A Brighter Flame: a moving story of family drama and healing

A Brighter Flame by Christine Nolfi is a story of family secrets, healing and a new sense of belonging. All she ever wanted was a sense of belonging. After growing up feeling unwanted and an outsider in her family, Vale Lightner has learned to rely on and depend on herself and herself alone. When the bar she owns with her father goes up in flames, Vale returns to her hometown of Philadelphia at the urgent request of her grandmother, as she decides what her next step will be. Little does she know, her half sister, Blythe, is also staying at their grandmother’s house. Blythe is at a crossroads herself as she contemplates her own life changing decision. Everyone has their secrets as their lives converge where memories are reexamined and a chance for forgiveness, closure and a new sense of family can be found. Will Vale and Blythe let their guard down to finally have the sister relationship they both crave?

Christine Nolfi is known for hard hitting stories of drama with moving stories of secrets, healing and hopes for new life, love and family. A Brighter Flame is a story of a broken family with years of secrets and misunderstandings when the door opens to the possibility of glorious new relationships. These characters are flawed and deeply wounded but through tough love situations, they find themselves healing and living a life they never thought possible. Vale was a hardened woman with a deeply wounded child. However, as she opens up about her memories, she realized that misinterpreted events as only a child could. Blythe definitely acted the pampered princess as Vale saw her as the favored daughter of their mother and her stepfather. But like Vale, Blythe is hiding a secret and attempts to run instead of admitting the truth. I loved how the family rallied around her once her secret was out. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend A Brighter Flame. 

A Brighter Flame is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

The Season of Silver Linings: wrapping up the Sweet Lake series

The Season of Silver Linings  is the third book in the Sweet Lake series by Christine Nolfi. Jada Brooks is the pastry chef at the Wayfair Inn that her friends, Linnie and Cat, have brought from the brink and restored it to its former glory. While Linnie is focused on her upcoming wedding and Cat is basking in the glow of newly wedded bliss, Jada focuses on her role at the inn. She has a love/hate relationship with Philip Kettering, a widower with a six-year-old daughter. That love/hate relationship turns into a blooming romance as they decide to take a chance on love. But she has one secret, a secret that could tear them apart once and for all. When a guest checks into the inn, asking very curious questions, Jada is forced to confront the past she would rather forget. 

I have enjoyed the Sweet Lake series; however, The Season of Silver Linings was not my favorite of the series. Although I enjoyed Jada and Philip and their romance, I didn’t care for Philip’s daughter, Fancy. Fancy is a very precocious, bossy, and at times, annoying six year old. Then there are the Sirens with their hearts in the right place; but their actions would be very frustrating. There was a bit of a mystery as to who the guest with the curious questions was; however, it was a mystery that came clear to me before it was clear to the characters. I appreciate that Ms Nolfi handles difficult topics with heart and great care. In The Season of Silver Linings, the topics of mental illness, suicide and the effects on relationships are explored. Overall, I did enjoy and recommend The Season of Silver Linings along with the first two books. 

The Season of Silver Linings is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Books 1 and 2: Sweet Lake and The Comfort of Secrets

are available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

The Comfort of Secrets: a story of courage, strength, and bravery

The Comfort of Secrets by Christine Nolfi is the second book in the Sweet Lake series. Readers to the small town of Sweet Lake, the Wayfair Inn and the quirky and well-meaning Sirens. This story focuses on Linnie’s friend, Cat. After a failed business and horrible dating years, she’s ready to turn a new leaf and desperately needs a win. First, she feels she needs to convince others that she is taking her new responsibilities as the Wayfair’s new events director seriously. Second, she needs to control her attraction to Ryan D’Angelo, the new charming ad executive hired to promote the inn. Ryan hides a deep secret, a heartache so scarring that Cat can’t help but draw closer to him. Will his secrets derail her new life and the Wayfair itself? Or could they both gain a life they never thought they could have?

The Comfort of Secrets is a wonderful story of courage, strength, and finding that you are braver than you know. I could not put this story down. I loved Cat and Ryan’s story. Cat is desperate to show she can do the job and yet deep down she is afraid she can’t. Ryan is charming and yet his smile hides a heartbreaking past. From the theme that we do not go through life alone, we aren’t meant to be alone, to finding the strength to move on from the traumas of life. There is plenty of excitement, drama and feel good moments. One of my favorite quotes from the story is “Some hurts don’t heal. With luck, they cover over with enough scar tissue to make them bearable. But they don’t go away.” How very true! I highly recommend The Comfort of Secrets. 

The Comfort of Secrets is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Sweet Lake, book 1, is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Second Chance Grill: small town drama and romance

Second Chance Grill by Christine Nolfi is the first book in the Liberty series. Dr Mary Chance needs a break from practicing medicine after the tragic loss of her closest friend. When the opportunity came to reopen her aunt’s struggling restaurant in Liberty, Ohio, she thought it was exactly what she needed. Unfortunately, reopening the restaurant wasn’t as smooth as she thought. She wasn’t prepared for the eccentric residents and one determined eleven year old girl. Blossom Perini is a girl who has been through hell, battling leukemia and has emerged victorious. Now she is determined to find a wife for her father, Anthony, and Mary is the perfect candidate. Mary can’t help being drawn to Blossom and Anthony but she tries to resist. But when Blossom faces another battle, Mary and the town will rally together for her and set in motion an outpouring of love from outside their small community. 

