The thick, leathery tome Heather pulled out of the dusty cardboard box was definitely coming home with her. Not only was The Gentlewoman's Guide to Love and Courtship an appealing curiosity by virtue of its title; it was also written by Smitten, Vermont, native Pearl Chambers, a local gentlewoman from three generations back.
Little did Heather know the repercussions this little curiosity would have on her and her friends' romantic exploits.
When Heather and her fellow book club members begin passing the book around, their respective interpretations are unleashed on their respective love lives . . . for better or for worse. Is it a mystery? An idealist fantasy? An intimation of Jane Austen? As romantic love finds its way to each woman, the Guide proves itself both surprisingly prescient and hilariously irrelevant.
What's more, a handwritten inscription indicates that the arcane book might hold the only extant clues leading to buried gold---exactly what one of the members needs to keep her house. How could they not go treasure hunting?
In this remarkable collaborative novel, besties Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Denise Hunter, and Diann Hunt tackle the tale of the Gentlewoman's Guide by writing for one book club member apiece. Smitten Book Club is a hopeful, hilarious story of friendship and healing, written by friends for friends.
Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/t7BO1
Meet the Authors:
RITA-finalist Colleen Coble is the author of several best-selling romantic suspense novels, including Tidewater Inn, and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series.
Christy Award finalist and two-time winner of the ACFW Book of the Year award, Kristin Billerbeck has appeared on The Today Show and has been featured in the New York Times. Her books include A Billion Reasons Why and What a Girl Wants.
Denise Hunter is the award-winning and best-selling author of several novels, including A Cowboy's Touch and Sweetwater Gap. She and her husband are raising three boys in Indiana.
Diann Hunt has lived in Indiana forever, been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, her dog, and, well, chocolate. Diann lost her courageous battle with cancer in December 2013.
My Take:
I have enjoyed the previous Smitten, Vermont, novels - Smitten and Secretly Smitten - and I was looking forward to reading this next installment just in time for Valentine's Day!
Since I belong to a great book club myself, the premise for this novel grabbed me right away. I loved the friendship that was shared among the four friends (reminiscent of the authors, I suspect), and the book that was chosen for the book club to read just seemed like a riot.
Novellas are interesting to read, and I feel as if they need to be read in a certain way. Since they are short, the stories - and thus the romances - seem to play out rather quickly. Luckily, in the Smitten books, the four novellas are seamlessly woven together, which makes for a much easier and more believable read. There is also a mystery woven throughout, which always makes a novel/novella more complete, in my opinion.
The setting of Smitten, Vermont, a small resort town looking to make a name for itself as a romantic destination, is once again done very well in this collection of novellas. It's almost as if the town is a character of its own!
While most of the romances in this novel were sweet, I struggled with reading about the one who recently lost her husband. It was handled appropriately, I thought, but I just don't like reading things that are really, really sad! :(
Overall, Smitten Book Club is a collection of four sweet romances that all tie together in friendship and a fun mystery.
I will give Smitten Book Club ... 3.5 BookWorms.
One winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire HDX
- The Smitten books (Smitten, Secretly Smitten, Smitten Book Club)
So grab your copy of Smitten Book Club and join Colleen, Denise, Kristin, and friends on the evening of February 20th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)
Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 20th!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers. 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."
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