Showing posts with label Courtney Walsh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Courtney Walsh. Show all posts

Friday, June 11, 2021

First Line Fridays: Is It Any Wonder by Courtney Walsh

Happy Friday!

First Line Fridays is hosted by Hoarding Books and participants share the first line from a nearby book.

Today, I'm sharing the first line from Is It Any Wonder by Courtney Walsh.

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

I absolutely loved Is It Any Wonder when I read it last month. It was the first novel I read by Courtney Walsh and now I want to read all her books. If you aren't familiar with this novel, check out the book blurb below or read an excerpt on the publisher's website. My book review is also available.

What are you reading this weekend? I'd love for you to share your book's first line! 

Happy reading!



About the Book:

Twelve years ago, Cody Boggs and Louisa Chambers made a pact that no matter where their lives took them, they’d return to Nantucket Island’s Brant Point Lighthouse on July 30, their shared golden birthday, and continue their tradition of exchanging birthday wishes. But that was before a tragic accident upended both of their lives, irrevocably pulling them apart.

Their worlds collide just months before that particular day when Louisa’s fledgling event planning company is hired by the local Coast Guard station, where she discovers Cody has recently returned to the island as the second in command. As they plan a regatta fundraiser, hoping to promote positive PR in the community, neither can deny the fireworks each encounter ignites. But working together also brings up memories of the day Cody’s father died, revealing secrets that have Cody and Louisa questioning everything they thought they knew and felt about their families and each other.


First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books

Saturday, June 5, 2021

Book Review: Is It Any Wonder by Courtney Walsh

 About the Book:

Twelve years ago, Cody Boggs and Louisa Chambers made a pact that no matter where their lives took them, they’d return to Nantucket Island’s Brant Point Lighthouse on July 30, their shared golden birthday, and continue their tradition of exchanging birthday wishes. But that was before a tragic accident upended both of their lives, irrevocably pulling them apart.

Their worlds collide just months before that particular day when Louisa’s fledgling event planning company is hired by the local Coast Guard station, where she discovers Cody has recently returned to the island as the second in command. As they plan a regatta fundraiser, hoping to promote positive PR in the community, neither can deny the fireworks each encounter ignites. But working together also brings up memories of the day Cody’s father died, revealing secrets that have Cody and Louisa questioning everything they thought they knew and felt about their families and each other.

Excerpt: Tyndale House Publishers.

My Thoughts:

I loved Is It Any Wonder by Courtney Walsh from the first page to the last. This amazing story had it all: a second-chance romance, an expertly woven theme about forgiveness, characters that changed and grew, and a natural journey to finding God.

My favorite aspect of the novel was the character development that included unraveling the secrets and pain of Louisa and Cody’s shared past. Healing in their hearts and relationship came slowly in a manner that felt authentic. I loved that there was hope for future healing.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the clean, but swoony romance. The romantic tension that came from their prior relationship, plus their current attraction, had me rooting for them to reunite throughout the novel.

Is It Any Wonder lands as the second novel in the Nantucket series by Courtney Walsh, but worked well as a stand-alone contemporary romance. I adore everything about this story and want to read all of Courtney Walsh’s books. 



Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.


Sunday, October 28, 2018

Coming Soon: Things Left Unsaid by Courtney Walsh

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Title: Things Left Unsaid
Author: Courtney Walsh
Publisher: Waterfall Press
Release Date: October 30, 2018 
Genre: Contemporary Fiction


An emotional novel of family, friendship and forgiveness from Courtney Walsh, the New York Times bestselling author of Hometown Girl.

Lyndie St. James is thrilled that her best friend, Elle, is getting married but unprepared for the emotional storm of the wedding week and returning to her childhood summer home of Sweethaven. The idyllic cottage community harbors some of her best—and worst—memories. It’s not only the tragic death of her childhood friend Cassie that has haunted her for ten years, it’s the other secrets she’s buried that have kept her from moving on.

But Lyndie isn’t the only one with secrets.

Cassie’s mother, father and brother, still struggling with the loss, have been drifting further and further apart. And Elle herself, the last to see Cassie alive, carries an impossible burden of guilt. Now reunited, each of them has a choice: to reveal the truths of that night or continue to live in its shadow. That means embarking on a personal journey of the heart—to escape the darkness and all its regrets and to finally come to terms with the past and, especially, with each other.


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Courtney Walsh is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist as well as an artist, theater director and playwright. She is the author of the Sweethaven series—including A Sweethaven Summer, which was a Carol Award finalist in the debut author category—as well as the small-town romances Paper Hearts, Change of Heart, Just Look Up and the forthcoming Just Let Go. Things Left Unsaid is her ninth novel. She lives in Illinois, where she and her husband own a performing-arts studio and youth theater. They have three children.


CONNECT WITH AUTHOR:  Website | Facebook | Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Goodreads

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