Toot's Book Reviews: Review & Giveaway : River Valley Series

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Book Blurb

Riversong (The River Valley Collection #1)

When Lee Tucker's husband commits suicide, he leaves her pregnant and one million dollars in debt to a loan shark. Out of options, she escapes to her deceased mother's dilapidated house located in a small Oregon town that, like her, is financially ruined, heartbroken and in desperate need of a fresh start. Lee's resilience leads to a plan for a destination restaurant named Riversong, to new chances for passion and love, and to danger from her dead husband's debt as her business blooms.

A surprising mix of romance, humor, friendship, intrigue and gourmet food - Riversong entertains while reminding you of life's greatest gifts.

Riversong - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo

Toot's Review by Stacy Sabala

This is book one in the River series. We are introduced to Lee the main character. Lee grew up in River Valley with her alcoholic mother. She was a lonely child and an outcast as a teenager. She constantly had to care for her mother and never knew what her mother’s mood would be like. She lived in a constant state of chaos. She believed that if she survived until she was eighteen, she would leave and go to art school never looking back.

Her neighbor, Ellen, took her to the bus station that fateful day. Ellen encourages Lee to go live her life. She gives her money and promises to look after Lee’s mother. Lee is finally free and leaves to live her life planning to never come back. She goes to school and gets an advanced degree. Lee marries and starts a company with her husband. Her life is good and she is doing well.

However, Lee’s life takes a sad turn and she finds herself back in River Valley in her mother’s house all alone as if she stepped back in time. She is hiding out from some dangerous men that she now owes money to. She plans to only be in River Valley long enough to fix up her mother’s house and sell it. She hopes to pay the rest of the money she owes, so she can move on in her life.

Unfortunately nothing goes as she plans. She needs a job in order to pay for the repairs to her mother’s house. So she is pulled into the failing restaurant in town. The owner wants her to come up with an idea on how to make it more successful. She becomes part of the community whether she wants to or not. She meets a group of interesting characters that work at the restaurant and live in the town. Lee finds herself liking the life she has found here, but she fears that she will be found any day. Her past is bound to catch up with her and she refuses to endanger any of her new friends.

This was a good story. It had a few surprises that the characters had to deal with and the game of hide and seek that Lee plays to stay safe is a good mix. I liked the small town setting and the issues that arise from that all on its own.

Lee’s character is complex with all the issues and baggage she carries around with her. I liked watching her try to move on with her life. She had doubts and fears that were believable and that made her relatable. She finally has to learn to trust others which is a hard lesson for her.

This is a good story and I recommend it to everyone. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Author Info

Tess Thompson is a novelist and playwright with a BFA in Drama from the University of Southern California. In 2011, she released her first novel, Riversong, which subsequently became a bestseller.

Like the characters in the River Valley collection, Tess is from a small town in Oregon. She currently lives in a suburb of Seattle, Washington with her two young daughters, Emerson and Ella. She is inspired daily by the view of the Cascade Mountains from her home office window.

Tess is working on her next novel and regularly blogs about her journey as a mother, author and friend at www.tesswrites.com.

Author Links
www.tesswrites.com
@tesswrites
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessThompson?fref=ts
http://www.amazon.com/Tess-Thompson/e/B004W3WOTG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
http://pinterest.com/tesswrites/

~Giveaway~