The Talking Tree: when her mother's death sends her searching in the past for answers

The Talking Tree is the first book in The Hartwell Women by Judith Keim. Returning to her hometown after the death of her estranged mother, Marissa Cole just wants to dot the i’s and cross the t’s and leave it all behind once again. However, her mother has one final request: take her ashes to New Hope, Maine and scatter them from the local cliffs. Marissa never heard her mother mention New Hope and she didn’t understand why her mom would make such a request. Once in Maine, she discovers a family her mother left behind. However, the family isn’t what she thought where the smiles and the welcomes aren’t as sincere as she hopes. With the family fortune on the line, can Marissa make the right decision for herself, her family and her future? 

This story had an interesting start. A woman discovers her mother was hiding secrets and she must unravel the mystery after her death. However, once Marissa is in New Hope and she learns about her mother’s family, the story gets bogged down. The drama surrounding the family business and who should be running it or not. I definitely didn’t care for Brad, Marissa’s boyfriend and “love of her life.” I didn’t care how he acted like a spoiled brat when Marissa was trying to find her place in her mother’s family. By the end of the book, I was glad it was over. Overall, the story was good; however, I was not interested enough to continue the series. If you enjoy stories of discovering family, coming to terms with the past and finding a new future, I recommend The Talking Tree. 

The Talking Tree is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

A Summer of Surprises: a story of second chances

A Summer of Surprises by Judith Keim is a part of the Seashell Cottage standalone series. Jill Conroy is tricked by her sister, Cristal, into being a housekeeper and cook for the summer at the Seashell Cottage where Greg Campbell and his nephew, Brody, have been hired to do maintenance projects on the property. Jill soon realizes that the time away from her home and the memories of her deceased, emotionally abusive husband is just what she needs. It isn’t long before Jill also realizes she needs to make a new life for herself. She begins her plans and her new future seems to be set. A sudden visit from Cristal, followed by their mother, forces Jill to reveal secrets she has been hiding. Can she close the door on the past for the open opportunity for peace, happiness and even love? 

Families and especially sisters can be complicated. Jill has spent her life in the shadow of her gorgeous sister which leads to an abusive marriage. Even though the tragic death of her husband has physically set her free, Jill is still trapped by her insecurities and familial bonds. The beach is truly healing in A Summer of Surprises as Jill finds a new strength, a new voice and a new purpose. I thoroughly enjoyed Jill and her journey. I cheered for her as she confronted the past and those who allowed her abuse to be such a secret. The Seashell Cottage series are all standalones and they are great stories of life-changing experiences and A Summer of Surprises is a great addition to the series. I highly recommend A Summer of Surprises as well as the Seashell Cottage. 

A Summer of Surprises is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook 

Change of Heart: love is found in the most unexpected places

Change of Heart is a Seashell Cottage book by Judith Keim. Emerson “Em” Jordan always dreamed of a Valentine’s Day wedding. She believed her boyfriend would be proposing soon and she couldn’t wait. But she is blindsided when he suddenly breaks up with her, leaving her wallowing in what could have been. At the suggestion of her sister, Em spends ten days at the Seashell Cottage with Davin Gerard, a family friend who has no interest in her or any other woman as he’d rather concentrate on building his pediatric medical practice. Em doesn’t mind as she is there to regroup and not get romantically involved. She is focusing on achieving other dreams and a friendship is all she accepts. But as their friendship grows, she realizes that Devin may be the one for her. With their lives seemingly going in different directions, would it be possible? Will a new dream take the place of another? 

Change of Heart is a very sweet romance with a theme that great loves always start as friends. It was a fast paced and engaging read as I finished it in one day. I was not able to put it down. I enjoyed Em and Devin and their cast of supporting characters. I loved that they weren’t looking for a romance despite their obvious attraction to each other. My favorite quote from the story is “It wasn’t the wedding that counted; it was the man you chose to marry.” So very true! One of the things I enjoy with Judith Keim’s Seashell Cottage series is that the books do not need to be read in order. The only thing really connecting the stories is a cottage on the Gulf of Florida. I like the idea that a rental, a temporary home, has so many lasting stories to tell of the people who have passed through its doors. I highly recommend Change of Heart. 

