Friday Reading: Johnnie Alexander’s Misty Willow Series

Welcome to Friday Reading!

Last Friday I mentioned that while in Minnesota this summer, within three weeks, I read a total of 16 novels and wrote 30,000 words. Yep, that was me. It was the best kind of retreat – no WiFi, limited cell service, the quiet of the woods, cool breezes – and books. Well, books and tablet!

Let’s go back a little further. In March, I attended the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference in Collierville, TN, where I finally met Johnnie Alexander.

I had followed her on Facebook, read some of her posts here and there, and at this conference I was able to sit in a session she taught with Patricia Bradley. It was awesome! In the vendor area where everyone was set up to sell their books, I met her and picked up Where She Belongs, book one in her Misty Willow series.

Before we left for Minnesota in July, I was about halfway through the book and loving it! In fact, I loved it so much I ordered books two (When Love Arrives) and three (What Hope Remembers) from Amazon so they’d be there when I got back home!

The Misty Willow series is a contemporary romance that centers around three cousins. AJ Sullivan and siblings Brett and Amy Somers lost their parents in an airplane crash when they were young teens, and were raised by their grandmother.

Heirs to a fortune, each went their own way, but a place called Misty Willow and memories of their grandmother’s love calls them back.

Here’s the blurb from book 1, Where She Belongs:

Shelby Kincaid is ready to move on from her grief. With high hopes for the future, she longs to purchase her family’s ancestral homestead so she can raise her young daughters in the only place she ever truly belonged. She plans to transform the abandoned house into the perfect home of her memories. But she’ll have her work cut out for her.

AJ Sullivan never wanted the homestead. Inherited as a punishment from his grandfather, it has sat empty for fifteen years and fallen into ruin. He’s glad to finally unload it. But a clean break isn’t possible when he can’t get the young widow Shelby off his mind.

Welcome to Misty Willow, a place that will have as great a hold over the reader as it does over its inhabitants. With writing that evokes a strong sense of place and personal history, Johnnie Alexander deftly explores the ties that bind us to home–and the irresistible forces that draw us to each other.

Did I mention that this book is amazing? Did I mention that all THREE books are amazing?

I wasn’t sure about a book centering on Amy. She’s not a character that’s easy to love. A tough nut to crack. But you know what? Book three enthralled me. Each book delves a little deeper into the spiritual condition of the characters, and the author demonstrates God’s love while exposing the good and bad in all of us. In other words, she shows us all the warts of these characters, but makes us love them at the same time.

If you are looking for a contemporary romance series, I highly recommend the Misty Willow series by Johnnie Alexander. You’ll stay up too late, reading, and lose sleep, but you’ll be glad you did.

Happy Reading!

P.S. I did not receive these books in exchange for a review – I bought them all and would do it again!