The Innkeeper’s Sister
A Honey Ridge Novel #3
Linda Goodnight
HQN Books, July 2017
ISBN 978-0-373-79947-3
Trade Paperback
From the publisher—
Welcome to Honey Ridge, Tennessee, where Southern hospitality and sweet peach tea beckon, and where long-buried secrets lead to some startling realizations…
Grayson Blake always has a purpose—and never a moment to lose. He’s come home to Honey Ridge to convert a historic gristmill into a restaurant, but his plans crumble like Tennessee clay when the excavation of a skeleton unearths a Civil War mystery…and leads him back to a beautiful and familiar stranger.
Once a ballet dancer, now co-owner of the Peach Orchard Inn, Valery Carter harbors pain as deep as the secrets buried beneath the mill. A bright facade can’t erase her regrets any more than a glass of bourbon can restore what she’s lost. But spending time with Grayson offers Valery a chance to let go of her past and imagine a happier future. And with the discovery of hidden messages in aged sheet music, both their hearts begin to open. Bound by attraction, and compelled to resolve an old crime that links the inn and the mill, Grayson and Valery encounter a song of hurt, truth…and hope.
In a nicely flowing blend of past and present, two stories intertwine after a skeleton is found beneath the old gristmill. Both stories revolve around a missing child, one a slave sold away from his family and white friend, the other Valery’s nephew, abducted years ago. Could these bones belong to that child, Mikey? The possibility sends Valery into a maelstrom of new grief as well as guilt that have lain just under the surface all this time, but it’s just as likely that this is someone else, someone from the farm’s Civil War-era family.
Secrets abound in both times and, in some ways, love is what holds the families together, if only by a thread. To be sure, the mystery of the discovered bones needs to be solved, but the growing connection between Valery and Grayson may very well bring the peace they so need. At the same time, the inn, once a farm, has its own colorful and emotion-wrought history and it’s the past and present of Peach Orchard that caught my attention the most.
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, August 2017.
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Purchase Links:
Barnes & Noble // Kobo // Books-A-Million
Amazon // Indiebound
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About the Author
NY Times and USA Bestseller, Linda Goodnight writes novels to touch the heart as well as to entertain. Her emotional stories of hope have won the RITA, the Carol, the Reviewer’s Choice, and numerous other industry awards. A small town girl, Linda remains close to her roots, making her home in rural Oklahoma. She and husband have a blended family of eight, including two teenagers recently adopted from Ukraine. Many of her books are about family and children and rightly so, as she draws her deeply emotional stories from her surroundings, her great love of family, and from personal experiences as a nurse and teacher.
Connect with Linda:
Website | Facebook | Twitter
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Follow the tour:
Tuesday, July 11th: Mama Vicky Says – excerpt
Wednesday, July 12th: The Sassy Bookster – excerpt
Thursday, July 13th: Books a la Mode – excerpt
Friday, July 14th: Reading is My SuperPower – excerpt
Monday, July 17th: Book Reviews and More by Kathy – excerpt
Tuesday, July 18th: Black ‘n Gold Girls Book Spot – excerpt
Thursday, July 20th: Dwell in Possibility – excerpt
Monday, July 24th: Reading is My SuperPower
Tuesday, July 25th: Reading Reality
Wednesday, July 26th: Written Love Reviews
Thursday, July 27th: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Friday, July 28th: Broken Teepee
Monday, July 31st: Rebel Mommy Book Blog
Tuesday, August 1st: Patricia’s Wisdom
Tuesday, August 1st: Let Them Read Books
Wednesday, August 2nd: Buried Under Books
Thursday, August 3rd: Just Commonly
Friday, August 4th: Books & Bindings
Monday, August 7th: The Romance Dish
Tuesday, August 8th: All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
Wednesday, August 9th: A. Holland Reads
Friday, August 11th: From the TBR Pile
Monday, August 14th: Ms. Nose in a Book
Tuesday, August 15th: Becky on Books
Wednesday, August 16th: A Chick Who Reads
Thursday, August 17th: Steph the Bookworm
TBD: Books and Spoons – excerpt
TBD: Book Mama Blog – excerpt
TBD: A Chick Who Reads – excerpt
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Buried Under Books 
Wow, does this sound good!
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Being a southern gal, I do love books set in my neck of the woods. And there’s something about inns and bed and breakfasts that always draws me too. This sounds like the perfect summer read for by the pool. Such a lovely cover too.
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I’ve been living in Tennessee for the past 10 years. This book sure looks like one that will bring romance and some interesting history. I have a feeling that the lead character’s prior artistic career as a ballerina will only add more dept and interest.
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This does sound charming; Lately, the Southern setting seems to be very popular.
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Pingback: Linda Goodnight, author of THE INNKEEPER'S SISTER, on tour July/August 2017 | TLC Book Tours
Thanks for being a part of the tour!
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