Mistletoe and Wedding Bells by Ashley Farley ~ My Thoughts #MistletoeAndWeddingBells

Mistletoe and Wedding Bells by Ashley Farley

Series: Hope Springs #3

Women's Fiction, Christmas, 275 pages

Published October 27, 2020 by Leisure Time Books

Merriment and mayhem collide for a chaotic holiday season at the Inn at Hope Springs Farms.

General manager, Stella Boor, is ready to marry her man and live in the home of her dreams. But she can do neither until she wins permanent custody of her six-year-old half sister, Jazz. Meanwhile, Jazz’s mother, Naomi, is determined to make trouble for Stella at every turn. When tension mounts, Stella results to drastic measures in order to protect her baby sister.

Event planner, Presley Ingram, is keeping the ultimate secret. She’s planning a surprise wedding for Stella and Jack for Christmas Day. As passion ignites with her new lover, Presley pauses to consider if she’s planning Stella’s dream wedding. Or her own.

Head chef, Cecily Weber, will wed the love of her life on Christmas Eve. But when her fiancé shows an irresponsible side she’s never before seen, Cecily begins to have second doubts. Is she suffering from pre-wedding jitters? Or will she be forced to choose between marriage and the success she’s worked so hard to achieve?

Join three intriguing young women in their search for happily ever after.

My thoughts about Mistletoe and Wedding Bells ~~

(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 lines.)

First lines—"The sound of bells ringing in the distance silences the crowd. Families with young children migrate to the edge of the stone terrace, looking out into the inky darkness toward the mountains."

Mistletoe and Wedding Bells is the perfect story to read right now. It's full of Christmas, weddings, friendships, and love. I just finished reading books 1-3 of this amazing series to prepare for book #4, which comes out in January. This was a wonderful way to read these books. I became totally immersed in Stella's life and the interesting world and people of Hope Springs. Stella unexpectedly inherits her father's property and we get to watch as she struggles with trying to make it a success. Friends—and enemies—are made as she pour her heart and soul into the place. 

The women of the Hope Spring Inn bond together and help each other through the tough times. It was wonderful watching relationships develop, some for the good and some—not so much. I came to feel like I was a part of the group and enjoyed my time at the Inn so much. 

I absolutely love this series and highly recommend it. I'm excited for book #4 to hit the shelves!

Books #1 and #2 of the Hope Springs series.

Book #4 ~ Pub date January 4!

About the author

Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her bestselling Sweeney Sisters series has touched the lives of many.

Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she's lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, a piece of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry, where she still calls home. Through the eyes of her characters, she captures the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kindhearted folk with lazy drawls that make the area so unique. For more information, visit www.ashleyfarley.com ~ Goodreads

Connect with Ashley

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

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Release Day! Lowcountry on My Mind by Ashley Farley ~ My Thoughts #LowcountryOnMyMind

 Happy Release Day!!

Congrats Ashley
on the release today of
Lowcountry on My Mind!

Lowcountry on My Mind by Ashley Farley  

Series: Palmetto Island #3

May 11, 2021 by Leisure Time Books

Childhood friends reunite in an explosive tale of family dysfunction and romance gone wrong.

Amelia has been plotting to escape her abusive husband for years. When her mama’s untimely death provides an unexpected opportunity, she hops on the next bus to the South Carolina Lowcountry. Her husband will eventually come for her. But she’s prepared. Her freedom has given her confidence to face her uncertain future. She settles in at her family’s oceanfront estate to await her destiny. But a visit from Amelia’s past presents danger in a different form.

After a string of disastrous blind dates, Max falls for the first guy who expresses an interest in her. As the weeks wear on, her attraction to Ron wanes. But he’s living in her apartment. And he won’t be so easy to get rid of.

Jump on board for a wild ride of adventure with the continuation of the bestselling Palmetto Island Series. Be sure to download Muddy Bottom, the series novella prequel, for FREE. 

      

My thoughts about Lowcountry on My Mind ~~

(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 lines.)

First line—"Amelia circles the block three times before entering the parking garage and locating a vacant space on the top deck."

I love Ashley's stories and particularly adore this Palmetto Island series of hers. And each book is better than the one before. Such exciting stories!

Lowcountry on My Mind brings together three best friends who have lost touch with one another. Amelia just disappears out of her friends lives years ago but comes back home to get away from her husband, at least for a little while. As the friends reconnect, life gets crazy and a little bit out of control. 

This one definitely has a more intense storyline that kept me going, flipping those pages to make sure everyone was going to be okay. All sorts of bad stuff happens to this group of friends. But there is plenty of good, as well.

I loved this story and am super excited to read book #4 which comes out in August. Ashley has created a wonderful world on Palmetto Island and I love visiting there. I highly recommend Lowcountry on My Mind and this whole series!

I received an ARC of Lowcountry on My Mind from the author and this is my honest opinion.

Muddy Bottom 

(Palmetto Island Book prequel novella)

 is FREE!

Change of Tides

Read my thoughts HERE.

Sail Away

Book #4 coming August 3rd

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About the author

Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her bestselling Sweeney Sisters series has touched the lives of many.

Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she's lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, a piece of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry, where she still calls home. Through the eyes of her characters, she captures the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kindhearted folk with lazy drawls that make the area so unique. For more information, visit www.ashleyfarley.com ~ Goodreads

Connect with Ashley

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Muddy Bottom by Ashley Farley ~ My Thoughts #MuddyBottom #FREE

Muddy Bottom

Muddy Bottom by Ashley Farley

(Palmetto Island #0.5)

127 pages

Published October 28th 2020 by Leisure Time Books

Birdie Fuller’s new year is off to a bad start. Her husband has mysteriously disappeared, leaving Birdie to cope with their unmarried daughter’s unplanned pregnancy. Birdie and Hannah disagree about the baby. Birdie urges her daughter to consider abortion, but Hannah is determined to see the pregnancy to term. When Hannah returns for her last semester in college, Birdie must face her demons, the problems in her marriage that drove her husband to clean out their bank accounts and run off with another woman.

While struggling to hide her pregnancy from her roommates and ex-boyfriend, Hannah interviews for jobs that will take her and her baby far away from her mother. After graduation, with months to kill before the start of her new job, she returns to Palmetto Island for the summer to await the birth of her baby. Tension mounts between Hannah and Birdie when they move from their waterfront home to a two-bedroom apartment above a bakery. Can mother and daughter mend their relationship? Or will they be lost to each other forever? 

      

This novella is FREE on Amazon!

My thoughts about Muddy Bottom ~~

(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 lines.)

First line—"From her kitchen window, Birdie watches the sun rise over the inlet. Pink sky atop golden marsh and murky water. A new day. A new year. A new start."

Once again. Ashley has penned a wonderful southern story, full of likeable characters, who are wrapped up in their complicated lives. Muddy Bottom gives us an exquisite taste of what is to come in Ashley's new Palmetto Island trilogy. I can't wait to read the rest of the series and to find out more about the interesting people on the island. 

As with Ashley's other series, I know I am going to fall in love with the place and the people. I can't wait to go back! 

About the author

Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her bestselling Sweeney Sisters series has touched the lives of many.

Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she's lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, a piece of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry, where she still calls home. Through the eyes of her characters, she captures the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kindhearted folk with lazy drawls that make the area so unique. For more information, visit www.ashleyfarley.com ~ Goodreads

Connect with Ashley

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

 

Release Day! Tangled in Ivy by Ashley Farley ~ My Thoughts #TangledInIvy #NetGalley

Congrats Ashley
on the release today of
Tangled in Ivy!

Tangled in Ivy by Ashley Farley

Print and e-book, 304 pages

Published June 9th 2020 by Leisure Time Books

From the bestselling author of Sweet Tea Tuesdays comes a story of true love that spans decades.

Lillian Alexander's father is dying of cancer. When he rambles on in a morphine-delirium, Lillian can't ignore the feeling he's trying to tell her something. At his funeral days later, she encounters ghosts from her past who stir long-suppressed memories from the day her mother died twenty-seven years ago. Why, if her mother's death was an accident, does Lillian harbor guilt, as though she were somehow to blame?

When Lillian and her twin sister, Layla, learn the Stoney family fortune is gone, Lillian fights to save her ancestral home on Charleston's prestigious East Battery. Desperate to resolve her money problems and get answers to her questions about the past, she tears her father's study apart in search of clues. She discovers a thumb drive in a hollowed-out hardback copy of For Whom the Bell Tolls. The thumb drive, marked For Lillian in his handwriting, contains her father's memoir. Secluded in the family's cottage on Wadmalaw Island, she immerses herself in her father's account of his stormy relationship with her mother. What she learns sets her on a journey of self-discovery.

Tangled in Ivy is a tale of tortured souls and southern family dysfunction.

      

My thoughts about Tangled in Ivy ~~

(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 lines.)

First line—"A sliver of afternoon sunlight streams through a crack in the heavy brocade drapes, falling across my father's ashen face. He's sixty-three going on ninety."

First of all, before I get to my thoughts about this book, I have to gush about this cover. Isn't it just simply stunning? So beautiful! And then the words inside this gorgeous cover—just a beautiful!

Tangled in Ivy could be Ashley's best book yet. And I have absolutely loved all of her previous books, mind you. This is one that will stay with me for a long time. I fell in love with Lillian and hurt for her as she struggled with the death of her beloved father, felt angry and frustrated as she had to deal with her estranged and selfish sister, and shocked as she learned the truths of the past. So many emotions, so many family secrets!

This is an amazing, heartfelt story that will keep you totally engrossed as you take this journey of discovery with Lillian and Layla. Is the bond of family enough to keep these sisters from being torn apart?

I highly recommend Tangled in Ivy, as I have all of Ashley's other books. You will not be disappointed when you pick up this beautiful book! 

I received a copy of Tangled in Ivy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her bestselling Sweeney Sisters series has touched the lives of many.

Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she's lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, a piece of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry, where she still calls home. Through the eyes of her characters, she captures the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kindhearted folk with lazy drawls that make the area so unique. For more information, visit www.ashleyfarley.com ~ Goodreads

Connect with Ashley

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!