From the Publisher: Upon his arrival, Butternut Creek Christian Church's newly-minted minister is met by a welcome committee led by Miss Birdie and her friend Mercedes, a.k.a. "the Widows." Their first order of business, to educate him on how things should be done, quickly gives way to a campaign to find him a wife.
When their matchmaking efforts fizzle, the Widows turn to another new bachelor. Amputee and Afghan vet Sam simply wants to be left alone-- a desire that's as good as a red flag to the Widows! Soon they're scheming to pair him up with Willow, his beautiful physical therapist, a divorced mother of two who is afraid of commitment. Perrine's small-town tale is a big-time triumph of gentle humor, fast-paced plot, and wonderfully engaging characters.
For more information about this novel and to read an excerpt, go here.
About the Author: A Missouri native,
Jane Myers Perrine earned her B.A. from Kansas State University and her M.Ed. in Spanish from the University of Louisville. She was a finalist in the Regency category of the Golden Heart Awards, and her short pieces have appeared in the
Houston Chronicle and
Woman's World magazine. A high-school Spanish teacher as well as an ordained minister, she currently lives in Texas with her husband, who is the minister of a local Christian church.
My Take:
I love it when books make me laugh out loud, and this one did not disappoint. But, it was heartwarming, too. Having grown up in and around small Southern churches, the people and the circumstances in this novel hit close to home -- the lady at church who seems to do everything (and actually 'runs' the church behind the scenes); the naive young pastor fresh out of seminary; and the women in town who make it their goal in life to see people married off.
Even though the author seemed to use 'big' words just for the sake of using big words (the dictionary on my Kindle got a workout!), the writing was still easy to read. There were a lot of storylines going on, and there was a lot of head-hopping (telling the story from different characters' points of view), but I was still able to keep up with the main characters and main plots well. The secondary characters sometimes ran together in my mind, but that didn't decrease my enjoyment of the story.
One of my favorite sections of the book was when the pastor, Adam, is just getting acquainted with Miss Birdie. He says to himself:
"But he hadn't met anyone like Miss Birdie before. Oh, every church had a kitchen lady, the woman in charge of nearly everything including meal preparation and service and keeping the congregation in line. Miss Birdie was different, though, stronger than most but also caring and concerned about the flock. How did a person combine her judgmental personality with a heart that had organized the furniture purchase and sent her minister to call on an amputee?" (The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek by Jane Myers Perrine. Kindle location 607)
This paragraph just struck me because I had just been thinking the same thing as I was 'getting to know' Miss Birdie at the beginning of the book. I absolutely adored getting to see things from her perspective. It is definitely true that you don't truly know a person's heart - especially when they seem to have such a gruff exterior.
The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek is a character-driven novel that was a delightful read, and I look forward to more to come in this series.
I will give The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek ... 3 ½ BookWorms.
(And maybe a PG rating, since there were a few 'choice' words and a scene that was on the sensual side..)
The Giveaway:
The Publisher of The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek has graciously offered a copy of the book for me to give away to my readers.
Just fill out the form below - the contest will run through Thursday, April 12th, and I will announce the winner here on my blog on Friday, April 13th.
(This contest is for residents of the US and Canada only. No P.O. Boxes, please.)
Congratulations to Vera G! You are the contest winner!
I will send an email to you will details about your prize.
Thanks to everyone who entered!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from FaithWords/Hachette Book Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
From the Publisher: Upon his arrival, Butternut Creek Christian Church's newly-minted minister is met by a welcome committee led by Miss Birdie and her friend Mercedes, a.k.a. "the Widows." Their first order of business, to educate him on how things should be done, quickly gives way to a campaign to find him a wife. 
About the Author: A Missouri native, Jane Myers Perrine earned her B.A. from Kansas State University and her M.Ed. in Spanish from the University of Louisville. She was a finalist in the Regency category of the Golden Heart Awards, and her short pieces have appeared in the Houston Chronicle and Woman's World magazine. A high-school Spanish teacher as well as an ordained minister, she currently lives in Texas with her husband, who is the minister of a local Christian church. 
Sounds like a book that I would enjoy reading. Thanks for hosting the giveaway.
ReplyDelete