![]() LAVENDER BLUE February 2019 Kensington ISBN 9781420145496 Military Spouse Book Club Pick!A Fresh Fiction Book Not to Miss! When Hannah Montgomery buys a lavender farm in Blue Hollow Falls with three friends, she’s creating a life she never imagined—one she hopes will honor the memory of the sweet young son she tragically lost years ago. Standing on the porch of the sprawling farmhouse, looking out on row upon row of those lush purple plumes, Hannah is ready to embrace this fresh, new start . . . Then she meets Wilson McCall. The stonemason hired to fix their crumbling chimneys and leaky roof is quieter than most folks in the Falls. Hannah’s not surprised to learn the widower struggles with his own grief. Who could blame her if she finds joy in making Will laugh again, or if she feels a poignant kinship when she sees him with his teenaged son? But her deepening friendship with Will reminds Hannah that there’s a part of her that still needs to heal—awakening a tender yearning to have a life that isn’t just good enough, but lived fully—even if that means taking risks once more . . .
Reviews – Buy at Amazon – Buy at Barnes&Noble – Buy at BAM! – Buy at iBooks – Buy at Kensington – Buy at Kobo – Bookshelf “We return to Blue Hollow Falls for the third book in the series; Lavender Blue. Donna finally gives the readers widower Will McCall’s story, this is a guy who has intrigued from the beginning, and the author has kept the information release in regard to him and his son Jake, at more of a slow trickle rather than a steady flow. Which essentially means I have been itching to read this book since before it was even written! “It’s hard… Asking for help.” I knew before starting that Lavender Blue would be an emotional read. The one thing you do get to know about Will if you have read the previous books in the series, is that apart from his apparent love for his son, this is a man that keeps his emotions about everything firmly on lockdown. Not one to waste breath on words either, so if one word will suffice as an answer you won’t find him spilling unnecessary sentences if the conversation doesn’t require it. They were not going to be wallowers. They were going to be warriors… Life warriors. Hannah Montgomery, and her friends Vivi, Avery and Chey are new to the area, having bought a rundown farmhouse and the surrounding lavender fields, the four women are looking for a fresh start, opening new businesses and moving on with their lives. The one thing that binds them all – Grief, each of them has suffered loss, and they have built the foundations of their friendship by giving each other the strength they need when they are struggling with their losses. Something that also draws Hannah to Will, and vice versa. His one baby step forward today had turned into a full on marathon and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about any of it… Although a romance, this is also a story about learning to live with loss, and move on from grief. Hannah you could almost say has embraced hers, while Will has locked it away in a box, and refused to deal with it. But it’s starting to now have an effect on his relationship with his son, and seeing how Hannah deals with her loss gives him hope and the push that he needs to open up and try to deal with the loss of his wife all those years ago. This can always be a tricky subject in relation to writing a romance where a dead spouse plays a part, but I think because the author touched upon Will’s guilt for having feelings for another woman other than his wife, it wasn’t overplayed, I think the length of time passed also helped in that regard as well, because although the grief for him is still fresh the loss of his relationship isn’t. The whole thing had felt healthy, natural, and very real… Not the fluffiest of reads, but then I wasn’t expecting it to be, Jake added the light to Will’s dark, and Hannah’s openness made it easier to digest the loss she was dealing with too. The romance isn’t heavy in this one, but when it came, it was touching, sweet, emotional and Will was everything I expected him to be in regards to how he treated Hannah. “Sometimes three really is the perfect size crowd…” According to Amazon Lavender & Mistletoe is the next book due for release from the series, which is in September, I am hoping that we do get to return to Blue Hollow Falls before then though, because this is a series I am coming to love more and more with each new addition to it.” 4.5 stars “If you’ve read Bluestone & Vine by USA Today’s bestselling author Donna Kauffman, then you will remember meeting grieving widower Will McCall and his son Jacob. Readers fell in love with these secondary characters and fans will be excited to be reintroduced to them with Kauffman’s lastest Blue Hallow Falls novel Lavender Blue. Hannah Montgomery is on a clear path to creating a life she never would have imagined after a terrible shocking lost. With her three closest friends, she’s bought a lavender farm she hopes will not only create something wonderful but also honor the memory of her lost loved one. What she definitely didn’t imagine was Will McCall. Hired to fix the farm’s crumbling chimneys, the grieving stonemason, captures Hannah’s imagination. And her heart. Will noticed sweet Hannah the minute he starts work out at Lavender Blue. Sweet, open and funny, she makes Will smile like no one has since losing his wife one Christmas Eve. As their friendship grows, will Will be able to struggle through the grief that has gripped him so long in order to grab a new life with Hannah? After reading Seth and Pippa’s love story in Bluestone & Vine, I was madly in love with the hope that Will and Jacob would get their own story. Kauffman told such a soothing and realistic story with Seth and Pippa’s love, I was definitely up for more. I was not disappointed. Kauffman weaved a beautiful