Wildwood Creek (Moses Lake, #4)

Seems like it's been a very long time since I read a book all the way through, let alone reviewed it with the busyness of planning a wedding, having said wedding, moving 1,500+ miles, and getting settled in. Despite all that and being out of the swing of it, once I arrived at my new home and began reading this book, I finished it quickly. It was an easy read for the most part. The story of Wildwood Creek is divided into two time periods--part of the book is told from the viewpoint and time period of Allie Kirkland in present day Texas, while the other part is told from the viewpoint of Bonnie Rose in 1861 Texas.

I usually like split viewpoints, with one flashing back to a past time in the same location. My only problem with this one was that some times it was difficult to get through Bonnie's chapters due language barriers. Bonnie and some of the slave characters were at times difficult to understand because of their poor grammar. Don't get me wrong, it was completely understandable and true to the time...it was just difficult to read through sometimes because it didn't flow smoothly whenever a patch of dialogue hit. Other than that, the duel time periods/characters worked pretty well to communicate the story.

I liked the story line, plot, and characters. Bonnie's chapters had an eeriness to them that made me shy away from reading it at night or when I was home alone. I did feel like the romance in the story could have been developed a bit better over a longer period of time, but it wasn't terrible. I would recommend it. I bought this book, and therefore was not asked nor required to write a review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

Blue Moon Bay

Title: Blue Moon Bay
Author: Lisa Wingate
Labels: Fiction | Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: February 1, 2012
Reading Range: YA | Adult
Contains: Zippo. Clean as a whistle.
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | The Publisher

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Blurb From Goodreads: Heather Hampton returns to Moses Lake, Texas, to help facilitate the sale of a family farm as part of a planned industrial plant that will provide the area with much-needed jobs. Heather's future fiance has brokered the deal, and Heather is in line to do her first large-scale architectural design--if the deal goes through. 
          But the currents of Moses Lake have a way of taking visitors on unexpected journeys. What was intended to be a quick trip suddenly morphs into Valentine's week--with Blaine Underhill, the handsome banker who just happens to be opposing Heather's project. Spending the holiday in an ex-funeral parlor seems like a nightmare, but Heather slowly finds herself being drawn into the area's history, hope, and heart.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Two words: Utterly Fantastic. Really the only way to describe this book. Let's start with the writing itself. Lisa Wingate has, without a doubt, the most beautiful writing style I've ever seen. Now I know what people mean when they say someone has "lyrical writing." Not only is it beautiful, but I thought it conveyed character voice amazingly as well.

          Plot and character wise, very interesting. Heather is a girl whose more or less estranged from her family, but is forced to reconnect due to her mother interfering with the land sale of Heather's uncles in Moses Lake. The problem? Everyone seems to be against her. None of the family is being entirely cooperative, but the longer Heather is forced to stick around the place she hated growing up, the more she realizes her family isn't telling her everything. The question is, what are they hiding? Add in a highschool crush she never really got over, and there's one interesting mix going on in this book.

          The other thing I really liked about this book was the emotion. I felt super connected to Heather, whether is was during a time when she was super frustrated over her family, or giddy over Blaine (said highschool crush). Lisa Wingate managed to pull me along on a fantastic ride of a book, keeping me hooked and pulling me in deeper the further I went. Recommended without any hesitation! I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.