MY REVIEW:
I have read and enjoyed all the previous books in the Chicory Inn series so it was almost imperative that I read the very last installment. “Home at Last” features Link, the very last unmarried Whitman child and he has received his share of flak about it. It’s not that he doesn’t want to marry – he just hasn’t found the right lady. That situation changed quickly when Link met Shayla Michaels and boy were they both in for some surprises!
The daughter of a racially mixed marriage, Shayla has known her share of prejudice and problems and due to extenuating circumstances she cannot seem to call her life her own. She has so many responsibilities that she fears she will never have a chance for her own husband or children. Link’s obvious attraction to her and his calm understanding threatens to undermine Shayla’s determination to avoid any potentially hurtful relationships.
“Home at Last” covers the difficult subject of racism from more than one angle and attempts to bridge misunderstandings between blacks and whites. A good bit of time was spent detailing the difficulties Shayla’s family had experienced due to their race and the vast difference in their life and the home Link had grown up in. A threatening situation brought added suspense into the story and unfortunate as it was, it added a bit of interest to the story. Shayla’s niece Portia brought in a nice touch of humor that also helped keep it entertaining. The book was well written and shared a timely message from a Christian viewpoint. 
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that was provided by Litfuse Publicity. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Why did their differences matter so much?
Link Whitman has settled into the role of bachelor without ever intending to. Now he’s stuck in a dead-end job and, as the next Whitman wedding fast approaches, he is the last one standing. The pressure from his sisters’ efforts to play matchmaker is getting hard to bear as Link pulls extra shifts at work, and helps his parents at the Chicory Inn.
All her life, Shayla Michaels has felt as if she straddled two worlds. Her mother’s white family labeled her African American father with names Shayla didn’t repeat in polite–well, in any company. Her father’s family disapproved as well, though they eventually embraced Shayla as their own. After the death of her mother, and her brother Jerry’s incarceration, life has left Shayla’s father bitter, her niece, Portia, an orphan, and Shayla responsible for them all. She knows God loves them all, but why couldn’t people accept each other for what was on the inside? For their hearts?
Everything changes one icy morning when a child runs into the street and Link nearly hits her with his pickup. Soon he is falling in love with the little girl’s aunt, Shayla, the beautiful woman who runs Coffee’s On, the bakery in Langhorne. Can Shayla and Link overcome society’s view of their differences and find true love? Is there hope of changing the sometimes-ugly world around them into something better for them all?
Learn more and purchase a copy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Deborah Raney’s novels have won numerous awards including the RITA, National Readers’ Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, the Carol Award, and have three times been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken Raney have traded small-town life in Kansas—the setting of many of Deb’s novels—for life in the city of Wichita.
Find out more about Deborah at http://deborahraney.com.
AUTHOR CHAT PARTY:
Join Deborah on Thursday, March 23, for a live author chat party in her Facebook group with fun prizes to be won! Click the graphic below for more details and to RSVP. Hope to see you there—bring a friend or two who loves to read!
