Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Chasing Bailey by Deanna Lynn Sletten ~ My Thoughts #ChasingBailey


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Chasing Bailey

Chasing Bailey: A Lake Harriet Novel by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Print and e-book, 168 pages
Published October 8th 2019 by Deanna Lynn Sletten

In the charming Lake Harriet neighborhood where we first met Kristen, Ryan, and their dog Sam in Walking Sam, two people are struggling to put their lives back together with the help of a rambunctious dog named Bailey.

Lisa Evan’s life has been in turmoil since her husband, Andrew, left her nine months earlier. With two-year-old Abby to care for and a new full-time job as a school nurse, she’s just trying to keep her head above water both emotionally and financially. It didn’t help that her ex-husband gifted a rambunctious puppy to Abby for her second birthday. But Abby instantly fell in love with Bailey, so Lisa didn’t have the heart to say no. Even though Lisa’s quiet neighborhood is a great place for kids and dogs, there’s one neighbor who isn’t thrilled about Bailey—the hermit across the street. And try as she might, Lisa can’t keep the dog from digging his way out of the yard and running to the hermit’s house. But after one particularly nasty clash with the hermit, Lisa discovers that maybe the man across the street isn’t as terrible as she’d once thought.

Avery McKinnon moved to the quiet neighborhood to hide out after an extremely nasty divorce. In one year his entire world has fallen apart. His wife left him, he lost his house, and his novels are no longer selling as well as they used to, taking a bite out of his income. He’s bitter and angry and the last thing he wants is to become chummy with all the annoyingly happy people in his neighborhood. When the puppy across the street keeps running over to his house and digging up his yard, Avery explodes. Can’t that annoying woman across the street control a puppy? But when he finally sees Lisa for who she is, he realizes that maybe he’s been angry long enough. Maybe it was time to let someone back into his life. And then her ex-husband comes back into the picture and ruins everything.

My thoughts about Chasing Bailey ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"Lisa Evans stepped up on her front porch as she juggled her two-year-old daughter, Abby, in one arm and a heavy bag in the other."

Chasing Bailey takes us back, once again, to the wonderful community of Lake Harriet. I love my visits there and have gotten to know some of the residents very well. It's always nice to visit them again.

Lisa and Avery are neighbors—two people who don't see eye-to-eye about Lisa's dog. One is a struggling single parent and the other one, a hermit. Maybe, just maybe, that dog might be the thing that brings them together.

These two people go through a lot, both together and individually. We watch their relationship grow and fall apart. As Lisa and Avery learn to lean on each other, they discover that they are more alike than they ever thought they were at the beginning.

The Lake Harriet stories are filled with loving, kind, and comfortable characters, people you would love to know and hang out with on a regular basis. And the books are all centered around a dog, a character who plays such an vital role in each story. These dogs are so wise and healing. And who doesn't love a good dog story? 

Chasing Bailey is book #3 in the Lake Harriet series but it definitely can be read as a standalone. All the characters are intertwined through the books so it always feels like meeting up with old friends again. I absolutely love my visits to Lake Harriet and love that each new book introduces me to new people... and another dog.

Give the Lake Harriet books a try, I know you are going to love the people, and the dogs, as much as I do.

I received a copy of Chasing Bailey from the author and this is my honest review. 

Check out the rest of the Lake Harriet stories on Amazon

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Read my thoughts about these two books here and here.

Click on the covers to find them on Goodreads

About the author

Deanna Lynn Sletten

Deanna Lynn Sletten is the author of Maggie's Turn, Finding Libbie, One Wrong Turn, Miss Etta, and several other titles. She writes heartwarming women's fiction and romance novels with unforgettable characters. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime. Deanna believes in fate, destiny, love at first sight, soul mates, second chances, and happily ever after, and her novels reflect that.

Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd or relaxing on the lake in the summer.

Deanna loves hearing from her readers. 
Connect with her here—

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon

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1 comment:

  1. Thank you for this great review, Susan. It is fun for me to return to that neighborhood to. Those characters are like old friends. 😊

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