Second Chance Grill is touted as “an unforgettable tale of love, loss and second chances,” and while it was an emotional story, I closed the final pages conflicted. I have loved Ms. Nolfi’s books in the past and I expected to enjoy this one. Unfortunately, I did not. At certain parts, I was bored and even annoyed over the small town antics of its eccentric residents. And other parts, I was angry and not angry as I think Ms. Nolfi intended. While Second Chance Grill had all the elements of a great small town story that I usually love, however, I didn’t care for Mary, Blossom or Anthony and other characters really grated my nerves. The romance between Mary and Anthony started off fine, then morphed into something cringey. There were actions of some characters that bordered on the criminal with no consequences or at least any I saw. Unfortunately, Second Chance Grill wasn’t the story I expected. 

Second Chance Grill is available in paperback and eBook

The Passing Storm: a story of family, reconciliation, and closure

The Passing Storm by Christine Nolfi is a story about family, reconciliation and bringing closure to the past. Rae Langdon has struggled with grief most of her adult life. First with the sudden loss of her mother during the storm of the century to the tragic accident that took her daughter. Along with her father, Connor, she tends their Ohio farm that has seen better days but she is determined to keep the land. As days are a struggle with memories and anger, she gives shelter to one person she was determined to hate. Quinn Galecki is a teenager who has had a very troubling relationship with his parents. At the beginning of what promised to be a brutal winter, he is thrown out. With nowhere to go, he finds himself a temporary home with the Langdons. As he works to earn his keep, Quinn develops an unexpecting kinship with Rae and Connor. But soon secrets will be revealed that threaten that new found relationship. Will they find a way to move forward with their grief and find the bright future that awaits them on the other side of the passing storm? 

The Passing Storm is filled with drama, intrigue and mystery. Like a building storm, the story starts off slow and you will wonder where the story is going. Then as the storm gets stronger, the revelations build and build until the fierceness of the storm takes your breath away and you hold on for dear life as the storm blows through. The story is filled with twists and turns that will have you eager to turn the page! From the opening character, we see an angry Rae confronting a timid and frightened Quinn. What did the teen possibly do to invoke such anger from an adult? Rae was a woman who flew off the handle often, added with grief and she isn't thinking clearly. We soon learn that Rae is dealing with more than grief but deep, deep secrets of the past. At first, Rae is a hard woman to like but as the story unfolds and she brings Quinn into her home, I can see she was hiding a lot of grief, hurt and even guilt. I enjoyed Rae’s best friend, Yuna, as the voice of reason for Rae. I highly recommend The Passing Storm. 

The Passing Storm is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook. 

Sweet Lake: a sweet small town romance

Sweet Lake is the first book in the Sweet Lake series by Christine Nolfi. Linnie Wayfair took over the family inn after her scoundrel of a brother stole money from the company and ran off to California. With the residents of Sweet Lake, Ohio counting on her, she has done her best. Everyone is urging her to return the Wayfair Inn to its former glory. Her parents hope her brother will return and claim his rightful place as heir and owner of the inn. The eccentric Sweet Lake Sirens want her to open her heart to new possibilities. When a shocking turn of events open old wounds and threaten to upend everything Linnie has worked so hard to build. She must make a decision quickly. Will she stand and fight for the inn and her place in the family legacy? 

Sweet Lake is a sweet story that kept me on my toes and guessing until the very end. There were moments when the events made me very angry and annoyed for Linnie and even at Linnie. She doesn’t seem to have a backbone and the courage to stand up for herself as she realizes her work at the inn is threatened. Eventually she found her voice and I ended up liking her and cheering for her in the end. The first half of the story was irritating especially with the Sirens, who had a Ya-Ya Sisterhood vibe. The second half is where the story found its heart and it’s groove. Overall, I enjoyed Sweet Lake and look forward to reading the rest of the series. If you like fun, small town stories, I recommend Sweet Lake. 

Sweet Lake is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook. 

The Road She Left Behind: sometimes the only way to heal is to go home

The Road She Left Behind by Christine Nolfi is a story of going home, confronting the past and finding forgiveness for others as well as oneself. Darcy Goodridge has been on the run. For the last eight years, she has moved from town to town, from job to job, She left her home in Ohio, vowing never to return. She was crushed by guilt over the accidental deaths of her father and younger sister and the constant battling with her mother, Darcy left, never looking back. Until one fateful phone call finds her fighting the urge to return. With the urge of her young friend, 18-year old Samson Dray, she finds herself on the road back home. Once she’s there, she learns that her 8-year-old nephew, Emerson, is missing and her mother, Honorable Rosalind Goodridge, is as imposing as ever. After Emerson returns home, Darcy becomes a part of her nephew’s life, she begins to piece together the events which led to Emerson to “run away.” Darcy begins to tear down the walls her mother so expertly put up around her and discovers her secrets as deep family secrets that led to the horrible accident. Determined to find closure and healing, Darcy may even find love and a place to belong.

The Road She Left Behind is a non-stop dramatic story of family secrets, misplaced guilt, teenage rebellion and lost love. While the family secrets revealed weren’t too shocking, I would say almost common, however, I was gripped by the interaction between Darcy and Rosalind. A mother and daughter who have been at odds from day one and Darcy never really knew why and, now as an adult, Darcy demands answers and “no” is not acceptable. It was a hard book to put down as I was eager to discover the family secrets and see everyone come together as a true family in ways they hadn’t before. Throughout the book, I wasn’t sure if I liked Darcy, Rosalind or any of the major characters. Each had their flaws, made their mistakes and said some hurtful statements in their anger or hurt. It’s what made the characters relatable as I could imagine knowing and interacting with these individuals. However, by the end, I smiled as they began to interact like a normal family and cried as they began their healing. I recommend The Road She Left Behind as a story of forgiveness, redemption and finding your home.

The Road She Left Behind

is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook