It’s Fri-yay!! I hope you’ve had a great week and have a weekend ahead full of great reads! One of my very fave authors is Ruth Logan Herne – her warmth and heart exude from the pages of her stories into a soul-deep hug. I’m delighted to bring you my review of her upcoming release, Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge! Jazz has been a prominent secondary character in the first two books of this series, and I’ve been eagerly waiting for her story.
About the Book
Creator of the bestselling “Welcome to Wishing Bridge” and “At Home in Wishing Bridge” award-winning author Ruth Logan Herne invites readers back to the little town with the big heart with “Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge”.
Being a supermodel isn’t just hard.
It can be a killer, so when international sensation Jazz Monroe answered a friend’s call for help, she’d just taken a hiatus from the job that made her a very rich woman and almost took her life. Outwardly Jazz was everything anyone would want to be. Beautiful, confident, rich and famous, and often seen on the arm of some of the world’s most eligible bachelors, Jazz knows the truth she hides. Her self-confidence is an act and the eating disorder that plagues her refuses to let her rest.
But then she and her old friend Thea are called to help a friend and fulfill a pledge they’d made a dozen years before as high school seniors. If any one of the three ever needed help, the others would come running. Last December, Kelsey made that call and her two old friends, the other members of the “Soul Sisterhood”, responded. They’re here now. Thea is practicing medicine, Kelsey has married the hero deputy that saved her life and Jazz is finding the hints of peace that have eluded her for nearly two decades. She settles into the little town, helping out at a local diner, waiting for the sky to fall.
It doesn’t. Instead, the sun begins to shine, winter fades to spring, and surrounded by new and old friends, Jazz begins to believe in herself. She loves the small town, the kindness of the locals, the warmth of the family diner and the special attention from two very different and distinct men makes her think new thoughts. Thoughts of family and picket fences and settling down.
But an unexpected attack on a wood-edged path reignites her fears and insecurities. Now she’s looking in shadows again, doubting herself and others. In Manhattan, locked elevators and a staffed entrance desk kept her safe from intruders.
Wishing Bridge has nothing like that. Here, she lives life at ground level, with no bodyguards watching out for her. But when a local contingent makes it their job to keep her safe, Jazz learns not to sell the small town short. Folks here mean what they say because that’s the kind of town Wishing Bridge is.
As Jazz rediscovers the most important things in life, she realizes that happiness isn’t about where you are: it’s about who you’re with. And who you love.
Join Jazz, Kelsey, Thea and the rest of the Wishing Bridge cast as they band together to help the town and one another because together– in Wishing Bridge– they can make anything happen.
My Thoughts
First, let me say that I’m THRILLED to learn that Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge is not the last book in the series. I was afraid that, since we’ve been given a story for each of the three friends in the Soul Sisterhood, this would be our last visit to Wishing Bridge. But I wasn’t quite ready to leave yet – I enjoy the secondary & even tertiary characters and the setting so much. This town is truly a special place, albeit a fictional one, and I’m delighted that we’ll be returning there in 2021.
Now, on to the review of this book. Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge was everything I hoped it would be and more. Jazz’s story, like Kelsey & Thea’s before her, is complex and layered – a former international supermodel who realized quickly that the industry can destroy you from the inside out, finding her footing again in this sweet little town and enjoying the freedom of just being herself. Until her past comes back to stalk her – literally – and now I want Herne to branch out into romantic suspense. Because the scene snippets from the stalker’s point of view, the feeling of danger that exuded off the page whenever Jazz was alone, the protectiveness of Garrett & her other friends – it was all pitch perfect and kept me glued to the story.
Keep a tissue box handy for this read though – there are some gutwrenching moments walking alongside the heartwarming ones. One particular plot twist left me absolutely bereft, and another plot point had me blinking back tears more than once.
Another thing I love about this series are the children. Herne is nearly unparalleled in her ability to create child characters that you want to reach inside the pages and hug close. Endearing, precocious, charming… even with backstories that sadly reflect the reality for many children today. Yet, each word is penned with heart and compassion and the author’s love for children is clearly felt. In Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge, we get to know more about Emerson, whom we met briefly with his dad in the previous book. And oh my stars, what a sweetheart. He kept a grin on my face in every scene he was in – despite a little lump in my throat as well thanks to his story.
Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge is at its heart a story of friendship, faith, and the kind of family you create above & beyond the one you’re born into. Endearing, diverse characters you’ll quickly fall in love with and a charming setting welcome you to Wishing Bridge with each new book and Jazz’s long-awaited story is no exception. Definitely put this series – and the latest book – on your must-read list!
About the Author
USA TODAY bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne is about to welcome her 53rd and 54th books to book shelves in March and April, so she’s pretty stoked about romance, about love and crazy-stoked about faith!
You can friend her on facebook, follow her on Twitter, visit her website ruthloganherne.com or email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com She loves to chat with readers and writers and she also loves God, family, faith, friends, fun and fiction…. and add chocolate and coffee to that list!
What interests you most about Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge? Have you read the other two books in this series?
Neta Jackson and her husband Dave are an award-winning husband-and-wife writing team, the authors or coauthors of more than 130 books that have sold over 2.5 million copies.
Diversity Between the Pages 