Books Under the Blanket (with a flashlight)

A blog about books

What Do You Wish for the Most?

What Do You Wish for the Most?

Story for the Week

If you live in the U.S., this past week was…. 🫣

So Thanksgiving is around the corner, and it’s only 45 days until Christmas. 😲 What do I wish for as we move into the holiday season? I wish for healing for our country. It is clear we are more divided than many people thought. I wish for safety for everyone. I wish for peace.

I know that’s a tall order.

In the meantime, I would like to introduce (or re-introduce) you to a series of books about wishes. Back in February of 2022, I reviewed The Wishing Tree, the “preview” to a series of books about the residents of the fictional town of Linden Falls, Vermont (Folklore or Magic? That’s For Us to Decide). Each book in the series is written by a different author and centers around a different resident of the town. Central to every story is a massive linden tree in the center of town where people hang slips of paper with their wishes.

I loved the series, so I was a little sad when I finished the thirteenth and (what I thought was) the final book. When I found out the authors loved Linden Falls as much as their readers and had more books planned, I couldn’t wait to get my hand (eyes?) on them! I’ll let you in on a not-so-secret secret. They’re here. Yay! 😊

These are all very quick reads, with most under 200 pages. If you haven’t read any of them, I recommend starting at the beginning. If you already read the first 13, books 14-17 are available now. Book 14 is reviewed below.

Full Book List:

Book Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Stars for A Wish for Forgiveness by Amanda Prowse

107 pages
Publisher: Lionhead Media
Publication Date: October 17, 2024
Purchased on Amazon.

Publisher’s Description

Wishes in branches tied with string. Someone’s hopes. Another’s dreams.

Verity Darby found it hard to believe that seven years had passed since she had arrived in Linden Falls, where she promptly fell in love with the small town and the people in it.

Whether she believes in the magic that surrounds the old linden tree is neither here nor there, but one thing is for sure—she has found happiness and love, marrying army veteran Jack Darby, the love of her life.

Now running Claudine’s bistro, as chef-patron, life is good!

But when tragedy strikes, and a long-forgotten stranger makes a surprise appearance in town, the foundations on which Verity has built her life don’t seem quite so stable.

Caught in the middle of an explosive situation, with all sides determined to tell their truth, can Verity find a way to unite her family, or will her worst fears be realized, as her whole world implodes?

Sometimes to put things right, you have to make a wish for forgiveness….

************

Main Characters:

  • Verity Darby – mid-50s, came to Linden Falls seven years ago after her marriage and life in London fell apart, met and married Jack Darby, professional chef who runs Claudine’s Bistro with her sister-in-law Debra
  • Jack Darby – Verity’s husband, military veteran who rented a cabin in Linden Falls and never left, father figure to his nephew Shaun
  • Shaun Miller – Debra’s son, married to Arla, dad to Charlotte and Eva, was seven years old when his father left
  • Todd Miller – Debra’s ex-husband and Shaun’s father, left their abusive marriage when Shaun was little and hasn’t seen either Debra or Shaun since

The queen of family drama does it again…and in one of my favorite series! Double bonus! 😊

We first met Verity and Jack in I Wish… when Verity’s marriage fell apart and she left London for Linden Falls, Vermont, choosing the little town by pointing randomly at a map with her eyes closed. Seven years later, she and Jack are happily married, and she is running Claudine’s Bistro with her sister-in-law Debra. When Deb is late one morning, Jack turns up at the bistro to let her know that Deb died that morning, having suffered a heart attack on her way out to work.

At the funeral, an unexpected guest shows up—Deb’s ex-husband Todd, who hasn’t been seen in town since he left 20-some years before. Jack and Shaun want nothing to do with him after the way he treated Deb and disappeared on Shaun. But he’s in town for a few days, and Verity runs into him by the Wishing Tree. After she spends a few minutes talking with him, she convinces Shaun and Jack to talk to him before he leaves town. It’s been a lot of years, he’s remarried…what could go wrong?

At this point, the story becomes much less about Verity and more about Jack and Shaun. Verity is still solidly in the middle of the action but plays more of the role of a catalyst between Jack, Shaun, and Todd. And we discover that the past may not be what we thought we knew.

Amanda Prowse is a master of creating characters and situations that readers can relate to. We can feel what the characters are feeling, and we agonize with them as they navigate difficult and emotional situations. I felt for Verity being stuck in the middle. And while I kept thinking that Jack and Shaun were being really unfair, I could totally understand why they thought what they did and responded the way they did.

This story is an emotional mess that we have to power through to get to the forgiveness. There is tons of conflict, but it’s also cathartic to manage through the characters’ grief in the midst of the conflict. This was an amazing addition to the series. I’m so happy the authors decided to keep it going.

If you enjoyed this post, please comment below. Subscribe for regular updates, and share it with your friends. If you’re interested in starting a conversation, send an email to booksundertheblanket@gmail.com.

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using the links on my site.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Copyright © 2024 Books Under the Blanket (with a flashlight) - WordPress Theme : By WP99 ThemesPrivacy Policy