Change of Heart is available in eBook and audiobook

A Christmas Star: can the season bring healing and new love?

A Christmas Star by Judith Keim. It is the first book of the Seashell Cottage series which are standalone books all connected by the cottage. Two years ago, Noelle North’s fiancé left her at the altar on Christmas Day. She cannot endure another holiday season at home. She rents the Seashell Cottage on the Gulf Coast of Florida for the holiday. One day while walking along the beach, she meets Silas Bellingham, a young boy, and his dog, Duke. Noelle comes to learn that his great-grandmother, Althea, is being abused by her caretaker. A trained nurse, she is spurred into action. Soon she meets Silas’ father, Jake. Jake and Noelle immediately start butting heads. After getting off on the wrong foot, Jake realizes that Noelle is just what the family needs. Can the Christmas season be healing for them all? 

A Christmas Star is a story of healing and the miracles of Christmas. All the characters are nursing broken hearts and hurts from broken relationships to the death of the loved one. Each character finds themselves opening up to new love and new possibilities as well as healing and learning to move on. Noelle has a heart for others but hides her own broken heart. Jake is a broken man who has poured himself into his work. And a little boy whose innocence and wonder will bring them together. It has a Hallmark holiday feel. It is a great read for the holiday season or any time one wants to recapture the magic and possibilities of Christmas and love. It is a sweet, second chance romance with a bit of Christmas magic. I recommend A Christmas Star. 

A Christmas Star is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Finding Me: an unexpected inheritance leads to life changing experiences

Finding Me by Judith Keim is the first book in the Salty Key Inn series. An unexpected inheritance opens doors of possibilities and life changing opportunities. Sheena Sullivan Morelli and her sisters, Darcy and Regan, inherit a hotel on the Gulf Coast of Florida from their Uncle Gavin. As the black sheep of the family, Gavin had disappeared from their lives many, many years ago. However, there is a twist. They must live together for one year at the hotel and prepare the hotel to receive guests within a year. Sheen is eager to escape her role as an unappreciated wife and mother and rediscover herself. Dreams of sitting on the beach, sipping margaritas are dashed when the hotel is in desperate need of repair and renovation. Undaunted, the three sisters set a plan and are determined to meet this challenge to change their lives forever. 

Finding Me is a story about finding one’s true self. Sheena married young and devoted herself to her husband, his business and their children. Darcy works a job she hates while she dreams of something better. Regan has spent her life being the dumb blonde while hiding a true talent that she fears to reveal. Each sister must commit to their uncle’s last wishes or no one will inherit anything. This story should have been Sheena’s story with aspects hinting at Darcy and Regan’s stories in later books, however, the alternating points of view were distracting and with just too much going on. I didn’t like the fact that Sheena was willing to leave her husband, whom she claims to love greatly, and live apart for one year. Overall, I enjoyed the story but I am not sure if I liked it enough to continue the series. 

Finding Me is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

A Road Trip to Remember: one road trip can change someone's life

A Road Trip to Remember by Judith Keim is a story of a life-changing road trip. Agatha “Aggie” Robard talks her granddaughter, Blythe, into driving her from their home in Boston to Florida, to see old college friends along the way. One college friend in particular, Donovan Bailey, the man she was planning to marry after college but circumstances took them on different paths. Aggie hopes to show her serious granddaughter that life can be fun too. However, their trip needs to be a secret. While the rest of the family is in Hawaii on vacation, Aggie and Blythe set off. All goes well and it looked like they would be able to keep their secret. Until a series of accidents leads their lives on a path they never saw coming. Will this new path show them that there are new possibilities everywhere. 

