Julia's Chocolates

"I left my wedding dress hanging in a tree somewhere in North Dakota."

This is the opening sentence to Cathy Lamb's novel Julia's Chocolates. I loved this sentence and sat back waiting for a new wonderful story to unfold in front of me. Had I know more details about this book I would not have bought it. It deals with female sexuality in a very open and naked way. So as I was reading the first third of the book, I was wondering if I would make it through it.

I am glad I pushed through my doubts as I just loved this story!

Julia is running away from Robert and his abusive behavior. She finally found the courage to walk away on her wedding day. She runs to her Aunt Lydia's farm. She arrives to be thrown into membership of the Psychic Nights. There she meets a few woman, Aunt Lydia's friends, of the small town of Golden, Oregon.

Lara is married to the local minister Jerry. He is kind and caring but Lara feels lost. She grew up a minister's daughter so should be made for the roll but finds she is hiding her true self.

Caroline is living a life on little means and is physic. She sees and hears cries of help from all over the world which is a heavy burden for her to carry.

Katie is a mother who is married to a drunk and abusive husband. She works hard running her own private cleaning business to care for her children. Yet her husband drinks their money away.

Aunt Lydia is an eccentric old lady. She has her own ideas and rules in life. She runs her farm with her pig and many chickens. She loves Julia with all her might and feels guilty for not having been able to take her away from her abusive mother when she was a child.

And Julia...who is very down on herself and trying to find her way to start a new life. She is recovering from spending her life being abused by her mother and fiancee. She has a gift for making chocolates. It helps her to make them to forget.

In the course of the story, Julia will discover she belongs in Golden and she has much to give others. I will not spoil the book for others by saying more as it is a book well worth picking up. This is a book that has you cheering for the women.

Happy reading!
Heidi

16 Lighthouse Road

Well my mother was right. I finally read the first of the Cedar Cove books and loved it. Debbie Macomber has created a memorable place full of heartwarming people.

16 Lighthouse Road is the home of Olivia Lockhart. She is a family court judge. When Cecilia and Ian Randall seek a divorce in her courtroom, she denies them the divorce feeling they have not tried hard enough to make their marriage work. Sitting in the courtroom is her mother Charlotte. A woman who's heart is in the right place and loves to share her opinion.

Justine is Olivia's daughter. She has a career and a boyFRIEND with the emphasis on friend. Jack is the local newspaper's editor. He enjoys a fun banter of a new friendship with Olivia but is looking for much more. Grace is Olivia's best friend. She is about to become a grandmother but in the midst of it all her 35 year old marriage seems to be over when her husband Dan disappears.

I am not going to go too much into details as I would  not want to spoil the book for others. It is a book for anyone who loves a series where you can be drawn in and feel like you are really in a small town watching the people there. I know this is now started as a series on Hallmark Channel. I do not get that here but knew that Andie MacDowell was set to play Olivia. What a perfect match with the character in the book. Who knows...maybe some channel in Holland or England will pick this series up...

Happy reading!
Heidi