Another Chance at Love -- Second Chances on Huckleberry Hill

Jennifer Beckstrand keeps the same theme going through all the books in her Huckleberry Hill series -- matchmaking by the most caring and fun mammi and dawdi in Wisconsin! But she manages to keep the stories fresh by going a little different direction, with just a little different twist, in each of the stories. Second Chances on Huckleberry Hill finds an additional character playing a big role in the matchmaking dilemma, in the person of a 13-year-old boy who is not happy with the fear of losing his dad to an unwanted stepmother.

This may be my favorite in the series so far. Jennifer Beckstrand has given us an engaging story filled with fun and with struggle. In addition to Anna and Felty and their beloved granddaughter Martha Sue, the story is complete with competing potential husbands and a couple of spirited and sneaky kids who make the matchmaking adventures extra fun and extra challenging. At some points you can't quite be sure which match-up Annie is really working toward -- or whether she herself is sure which is the main plan and which is a back-up plan. But after lots of twists and turns, of course, everything works out just as it should. 

I highly recommend Second Chances on Huckleberry Hill to any fan of delightful Amish stories. In fact, if you haven't read the previous books in the series, I would suggest you give them all a try.

About the Book

As Huckleberry Hill, Wisconsin's most irrepressible matchmakers, eighty-somethings Anna and Felty Helmuth never quit a challenge -- especially when one heartbroken couple is about to part . . .

Martha Sue Helmuth wishes she could just relax and enjoy her extended visit with her beloved grandparents. Instead, she is nursing a broken heart over gentle widower Yost Beiler.  Yost’s thirteen-year-old son, Jonah, refuses to accept Martha Sue, and she refuses to risk coming between them. For now, she is just trying to avoid her Mammi’s choice of yet another eligible suitor. But when Yost moves himself and Jonah to Huckleberry Hill to change Martha Sue’s mind, she can't help dreaming that somehow, some way, she and Yost will have a miraculous second chance to be together . . .

 
After his wife’s untimely death, Yost did everything he could to help Jonah through his grief.  He hopes that Martha Sue's outgoing family—and her generous ways—will show his son how loving and trustworthy she truly is. But Anna and Felty's matchmaking antics are inspiring Jonah to drive Martha Sue off for good. And when he goes too far, can Yost and Martha Sue find the understanding to forgive him—and the strength to prove they can overcome differences to make one joyous forever family?

About the Author

Jennifer Beckstrand is the RITA-nominated and award-winning author of The Amish Quiltmakers Series, the Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill, The Honeybee Sisters series, The Petersheim Brothers series, as well as a number of other novels and novellas. Novels in her Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series have been RITA® Award and RT Book Reviews Reviewer's Choice Award finalists. Huckleberry Hill won the 2014 LIME Award for inspirational fiction and Huckleberry Hearts was named a Booklist Top 10 Inspirational Fiction Book of the Year. Jennifer has always been drawn to the strong faith and the enduring family ties of the Plain people.

 

Jennifer has four daughters, two sons, four sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law, and eleven adorable grandchildren. She lives in the foothills of the Wasatch Front with her husband and plays pickleball and cuddles her grandchildren when she’s not writing. 

Please visit her online at JenniferBeckstrand.com.

Camping for Love? -- Home on Huckleberry Hill

The one thing you can be sure of in a Huckleberry Hill story by Jennifer Beckstrand is this -- you can't be sure what kind of scheme Anna and Felty Helmuth will come up with in their quest of matchmaking for their grandchildren! And Home on Huckleberry Hill just might involve their most unusual schemes of all!

In this story, the Helmuths' granddaughter, Mary Anne, is already married, so the matchmaking task involves keeping that marriage intact. In no other Huckleberry Hill story (or likely any other story) have so many friends, relatives, animals, camping supplies, and vehicles been involved in trying to salvage a relationship. Just when you think things might be working out, along comes another wrinkle in the story. And under most of those wrinkles you will find the creativity of a couple of loving, eighty-something grandparents.

As usual, Jennifer Beckstrand has crafted an entertaining Amish story filled with fun characters. Their stories are a delight to read as you watch them stumble and soar through all kinds of challenges. I don't think you can read a Huckleberry Hill story without a few chuckles along the way.

I highly recommend Home on Huckleberry Hill to any fan of enjoyable, out-of-the-box Amish stories.

About the Book

The irrepressible eighty-something matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill, Wisconsin, Anna and Felty Helmuth, are at it again. And this time they’re willing to rough it to get the job done . . .

Mary Anne Neuenschwander knows she should be content with what Gotte has given her. She has a comfortable house, a fruitful farm, and a good, steady husband. But after nearly six years of marriage, she still longs for a baby. Yet her husband, Jethro, seems to care more about fishing than about his wife. Unable to bear Jethro’s indifference, Mary Anne moves into a tent in the woods where he won’t have to be bothered with her. But when her mammi and dawdi find out what she’s done, they’ll stop at nothing—including a little camping trip of their own—to help save their granddaughter’s marriage . . .
 
Jethro’s greatest blessing is his beloved wife, Mary Anne. Nothing else in his life has turned out anywhere near the way he expected. Rather than burden Mary Anne with his disappointment, he shields her by spending less and less time at home and more time on the river. But when he finds that she’s moved out, he’s shocked. What will people think? What is Mary Anne thinking? And what clever plans are her grandparents hatching?

