Jodi Thomas
is one of my favorite western authors. In fact, some of her books are on my
keeper shelf. For the last few years, her books have been set in West Texas,
which is where she lives. MORNINGS ON MAIN is set in East Texas, in the small
town of Laurel Springs.
When
she looks for a job, Conrad Larady, mayor and newspaper owner, hires Jillian to
work at his grandmother’s quilt shop, A Stitch In Time. Jillian warns him that
she only plans to be in town for three months. She is to photograph and catalog
each of the quilts in the shop before his grandmother’s Alzheimer’s means the
stories are lost forever. Jillian enjoys hearing Eugenia relate the stories.
Before
long, she and Conrad become friends. Jillian also meets Conrad’s teenage
daughter Sunnie, who does not live up to her name. Sunnie loves Eugenia,
though, and is very good with and to her. A Stitch In Time is central to the
town and through her work there, Jillian meets many of the locals.
Conrad
is amazed at how detailed Jillian’s quilt write-ups are and how clear her
photographs and he submits several to large newspapers for her. Jillian has no
plan to develop attachments, but she is growing closer to both Conrad and
Eugenia.
As with
each of Jodi Thomas’ books, this one has a sense of community. Like each of the
small towns I’ve known, Laurel Springs is filled with quirky characters as well
as those who are mainstream or average. I love the warm feeling produced by her
small-town novels and this is no exception. Her words weave a wonderful mind
picture.
This is
the first of her new series. I’m eager to read the coming titles and learn more
about the residents of Laurel Springs. This book deserves 5 stars. I was
furnished an ARC of this book for an honest review, which this is.
MORNINGS
ON MAIN will be released on April 10. You can pre-order the book at https://www.amazon.com/Mornings-Main-Small-Town-Texas-Novel/dp/1335062955/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522035092&sr=8-1&keywords=Jodi+Thomas
New York
Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas is a fifth-generation
Texan who sets many of her stories in her home state, where her grandmother was
born in a covered wagon. She is a certified marriage and family counselor, a
Texas Tech graduate and writer-in-residence at West Texas A&M University.
She lives with her husband in Amarillo, Texas.
Caroline
Clemmons writes western contemporary and historical romances. Her latest is a
time travel romance, TEXAS LIGHTNING, which begins on a ranch in 1896 and moves
to the same ranch today.
Through a crazy twist of fate, Caroline Clemmons was not born on a Texas ranch. To make up
for this tragic error, she writes about handsome cowboys, feisty ranch women,
and scheming villains in a small office her family calls her pink cave. She and
her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country where they ride herd on their
rescued cats and dogs. The books she creates there have made her an Amazon
bestselling author and won several awards.
Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, and Pinterest. Click on her Amazon Author Page for a complete list of her
books and follow her there.
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What a sad, yet interesting, life Jillian has had in this story. To have no family history and, worse, to be told not to even cling to memories would be devastating. No wonder this character does not form attachments to other people.
ReplyDeleteI want to wish you great success with MORNINGS IN MAIN, Jodi. I am enticed by the mystery of Jillian's childhood and parents. I imagine it will be quite a bumpy ride reading as this story unfolds. It takes a great deal of talent to write such a story.
All the best...