Grace Greene

Lilliane Moore has just settled, has accepted what she thinks is her lot in life. She doesn’t so much devalue herself as think she has reached where she is supposed to be, to move out or move on would be to disrespect her parents and her memories, to disrupt too much. So she’s stayed in the old family home for almost twenty years, ever since her parents died. She hasn’t gone to college or developed a career. She tried marriage but it didn’t work out so she thinks it’s just not show more meant for her. She has friends and is well-regarded in town, but she has no family and isn’t really close to anyone. It is tragic to watch, because Lilliane has the heart and soul of a poet, an artist, and you can see she has so much to give. She’s a spunky, strong-willed woman, maybe not quite ready to speak up for what she wants, but certainly willing to speak up about what she doesn’t want. So she settles, but she doesn’t even realize she’s settling. We can see it, though, and from that start we hope and wish and pray that she’ll see just how worthwhile and deserving she is, how she can be anything she wants to be, go anywhere she wants to go, and how much others will and do value her.

The story of her time with crabby, cranky, old Mr. Merrick Dahl, who has driven away many companions, is sweet and vastly entertaining. She gives as good as she gets with him. She speaks up when she disagrees, but she is not rude, and she does not accept rudeness in silence. So the interaction between them is fun to watch. He’s settling also, resigned to what he thinks will be the rest of his life, living with his regrets. Lilliane doesn’t have regrets as much as acceptance of the choices she has made and those she has let pass her by. Like the possibility of something wonderful and magical with Merrick’s friend Davis McMahon. He feels an attraction and so does she. He lets her know he would very much like to see where this might go, but her response is what’s the point? Experience has taught her that things don’t last, and then you’re worse off. “'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" is not her motto. Instead she believes you can’t miss what you never had. Why start anything? Eventually she would lose Davis and then she would be even more alone than she is now. How sad her view is. And how much we want her to start living life.

Lilliane only travels a few hours from her beloved forest, her comfort zone, to the ocean. But it’s a journey of a lifetime, of discovery, of awakenings. Merrick Dahl was once a famous author. His books aren’t really her style, but when he gives her the beginnings of a book he says Davis asked him to read and critique, she is hooked. She’s never been a reader but she sure is now. She can’t put these pages down. She’s pulled completely into the story. And now we have a story within a story, a bit of a mystery developing about the roles everyone is playing. And who can be trusted and who can’t.

Author Grace Green paints beautiful word pictures of the forest, the hills, the ocean, the beach through Lilliane’s thoughts and experiences. I felt as if I was viewing the ocean and burrowing my toes in the sand for the very first time right along with Lilliane. At one point in the story someone tells Lilliane she has the “explorer gene” and it’s true. She just doesn’t know it yet. A Barefoot Tide is a heartwarming, intense, poetic story, full of wonderfully developed characters, an engaging, intriguing plot and gorgeous word pictures. It’s a special book, a joy to read. Thanks to the author for providing an ARC for my reading pleasure and honest opinion. I loved this story and recommend it without hesitation. Add it to your stack of marvelous Grace Greene books. You’ll be glad you did. All opinions are my own. show less

I haven’t read a book by author Grace Greene in a while and I’ve missed it. I can just feel it’s a Grace Greene book as soon as I start reading. She writes about people, good people, who have had bad things, or one really big bad thing, happen to them and they are lost. They are symbolically drawn into a ball, hiding, keeping their emotions in check, not exposing themselves to more hurt. We feel for them the minute we meet them.

Leigh Ann Eden was rather famous, successful, popular, show more engaged to be married. And it all ended in the blink of an eye when her father was convicted of financial crimes. She wasn’t involved, none of this was her fault, but that didn’t matter. As the public face of her PR firm she was known, and the public turned on her. As did her fiancé. So she ran.

She “hid out” with her cousin Florence in Richmond, Virginia. She needed a break, needed to be out of the public eye, needed to have no demands and no stress. And that’s exactly what life with Florence provided. But you know how once you start avoiding something, start hiding from it, it becomes a habit that is very hard to break. The less you engage with others the less you want to. And that’s how it became for Leigh Ann, and when Florence dies Leigh Ann is faced with an important decision: continue hiding, continue the solitary life that is no longer a quiet life enjoyed with Florence but now a life alone, or get back into the world, at least to some degree. Leigh Ann doesn’t drive any more, doesn’t work thanks to the settlement from the sale of her portion of the PR company, doesn’t socialize except for the briefest interactions with her neighbors, doesn’t have contact with her father or her ex, and infrequently speaks with her mother. She feels a bit of a stirring that tells her she has to try to come alive again, but she makes no moves to do so – until a delightful encounter with a cat told in author Greene’s always delightful fashion forces her to do something, because her life is not the only one at stake now.

I say delightful because it’s delightful to read, not so much so for Leigh Ann to experience. She’s merely chasing the can of tuna that fell from her grocery bag when two women mistake her for the cat sitter and leave before she can explain. Now she’s stuck with a grumpy cat she barely managed to get into the carrier. What does she want or need with a cat? But she can’t just leave it there. And when she goes back the next day the house seems deserted. So now she’s really stuck. She needs help – the cat hides, grumps, may be sick, needs to eat – but where is this help to come from? Well, from her neighbors, Samuel Marshburn who sees her come home with the cat and another neighbor who cares for cats and has supplies she will share. Leigh Ann is grateful but still plans to take Harvey (Harvey? Well, that was the name on the carrier) somewhere other than here as soon as possible. Turns out Harvey is in fact Ms. Harvey and is having kittens. Yikes. Leigh Ann is well and truly stuck now, but is that so bad?

