About the Book:
Three Missouri women enter the gateway to life, love, and longing.
Valerie Bishop, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is afraid
to leave her home. Can ex-con Healy Ferguson show her the path to
freedom? Sailor Kern is enamored of romance author Chandler Michaels.
Will she fall for his lines or find a real hero in Parker Travis? Jilly
Gardner has reluctantly agreed to help out her estranged foster parents.
Will Cam Lane help the family heal the breach? Will these three couples
be open to the plan God has for their lives—and loves?
My Reviews:
Romance by the Book
Shy water aerobics instructor Sailor Kern believes herself in love with Chandler Michaels, a romance author she's never met. That's fine with her because she's more comfortable with books than actual romance and teaching over dating. It's not like she meets many men in her line of work anyway. Until Parker Travis shows up for class. Parker isn't your stereotypical hair-stylist, and doesn't appreciate the doctor's RX for back pain: water aerobics. After all, isn't that where his grandmother and her friends play? What a sweet romance! You'll enjoy journeying along as Parker wooed Sailor, showing her that true romance is so much better than her imagination.
Where The Dogwoods Bloom
A broken ankle forces tennis pro Jilly Gardner on crutches and out of work. Burned out Bible College Professor Cam Lane heads to the Dogwood Blossom Inn, intent on spending time with old friends, Harvey and Alice, and leading retreats. He doesn't expect to find Alice in the hospital. Cam's call to Jilly requesting that she come back and help out her foster parents with the running of the Inn surprises Jilly and leaves her even more off balance than her broken ankle. I enjoyed the playful, teasing interaction between old friends, Jilly and Cam. The road to romance was believable and not at all rushed for a book of this length. I like Ms. Johnson's writing style, interjected with spots of dry humor. Filled with romance, a little intrigue, and an oh-so-sweet ending, you won't want to miss this one!
Autumn Rains
I
confess to reading the other two stories in
Gateway Weddings first,
mainly because I wouldn't typically pick up a book with an ex-con for the main
character. But don't let that throw you off reading this
wonderful story. Healy Ferguson captured the essence of what it means to make mistakes and suffer through the consequences. Rather than becoming bitter, he allows God to change his heart and his life, and focuses his efforts on helping others see the impact of their bad choices. Valerie Bishop suffers severe consequences, but not of her own making. Unable to leave the prison her house and yard have become, Valerie must come to the point where she's willing to move forward and leave the past behind. Healy helps her see beyond the walls of her internal prison. I enjoyed this sweet romance and the delightful way Ms. Johnson created a hero out of an ex-con. And the ending? Sure to leave you with an "ahhh!" Oh, and I love how the author weaves the title,
Autumn Rains, into the story. A book full of healing, redemption, and forgiveness!
Three fantastic stories in one awesome read!
Purchase Link for
Gateway Weddings
Disclaimer: An unbiased review, based on my purchase of this book.
About Myra Johnson....
Myra Johnson’s roots go deep
into Texas soil, but after surviving five Oklahoma winters, she now
enjoys the milder climate of North Carolina and living near three of her
six grandchildren. Empty-nesters, Myra and her husband share their home
with two loveable (and very spoiled) dogs. Her debut novel, One Imperfect Christmas, was a September 2009 release from Abingdon Press. She also writes for Heartsong Presents. Her November 2009 release, Autumn Rains, won the 2005 RWA Golden Heart for Best Inspirational Romance Manuscript and was named a 2010 ACFW Carol Award finalist.
Myra’s
writing career was launched in 1985 when she sold her first short story
while taking a course through the Institute of Children’s Literature.
Myra later joined the ICL staff as a magazine writing instructor,
teaching hundreds of students the fundamentals of story and article
structure, plotting, character development, and market analysis. She now
writes full-time and is active in her church as well as local and
national writers groups. Myra and her husband have been married since
1972. The Johnsons have two married daughters and six grandchildren.
Labels: #bookreview, #Christfic, #Christian #fiction, #contemporary, #inspirational, #romance, Autumn Rains, Barbour Publishing, Dora Hiers, Myra Johnson, Romance by the Book, Where the Dogwoods Bloom