story of tragedy, grief, and redemptive love with passion, friendship and joy. Readers were treated to an honest, open, deeply moving friendship turned romance built on mutual understand of loss, laughter, and a willingness to do the hard work for something worth fighting for. Fans who were longing for Will’s story to be told will not be disappointed. Readers new to Kauffman’s Blue Hallow Falls series need not worry. You will not feel deprived. Lavender Blue can be read on its own. This novel will be available January 29th, from Kensington Publishing.” What advance readers are saying about Lavender Blue!From BookBub:“Wow! What a wonderfully amazing story. So many emotions felt from this story. I knew from reading the previous books in the series that Will McCall would be a great hero with a wounded heart but Hannah’s history came as a surprise to me. She was just an amazing person. So strong and sweet. I have no more words. This story was just so beautiful. Read it with a box of tissues though.” “It feels like I have been waiting forever for Lavender Blue and Will’s story but in truth, it hasn’t been that long. It is just that this the third book of the Blue Hollow Falls series (no worries, it is a standalone, however I cannot imagine NOT reading about this small mountain community) with some novellas in between. For me, Will has stood out from the beginning so I was anxious to read his story and why he was the way that he was. My complaint to the author is that while I fell in love with Blue Hollow Falls, and the main characters of the other stories, I picked a favorite right from the first book. And then I had a second favorite. And then…well, you get the idea. The stories and people just keep getting better and better! Lavender Blue is about Wilson (Will) McCall, his son Jake, and Hannah Montgomery. Hannah was a new character for me; she and some friends (talk about “characters”!) purchase a lavender farm and the story really focuses around the property. That’s where the title comes from. I can’t do the story justice so I will give you some highlights – Will lost his wife oh so long ago, while he was serving overseas. He never had the chance to say goodbye and feels such grief, even after so many, many years. His son Jake…he is such a wonderful young man! Will has done an amazing job of raising him, with the help of the good folks in Blue Hollow Falls. Jake plays a big part in this story, as he should, because Will and Hannah grow closer and a teenage boy in the mix is a pretty big deal. Read LB for the wonderfully woven tale of why and how this comes to be. Hannah and her friends are also dealing with some huge life-changing issues so all the people in Blue Hollow Falls weave themselves into each other’s lives…and of course, stick their nose into the budding relationship between Hannah and Will. I just adore these busybodies! And the animals, well, they play a part as well and I can just picture how soft and cuddly and crazy they are, from the book descriptions. I cannot say enough about Blue Hollow Falls and all the people I’ve come to know and love. Lavender Blue made me read-sniffle again, but in an entirely good way, and I missed everyone when I finished the story. Definitely recommend this book and the entire series.” From Goodreads:“I’ve wanted to read Will’s story since the end of Bluestone & Vine and his book doesn’t disappoint. After meeting Hannah and learning how she handles her grief, we learn more about Will and why he’s closed himself off. Join Will on his journey back to love. “Donna Kauffman has surpassed every other book in the Blue Hollow Falls series with this latest lavender Blue! And the previous books have been great reads! I loved the story of Hannah and Will, the ladies at the lavender farm and tearoom, the people who are in the BHF community and Jake. This is a stand alone story, but you really should read the series! This is my honest review in exchange for an ARC and I loved how the story ended. The setting of the mountains is calling me to explore!” “I received an ARC for an honest review. This might be my favorite book in the series so far. I absolutely loved this book. The writing, as always, drew me in and kept me involved, connected, and made me feel as if I were there. I wasn’t expecting to react so emotionally to this book it had me near tears – both happy and sad – a few times. I want to visit Blue Hollow again and hope it’s soon!” “Wow! This was a beautiful story about two individuals who have both expericend painful losses, but come together to overcome these hardships. “Hannah Montgomery has bought a lavender farm with three friends. Each has a different idea on what to with the lavender and how to market it. Will is the stone mason who is fixing the chimneys. Both Hannah and Will have had devastating losses in there lives. They both have had a hard time finding love after loss. Can they work past there issues to make the intense chemistry they have work or is there too many obstacles in there way, I loved this book. I was rooting for them the whole book two wounded souls helping each other heal.”
Fiction From the Heart AnthologyONCE UPON A WEDDING, featuring A Wedding in Swan Harbor Kensington BravaMoonbright, Maine Series Blue Hollow Falls Series Hamilton Christmas Series: E-Novella Singles The Brides of Blueberry Cove Series The Bachelors of Blueberry Cove Series Cupcake Club Series “Hot Scot” Trilogy Hamilton Christmas: Original Print Series “Unholy Trinity” Series “The Chisholm Brothers” Series “Men of Rogues Hollow” Series Standalone Titles
Running PressTHE MAMMOTH BOOK OF SCOTTISH ROMANCE
BantamContemporary Romance “Glass Slipper, Inc” Series Paranormal Anthology Loveswept The Three Musketeers Series Delgado’s Dirty Dozen ILLEGAL MOTION
BerkleyTHE NAKED TRUTH/Truth or Dare
BenBellaPERFECTLY PLUM (Non-Fiction)
Harlequin
Blaze Temptation |