But who shows up at her door next is a surprise that kind of feels good but makes her a little nervous. It’s not Samuel who she expected but Sam Jr. The same Sam Jr. that Florence and Samuel tried to match her up with a couple years ago. He’s pretty good looking and a very nice guy but he was just getting over a bad break up and she was still in full hiding mode, so the timing wasn’t right. Is it now? Sam presses just a tiny bit and she’s intrigued but still afraid. A tantalizing moment.

And right here is where the cozy, comfortable blanket of Grace Greene writing closes over you and warms you from the inside out. It’s not all warm and fuzzy but it sure feels good. Things – and people – aren’t what they seem. Someone has been in the house. Her ex shows up out of the blue and seems . . . evil in a way. What is going on? What went on with her father? Somebody seems to be looking for something but what is it and where is it? Who can she trust? Is any of this worth coming out of her shell? Could be. She falls hard for Harvey and those kittens, and there’s something, some spark, between her and Sam Jr. They aren’t teenagers, they’re adults with life experiences that have shaped them, and also taught them what they might be missing or what they might need.

A Heart Beyond is an exciting, fast-paced journey with two people and an entire neighborhood, a whole bunch of cats, and blasts from the past that aren’t very pleasant and shine a bright light on things that happened that are much clearer now. The characters are deep and well-drawn, the dialogue is perfect – sweet, snappy, snappish, funny – and the cats are adorable. What more could you want from a story? Grace Greene always, always, always delivers. There are little peeks and reminders of other books and Wildflower House which just increase the feeling of being home. Thanks to author Grace Green for providing an advance copy of A Heart Beyond as part of her review team. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it without hesitation. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less

Wildflower Wedding is another sweet, heart-warming story by author Grace Greene, and a fitting addition – or ending? – to the Wildflower House series. Kara has had more than her share of heartbreak, trouble, loss and betrayal. Her mother in childhood, her husband, her best friend, and then her father. So she’s understandably wary that the love and joy she feels now is real and will last. She had a long and difficult recovery from her automobile accident and was still recovering when show more she first came to Wildflower House. It slowly took up residence in her heart, and she gained a home, a deeper relationship with her father, and new friends and relatives. She enjoyed working on the old mansion and for the first time in a long time had happy plans for the future. She even fell in love. Or thought she did. With Seth. Who turned out to be a good friend but not at all the soulmate she thought – hoped – he was. So back up came some of the walls. And things happened that she had no control over. She lost her father. She wanted to withdraw again but instead decided to turn Wildflower House into a creative retreat and event space. She’s grown to love the house, the land and the friends she’s made but with her heart, she is still cautious.

Kara is so vulnerable while so wanting to be open and loved and content that you can’t help but love her. She doesn’t always make the best decisions or think before she tries to shut the door on feelings again, but you can’t blame her. She really has been through so much; it’s no wonder she second and third guesses every decision and is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. She loves the house, the wildflowers, her friends and family and her new life – most of the time. Is it enough that she can do without a special love that might not be real and lasting?

So here’s Will. He is special. This feels so right, maybe it’s time to take a chance on something that might just be too good to lose. Kara needs a wedding, Wildflower House needs a wedding, and we need a wedding. Thanks to author Grace Greene for writing another super special book that filled my heart. I received an advance copy of the book but was not required to leave a review, and all opinions are my own. Go back and catch up on the entire Grace Greene library. You will be happy and satisfied that you did. show less

Author Grace Greene always tugs at your heart, but with her latest book, Emerald Heart, she grabs it and shakes it. This is one emotional book. You want to hug Mignon, then you want to shake her, then you want to hug her again. But she’s closed herself off emotionally and she won’t let you get near enough for hugs or shakes.

Grief is real and hard and unrelenting. For most people, usually, maybe, at the start the grief is right there, right in your face and it’s the filter between it show more and everything else you see and do. But over time, maybe a long time, but usually eventually, the grief moves to the side. You can still see it, it’s always there, things will always be different, but you don’t have to look through it, don’t have to fight your way through it for every single thing, large or small, that you want to accomplish.

Except for Mignon. For her the grief never moved to the side. She sees all of it all of the time. She knows the past is real, the tragedies occurred, but the hope is strong that maybe, just maybe, something will be different someday. So she’s frozen in time, in place, afraid to forget, unable to move on. She has friends but only reveals tiny bits of herself and is quick to pull them back. She knows she needs to make decisions, needs to make a life for herself – but can she?

Mignon is now the sole owner of the Emerald Heart Hotel that she once ran with her husband. Originally his dream, not hers, but they had a good life and she was happy. But Arthur’s been gone two years now and she can’t continue as she has been. She can’t afford to operate the hotel on her own, but neither can she afford to continue the minimal upkeep she’s been doing. There have been many offers to buy, but the property would likely be razed and redeveloped. Could she let that happen? Wouldn’t that be abandoning the child they lost and the husband she loved – and needed – so much?

Mignon is a difficult character. She’s stubborn and withdrawn and angry and suspicious and confused. Not easy to deal with. She has managed to retain some friends, but she is the only one who can decide if she will retreat forever or take a risk. Complicated, and even more complicated when she feels pressure from her and Arthur’s long-time friend Dominick to make up her mind, and when her ex-sister-in-law Jeanette shows up and old wounds and hurts and anger resurface, and when a man named Blake moves in next door. Is he interested in her or her property? Does she want him to be interested in either or is it all too terrifying?

Emerald Heart is another wonderful story from this wonderful author. It’s heartbreaking and sweet and just won’t let you go. The characters are so real you feel every emotion with them. You feel the despair and the hopelessness and then just a little bit of joy creeps in and it feels so good. This is such a satisfying read. Don’t miss it. Thanks to the author for providing an advance copy of Emerald Heart as part of her review crew. I recommend it without hesitation, and while you’re at it go back and read everything Greene has written. You will love them all. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less