Angela Marie has spent all of her thirty-five years on
Meadow Falls, the farm that’s been in her Texas family for generations. It
wasn’t her plan. It was an obligation. Now that her parents—less loving kin
than strangers—have passed, the whole shebang belongs to Angela. And a legacy
she never wanted is hers to uphold.
She can’t forsake it now. Her beloved nanny, Mandy, who
was always more of a mother, needs a caregiver herself. And Mandy’s
great-granddaughter, as close to Angela as a sister, has returned to roost.
When a handsome veteran arrives seeking work as a farmhand, Angela thinks the
future might not be half-bad after all.
But it’s the past that proves enlightening. Mandy is
revealing secrets Angela never knew about her parents. As the clouds on her
family history begin to part, the inheritance feels more like a precious gift,
and Meadow Falls more like the home Angela’s been looking for her whole life.
Good emotional story about family, forgiveness, and letting
go of the past. I love the author's talent for creating characters that are
easy to relate to and realistic situations for them to deal with.
Angela Marie has spent her entire life on Meadow Falls,
the successful peanut farm that has been in her family for generations. It
wasn't by choice. She wanted to go to college and see life away from the farm,
but as her father's only heir, he pretty much kept her chained to the farm. He
started training her "from the ground up" when she was four years old
and cleaning tools to the current day, where she can do it all, which is a good
thing when he suddenly dies from a heart attack.
The book opens as she and her elderly nanny/housekeeper,
Mandy, attend her father's funeral. Angela Marie feels a bit bitter about being
stuck with the farm. She feels no grief for her father, as he was a cold,
unfeeling man who never showed her any affection. Her emotionally distant
mother died years earlier. Mandy was Angela Marie's only source of love and
attention growing up, while Mandy's great-granddaughter, Celeste, was like a
sister to her.
Celeste, who joined the Air Force eighteen years earlier,
shows up suddenly right after the funeral. She has left the military and her
unfaithful husband and come home to regroup. I liked Celeste and her forthright
and practical attitude toward life. She and Angela Marie have a terrific
relationship, and I enjoyed their exchanges. Celeste is very good at getting Angela
Marie out of her tendency to get lost in her thoughts and take action.
Devon Parker, a recently retired Air Force mechanic and
friend of Celeste's, appears at Meadow Falls looking for a job. The hiring
process had me laughing out loud, but it is evident that Devon was perfect for
the job. Devon also brings in his cousin Jesse, a handyman Angela Marie hires
for renovation work.
As Angela Marie settles into her new life, things begin
to change. She and Celeste talk Mandy into sharing stories of the family's
past, and Angela Marie learns things that surprise her. As light shines on the
darkness of the past, Angela Marie finds that light finding its way into her
heart. Devon is there to support her through the journey, and she discovers hope
for love and a family for herself. I liked Devon's easy-going ways, kindness,
and understanding. Their growing feelings for each other are sweet and a bit
steamy.
I loved Mandy. She is a wise old lady who has taught
Angela Marie and Celeste many lessons over the years. She doesn't mince words
when she has something to say. I ached for her as she dealt with her
"memory disease" and loved that she handled it with humor and good
grace. She and her friend Polly are a hoot together.
A little bit of a mystery about Celeste has haunted her
all her life. Angela Marie is just as curious, and I enjoyed watching her
thought processes as she tried to learn the truth. I figured it out early in
the book but enjoyed it anyway.
The book wraps up with a terrific epilogue that updates
us on life at Meadow Falls a few years later. It's a mixture of happiness and
sadness, just like life itself.
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