About the Author

Jennifer Beckstrand is the RITA-nominated and award-winning author of The Amish Quiltmakers Series, the Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill, The Honeybee Sisters series, The Petersheim Brothers series, as well as a number of other novels and novellas. Novels in her Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series have been RITA® Award and RT Book Reviews Reviewer's Choice Award finalists. Huckleberry Hill won the 2014 LIME Award for inspirational fiction and Huckleberry Hearts was named a Booklist Top 10 Inspirational Fiction Book of the Year. Jennifer has always been drawn to the strong faith and the enduring family ties of the Plain people.

 

Jennifer has four daughters, two sons, four sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law, and eleven adorable grandchildren. She lives in the foothills of the Wasatch Front with her husband and plays pickleball and cuddles her grandchildren when she’s not writing. 

Please visit her online at JenniferBeckstrand.com.

Healing and Love in Hope Harbor -- Sandcastle Inn

About the Book

Book: Sandcastle Inn

Author: Irene Hannon

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 2, 2024

Vienna Price never intended to return for more than a passing visit to Oregon and all the bad memories she’d left behind. But when your career tanks, home is where you go to nurse your wounds and chart a new course. Only temporarily, of course—because as much as she loves her quirky mom, anything more than a short stay would drive them both crazy.

A trip to Oregon isn’t in Matt Quinn’s plans, either, until a perfectly timed appeal for help arrives from his sister. What better place to decompress after a shattering loss than a quiet, seaside town named Hope Harbor? But R&R isn’t on the agenda when he arrives to find his sister’s new enterprise on life support.

Vienna, however, may have just the skills needed to resuscitate the foundering B&B—if Matt can convince her to hang around long enough to mend an inn . . . and his heart.

Click here to get your copy! 

My Thoughts

Sandcastle Inn, where Irene Hannon takes us on our tenth visit to her fictional little town of Hope Harbor, Oregon, may be the best yet in the series. Or it could just be that it's the last one I've read and they are all equally fantastic stories. Either way, it's a great one!

As has happened in this entire series, the characters immediately drew me into their stories. Vienna and Matt both find themselves visiting family in Hope Harbor as they are dealing with their own deep losses. When their paths unexpectedly cross, and no matter their attempts to fight it, the magic of the charming town soon starts to do its work on the personal challenges they carry with them. Vienna and Matt eventually reevaluate their priorities and learn to start moving on from past suffering, leading to hearts healing and love blooming. And of course, none of it would have ever happened without the help of Charley the taco guy and his favorite pair of seagulls, Floyd and Gladys.

I highly recommend Sandcastle Inn and the entire Hope Harbor series to fan of great inspirational romantic fiction. This book, like each in the series, can be read as a standalone, but I would suggest reading them all to get the full benefit of the series.

Thanks to Celebrate Lit for providing a copy of the book. I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

About the Author

Irene Hannon is the bestselling and award-winning author of more than 60 contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. In addition to her many other honors, she is a three-time winner of the prestigious RITA Award from Romance Writers of America. She is also a member of RWA’s elite Hall of Fame and has received a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews for her entire body of work.

More from Irene

In my world, the approach of April signals not only tulips, dogwoods, and daffodils, but a return to my little seaside town of Hope Harbor on the Oregon coast. And this year marks a milestone. Sandcastle Inn is the tenth book set in this charming locale.

When I conceived of this series back in 2013, neither I nor my editor had any idea how long it would run—or that Publishers Weekly would deem my small fictional town “a place of emotional restoration that readers will yearn to visit.”

But visit they have. Hundreds of thousands of copies of the books have been sold worldwide, the novels have been translated into multiple languages, and taco-making artist/town sage Charley Lopez has become an iconic figure.

It’s been an amazing journey—with more books to come.

If you’ve never visited Hope Harbor and are reluctant to dive in at this stage, no worries. Each book stands alone, with a whole new cast of main characters. Each story also begins and ends in each book, with no hanging plot threads from book to book. The town is the unifying element in the series—along with a few secondary characters like Charley, the bantering town clerics from neighboring churches, and the seagull couple Floyd and Gladys, who always seem to be around when romance is in the air.

If you’re new to the series, Sandcastle Inn is a fine jumping-off point. This story features a hero struggling to recoup from a tragic loss and a heroine still reeling from an unplanned career detour. When they join forces to save a floundering inn, challenges ensue…and sparks fly. Because if it’s Hope Harbor, there has to be romance!

The book resonates with multiple other themes too—dealing with grief, moving on, changing direction, mending past relationships, taking a leap of faith. And of course there’s a happy ending.

It’s the kind of book that will put a smile on your lips and hope in your heart.

So I invite you to find a comfy spot, pour a mug or cup of your favorite beverage, and travel with me to Hope Harbor, where hearts heal…and love blooms.

Insider’s Tip: If you ever decide to book a stay at Sandcastle Inn, ask for the seaside room upstairs at the end of the hall that leads to the right. The view is stunning!

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 4

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 4

Texas Book-aholic, April 5

Blogging With Carol, April 5

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 6

For Him and My Family, April 6

Jeanette’s Thoughts, April 7

Splashes of Joy, April 7

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, April 8

She Lives To Read, April 8

lakesidelivingsite, April 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 10

Southern Gal Loves to Read, April 10

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, April 11 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, April 11

Cover Lover Book Review, April 12

The Lofty Pages, April 13

Melissa’s Bookshelf, April 13

Blossoms and Blessings, April 14

Labor Not in Vain, April 14

Wishful Endings, April 15

By The Book, April 15

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, April 16

Pause for Tales, April 16

Batya’s Bits, April 17

JESUS in the EVERYDAY, April 17

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Irene is giving away the grand prize package of a full set of the Hope Harbor series (10 books) and a $50 Bookshop.org gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2ac75/sandcastle-inn-celebration-tour-giveaway