Courtney Walsh is a published author, scrapbooker, theater director, and playwright. Her debut novel, A Sweethaven Summer, will be followed by two additional novels in the series. She’s also written two papercrafting books, Scrapbooking Your Faith and The Busy Scrapper. Courtney has been a contributing editor for Memory Makers Magazine and Children’s Ministry Magazine and is a frequent contributor to Group Publishing curriculum. She works as the PR Manager for Webster’s Pages from her home in Colorado, where she lives with her husband and three kids, who range in age from 4 to 10. Courtney drinks entirely too much coffee.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Suzanne’s daughter, Campbell, has come to Sweethaven in search of answers to her questions about her mother’s history. Suzanne’s three friends-Lila, Jane, and Meghan-were torn apart by long-buried secrets and heartbreak. Though they haven’t spoken in years, each has pieces of a scrapbook they made together in Sweethaven. Suzanne’s letters have lured them all back to the idyllic lakeside town, where they meet Campbell and begin to remember what was so special about their long Sweethaven summers. As the scrapbook reveals secrets one by one, old wounds are mended, lives are changed, and friendships are restored-just as Suzanne intended.
If you would like to read the first chapter of A Sweethaven Summer, go HERE.
Learn about Courtney and her books on her Website.
MY REVIEW:
One thing I love about getting to review books is that I am blessed with frequent opportunities to discover new authors. Many of them have earned a place on my keeper shelves and Courtney Walsh is the most recent addition to my list of favorites.
A Sweethaven Summer has most of the elements I enjoy in a contemporary novel – a small friendly town with diverse characters and a plot that moves along without bogging down in unnecessary trivialities. Excellent character interaction and dialogue, especially between the hero and heroine plus a touch of mystery and drama added just the right touch. It was also nice to have a message of faith woven in that did not overpower the story.
I liked the way that Campbell allowed herself to be real in her admission of her fear of rejection and her unwillingness to forgive, yet continued to choose to face the truth regardless of the consequences. And all the supporting characters were just right in the way they accepted Campbell and encouraged her and each other through difficult situations. A Sweethaven Summer is an excellent example of friendship and the power of forgiveness. I am looking forward to Courtney’s next book. I hope she will allow her readers to visit Sweethaven many more times.
