Book Review... Magnolia Market by Judy Christie

While I was celebrating the holidays with the family I had a bunch of down time to do stuff that I wanted to do... so you know that means I did a TON of reading.  One of the books I read during my Christmas was Magnolia Market by Judy Christie.  I was intrigued by this book because the description talked about a strong willed, Southern woman who although life got her down, she is determined to not let it get the best of her.  For those of you who know me, you know that this book is right up my ally because a) I LOVE books with strong female protagonists and b) I am a huge fan of anything having to do with the South.

Magnolia Market is centered around the life of Avery Broussard, a recent widow who is trying to figure out what to do with her life after her husband's death.  Avery had been managing a shop for her mother-in-law and had made plans to buy it when her mother-in-law decided to sell it to someone else for more money.  After selling the shop out from under Avery, her in-laws also close her bank accounts, put her house up for sale and start doing everything in their power to get Avery to leave Samford to return to her hometown.

As her in-laws are trying to get her to leave, Avery manages to crash into the front of Magnolia Market changing her life as she knew it.  In order to pay her debts to market owners Bill and Martha, Avery start working at the market while Martha is in the hospital recovering.  During her time in the market Avery finds an unlikely friend in Kathleen, whose car she destroyed during the market crash, and the two of them set out to bring the market back to its former glory.  As they set out to do this, they are helped along by T.J. Aillet who is helping to rebuild the front of the store.  T.J. manages to save Avery from many situations and helps encourage her to fight against her in-laws and do what she wants to do.  With the help of T.J. and Kathleen, Avery is able to get out from under the thumbs of her controlling in-laws and is able to start her life anew as the owner of Magnolia Market.

This book was a very quick read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.  I loved seeing how Avery overcame adversity and how she didn't let anyone keep her down. In the end she fought for what she wanted and she got what she wanted. She didn't let anyone, not even her crazy in-laws, stand in her way.  Avery's character is everything I love in a female protagonist of a book, but I also liked that as strong willed as she was, she was still willing to let love in and to let T.J. help her along the way.

I would definitely recommend this book to someone who is looking for a quick and inspiring read.  This book will definitely inspire you to go after your dreams and to not let anyone, not even family, stand in your way!

Do you have any good book recommendations for me?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review... Murder Simply Brewed

Murder Simply Brewed by Vannetta Chapman is a murder, mystery novel set in the Indiana where the Amish meet the English.  Amber, an "Englischer", is the manager of a cute little "resort" in the county called, the Amish Artisan Village.  The Village has a few Amish shops as well as a hotel, restaurant and conference center.  The Village seems like the perfect, peaceful retreat until Ethan Gray, one of the shop owners, is found dead in his coffee shop.  The police feel that his death was from a heart attack, but Amber feels differently.  Amber has one of the Amish girls who works in the quilt shop, Hannah, take over the coffee shop after Ethan's death, and both women begin to think that Ethan's death was not of natural causes, but rather that he was murdered.

After Ethan's death, other strange things start happening around the Village... and each strange occurrence seems to have a verse from Daniel left at the scene.  Amber and Hannah start trying to put together the clues to figure out who had it out for Ethan, even if the police don't believe them.  Amber has her suspicions about Ethan's wife, but eventually dismisses them after new, more promising suspects come out.  Using their resources in the English and the Amish community, Amber and Hannah manage to solve the mystery of how Ethan died and they bring a killer to justice.

I hadn't read a book like this in a long time and wasn't sure how I was going to feel about it.  I ended up really enjoying the book and it was a very quick read.  It was one of those books that once I started reading it I didn't want to put it down.  I really liked the way that Chapman combined the English and the Amish way of life to give her readers a good look into how I would imagine life works when the Amish and English try to mix.  Although this book was set in Indiana, I found myself imaging that this is how life is like in Lancaster, PA (near where I live) and it has given me a new appreciation for the Amish lifestyle.  I do wish that I had saved this book to read on our beach weekend getaway because I do think that it is a perfect beach read!  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick read that involves murder, mystery and intrigue with a little bit of religion mixed in.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”