of Whispering Slopes and desperate to adopt a little girl named Grace. Derek McKinney is a successful business man who comes to Whispering Slopes to extend his coffeehouse franchise. He and Molly have crossed paths before, and Molly blames Derek for the unhappy turn her life took just a few years previous. Derek’s excuse for what he did is a secret that he struggles to share. Can they bridge their troubled past to help Molly realize her dream of having a family?
Of course they can. That’s the kind of romance novel this is. How they overcome events of the past to save Molly’s business is the story here. How they work together to ensure that Grace will have a permanent, happy home is also the story here. I read A Dream of Family believing I knew how it would end, and I am happy to say I was right!
Jill is a deft writer, carefully detailing her characters until they get up and start walking around in your head. With Whispering Slopes, she creates a small town that anyone would want to live in, full of kind, sensible, and patient people. Where Molly and Derek are concerned, patience is definitely needed. Everyone else in Whispering Slopes feels the chemistry between the two of them, but patience is required by both reader and townspeople as Derek and Molly figure it out for themselves.
Faith is a value that Molly, Derek and even little Grace share. While I don’t share their faith, I know people who do. I know people for whom faith is the guiding light in their lives. I appreciate that faith is part of this story and why it makes reading A Dream of Family a comforting experience.
I recommend Jill Weatherholt’s A Dream of Family for anyone who wants to escape into a world where love, faith and forgiveness is abundant.
Here are links to where A Dream of Family is sold:
Marie at 1 Write Way 