Miracle in a Dry Season by Sarah Loudin Thomas - I've been looking forward to this book since reading the prequel novella Appalachian Serenade which takes place several years earlier. In "Miracle", Perla Long has returned to her hometown and is living with her aunt Delilah and her husband. It's a sleepy small town and everyone seems to know everyone else's business, so it isn't long before the folks start making assumptions and judgments about Perla and her young daughter. Perla was hoping for a fresh start and leave the mistakes of her past behind her, but she gets a lot of attention when her unusual gift for cooking has the potential to see the townsfolk through a difficult drought. Casewell Phillips is a well-respected bachelor in the community, and he can't deny his interest in Perla, but he's not sure she's right for him - not when she obviously has a checkered past.
The characters in town also include a pair of elderly sisters with a longstanding hurt between them; a preacher that seems a little too focused on the sins of others; generous Delilah and her husband; and Casewell's parents. Forgiveness and acceptance are themes throughout the poignant story. I enjoyed getting to know these characters, many of whom reminded me of folks I have known over the years. One thing I especially like about the main love story in "Miracle" (and also in "Appalachian Serenade") is that the characters are a little older, past the blushing teenager stage of life. I think this makes them believable and realistic.
From the publisher:
The characters in town also include a pair of elderly sisters with a longstanding hurt between them; a preacher that seems a little too focused on the sins of others; generous Delilah and her husband; and Casewell's parents. Forgiveness and acceptance are themes throughout the poignant story. I enjoyed getting to know these characters, many of whom reminded me of folks I have known over the years. One thing I especially like about the main love story in "Miracle" (and also in "Appalachian Serenade") is that the characters are a little older, past the blushing teenager stage of life. I think this makes them believable and realistic.
From the publisher:
In a Drought, It's the Darkest Cloud That Brings Hope It's 1954 and Perla Long's arrival in the sleepy town of Wise, West Virginia, was supposed to go unnoticed. She just wants a quiet, safe place for her and her daughter, Sadie, where the mistakes of her past can stay hidden. But then drought comes to Wise, and Perla is pulled into the turmoil of a town desperately in need of a miracle.
Casewell Phillips has resigned himself to life as a bachelor...until he meets Perla. She's everything he's sought in a woman, but he can't get past the sense that she's hiding something. As the drought worsens, Perla's unique gift divides the town in two, bringing both gratitude and condemnation, and placing the pair in the middle of a storm of anger and forgiveness, fear and faith.
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I look forward to reviewing a Bethany House book.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you are doing good on the 52/52 challenge.