I was expecting a story about an amazing road trip. However, the road trip takes place in the first third of the book and not much happens while on the road. It seems like the road trip was just to explain Aggie and Donovan’s history leading up to their reunion. Most of the events happen in Florida as Aggie and Donovan reunite. There was no real conflict with all the conflicts being resolved a bit too quickly. Everything is tied up in neat little bows with everyone happy and getting along. I didn't even feel a connection to any of the characters. The story was a bit too predictable and dragged in certain points. Overall, I liked the story and I enjoyed the premise that life is too short without some fun but it wasn’t the road trip story I expected. 

A Road Trip to Remember is available in paperback, eBook, and paperback

Going Home: finding home when you least expect it

Going Home by Judith Keim is the first book in the Chandler Hill Inn series. In 1970 as 18 year old Violet “Lettie” Hawkins finally escapes her life in Dayton, Ohio. She makes her way to the west coast and finds herself in San Francisco, with little money, no place to live and very few options. One day, when a kind, young man, Kenton Chandler, offers her a sandwich and a job at his father’s inn and vineyard in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. With nothing to lose, she takes the offer. When she gets there, she immediately feels a connection with the land. In a whirlwind romance, she marries Kenton. Their happiness is short-lived when his father dies from a stroke. And on the day she learns she is expecting their first child, Kenton is killed in a car accident. Heartbroken, she is left in charge of the Chandler Inn and Vineyard. Her job is to make them the success that Kenton and his father had envisioned. As she struggles to raise a child alone and grow the business, she wonders if she can make it on her own. 

Going Home is my second book by Judith Keim and sadly, I was bored. It began great but once Lettie arrives at Chandler Hill, it began a series of unbelievable events. The timeline for the book goes from event to event with only the indication of the time passed with “Several years have passed…” from one paragraph to the next. It would have been better if the years passing could have been between chapters. There was so much potential for this book but I found myself skimming and not really caring about the characters, especially Lettie. I also feel the book’s synopsis gives too much away that the reader doesn’t get the same emotional impact as Lettie when she learns of each tragedy. Although Ms Keim does capture the struggles of a former child of the foster care system in terms of relationships, especially Lettie’s relationship with her own child. The care of the grapes and process of wine making was interesting. Overall, the story was boring. I’m not sure if I will continue this series. If you are a fan of Judith Keim, you may enjoy Going Home. 

Going Home is available in paperback, eBook, and Audiobook. 

Breakfast at the Beach House Hotel: sometimes a second chance comes in the most unlikely places

Breakfast at the Beach House Hotel by Judith Keim is the first book in the Beach House Hotel series. It is a story of two unlikely friends who go into business together and find the chance to start over. After Ann Rutherford’s husband dumps her for his much-younger receptionist, she finds herself without a home and a job. The usually quiet and reserved Ann is no match for Rhonda DelMonte, her polar opposite. Rhonda is flashy and bossy. Together, they go into business together, renovating the Beach House Hotel. As they struggle to get their business off the ground, they face each challenge with confidence and a little bit of luck. Their luck certainly changes when they have the chance to host The Sins of the Children soap opera cast and crew as they film a few episodes there. For Ann, the boon becomes complicated when she falls for Vaughn Sanders, the sexy star of the show. While still dealing with her ex-husband, her daughter and a man out to destroy her business, can Ann take a chance on love too? 

I picked up Breakfast at the Beach House Hotel after hearing Judith Keim in an interview. I like discovering new authors and series. Unfortunately, this story fell flat for me. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters. It is a story of women in their 40s but act like teenagers in a high school drama with the constant rumors and false rumors circling around them. Ann’s daughter is supposed to be a sophomore in college and yet acts like a child. Also the story occurs in about a year and they go from struggling to get the hotel up and running to being THE spot for VIPs. It just seems a bit unrealistic. Plus the language used during the love scenes was a bit cringey. At one point, I laughed like no one talks like that! Overall, this book was not the story for me and I doubt I will continue the series. However, if the story does sound appealing to you, I recommend you give it a try. Even though it didn’t relate to me, it might relate to someone else. 

Breakfast at the Beach House Hotel is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.