Once Upon a Summertime by Melody Carlson

Melody Carlson was among one of the first authors I read when I started reading Christian fiction books. She was able to give me just enough romance in my youth without making it sappy. I have continued to read almost every book she has written since then. I always look forward to seeing new book of hers hitting the shelves! I was drawn to this book by the cover first. Once I saw who wrote it, it was not a question of "if" I would read it, but simply "when."


Once Upon a Summertime is the first book in her new series, Follow Your Heart. The story focuses on Anna who has huge dreams despite having grown up under some tough circumstances. To say the odds were against her would be correct. However, she decides that she wants things to change and tries her hardest to rise above her circumstances. When she finally gets an offer she can't refuse, she takes it. The reader then goes on a journey through New York City and gets an inside look at the hospitality industry. I did have to laugh at the whole scene when she meets the boy she had spent many hours dreaming about as a young girl.

I really enjoyed taking a journey through New York. Having never worked in the hospitality industry, I also enjoyed reading about this part, as well. I enjoyed everything about this book, from beginning to end. I am looking forward to this new series and where the hearts will lead her characters.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

My husband Chris and I live in a cabin-style home next to the National Forest in the beautiful Cascade Mountain area of the Pacific Northwest. Our two grown sons and granddaughter live nearby and we try to see them as often as we can. We also have two 're-homed' pets to make life more interesting-our yellow Labrador retriever Audrey and a Maine coon cat named Harry.

My writing studio is in a separate building next to our courtyard (a garden area that's off limits to the voracious deer). The window behind my desk looks out into the Ponderosa pine forest, where I see deer, squirrels, rabbits, and an occasional raccoon. The other windows in my office overlook the courtyard which is frequented by numerous hummingbirds in the summertime-one August evening we counted nearly fifty of the little hummers.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Managing the Value Lodge in her hometown was not what Anna Gordon had in mind when she set out in the hospitality industry. But it's a safe choice for a woman whose childhood was anything but stable. Out of the blue, she gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reinvent herself by moving to New York City, where she hopes for a management position at a stylish new boutique hotel. The big city is full of surprises--not the least of which is Sean O'Neil. Her childhood crush has applied for the very same position!

Sweet, romantic, and endlessly entertaining, this romp through the storied streets of New York City will enchant readers. Melody Carlson has created characters so charming that readers will long to meet them in the lobby of the stunning Rothsberg Hotel.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Once Upon a Summertime, go HERE.
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I received this book free from Revell Publishers and CFBA in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.