Fall Fun Blog Tour from Waterbrook/Multnomah

This month I had a chance to read three fun books from Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishers.  I really enjoyed each of these three light and easy reads.

Piper Wick left her hometown of Pickwick, North Carolina, twelve years ago, shook the dust off her feet, ditched her drawl and her family name, and made a new life for herself as a high-powered public relations consultant in LA. She’s even “engaged to be engaged” to the picture-perfect U.S. Congressman Grant Spangler.

Now all of Piper’s hard-won happiness is threatened by a reclusive uncle’s bout of conscience. In the wake of a health scare, Uncle Obadiah Pickwick has decided to change his will, leaving money to make amends for four generations’ worth of family misdeeds. But that will reveal all the Pickwicks’ secrets, including Piper’s.

Though Piper arrives in Pickwick primed for battle, she is unprepared for Uncle Obe’s rugged, blue-eyed gardener. So just who is Axel Smith? Why does he think making amends is more than just making restitution? And why, oh why, can’t she stay on task? With the Lord’s help, Piper is about to discover that although good PR might smooth things over, only the truth will set her free.

Leaving Carolina was a book that drew me from the start.  Little by little, you find yourself falling deeper and deeper into the story.  I didn't want to put it down!  Piper Wick makes an enjoyable main character, and her eccentric family and 'friends' only add to the chaos and turmoil she finds herself in (and which she's trying to get out of for good)!

Sixteen-year-old Maya Stark has a lot to sort through. She could graduate from high school early if she wants to. She’s considering it, especially when popular cheerleader Vanessa Hartman decides to make her life miserable–and Maya’s ex-boyfriend Dominic gets the wrong idea about everything.

To complicate matters even more, Maya’s mother will be released from prison soon, and she’ll want Maya to live with her again. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. And when Maya plays her dad’s old acoustic guitar in front of an audience, she discovers talents and opportunities she never expected. Faced with new options, Maya must choose between a “normal” life and a glamorous one. Ultimately, she has to figure out what matters most.

What Matters Most is a cute, up-to-date book written in the style of a teenager's diary/journal.  I found myself thinking over and over as I read this book that I would have LOVED this series as a high-schooler.  Even now, I enjoyed the style and story that Melody Carlson has woven together in this book.  I also enjoyed "Maya's Green Tip of the Day" that was at the end of each chapter - a very current trend for teens today!

Claudette Fioré used to turn heads and break hearts. She relished the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle because she had what it takes: money, youth, fame, and above all, beauty. But age has withered that beauty, and a crooked accountant has taken her wealth, leaving the proud widow penniless and alone.

Armed with stubbornness and sarcasm, Claudette returns to her shabby little hometown and her estranged sister. Slowly, she makes friends. She begins to see her old life in a new light. For the first time, Claudette Fioré questions her own values and finds herself wondering if it’s too late to change.

Limelight struck me as "different" from the start.  The characters are very "west coast" and "Hollywood", and they may be semi-offensive to more conservative readers.  However, Melody Carlson brings a modern-day story full of life and turmoil in the midst of life to the pages of this book.  I struggled to remember that the main character is an 82-year-old woman, as some of the activities and situations she finds herself in seem a bit of a stretch for a woman who is that "old", but in all reality, she could have been 50-years-old and the main ideas of the story could have been the same.  All-in-all, it was a fun and easy read.  

Thanks to Waterbrook/Multnomah for providing me with a copy of these books to read and review!