Acquired Book By: I’ve been hosting for Prism Book Tours since September of 2017 – having noticed the badge on Tressa’s blog (Wishful Endings) as we would partake in the same blog tours and/or book blogosphere memes. As I enquired about hosting for Prism, I found I liked the niche of authors and stories they were featuring regularly. Oft-times you’ll find Prism Book Tours alighting on my blog through the series of guest features and spotlights with notes I’ll be hosting on behalf of their authors when I’m not showcasing book reviews on behalf of Harlequin Heartwarming which has become my second favourite imprint of Harlequin next to my beloved #LoveINSPIRED Suspense. I am also keenly happy PRISM hosts a variety of Indie Authors and INSPY Fiction novelists.
I received a complimentary copy of “Three Makes A Family” direct from the author Cari Lynn Webb in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I have been enjoying reading the City by the Bay series:
My favourite character was Nonna – her simple wisdom, the ways in which she showed how cooking can bring people together and the ordinary kindness she showed both Chase and Nichole warms your heart. She’s the kind of grandmother who wants what is best for her grandson but also someone who upholds family tradition – which led-in to one of my favourite scenes, which was having the three of them in the kitchen, attempting to cook a beloved recipe. Whilst there you had the overall feeling that Nonna might know more than she’s letting on – as both Chase and Nichole seemed to be at odds with themselves and they were saying more than they ought to have in that moment with Nonna. I personally think Nonna sorted it out for herself – the big secret and the reasons behind it. I just wouldn’t put it past her to see through the thin veil of their lies.
One of the interesting bits of soaking into this story is that both of Webb’s lead characters (ie. Chase and Nichole) are at turning points in their lives. Chase has a severe injury which could either set him back from his career goals or be a period of mindful rest during his recovery whilst Nichole is on the fringe of launching her app even if she’s dealing with combating her own insecurities first. They both seemed to be at war with themselves – as each of them were battling through something quite specific to their own internal struggles with anxiety and self-recrimination. It started to set the tone for the healing and self-growth to evolve through the storyline which I enjoyed seeing developed.
Webb places you into her storyline rather immediately – you instantly know what is most important to the lives of her characters simply by observing where we’re meeting them in the text. Nichole and Chase have rather immediate needs at the start of this novel which allows the story to unfold at a quicker pace than others. I enjoyed seeing how Webb was going to heal the distance between them but also, tuck closer to whom they’ve become whilst they’ve been apart. Both of her characters have lived so many years separated from each other, a portion of themselves has become a bit more muddled and lost; which I felt they each saw in each other when they first reunited. As it would be hard not to see the changes in your long lost best friend and that is how this story first presents itself – even before the grandparents are brought into the fray (as this is a story set against the love and nurturing guidance only grandparents can give) this is a story that is anchoured by a resolve of unquestioning trust between two best friends who understand each other better than they understand themselves.
-quoted from my review of Her Surprise Engagement
(Book Six: City by the Bay series)
In case you missed it, during my 8th Blogoversary this March,
I re-celebrated why I love reading Harlequin Heartwarming stories as I had during my 6th!
Three Makes A Family
Subtitle: City by the Bay Stories
by Cari Lynn Webb
Source: Author via Prism Book Tours
Can love for a child…
Make them a family?Lawyer Molly McKinney needs to be the best—now more than ever. Relocating to San Francisco means a chance to provide a stable income and home for her nine-month-old daughter. And defending former rival Drew Harrington against charges of witness tampering will boost her reputation. As they work to clear Drew’s name, their feelings grow. But does Molly have room in her life for love?
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 978-1335179845
Also by this author: The Rancher's Rescue, Single Dad to the Rescue, In Love by Christmas, Her Surprise Engagement, The Texas SEAL's Surprise, Trusting the Rancher with Christmas
Published by Harlequin Heartwarming
on 13th April, 2021
Format: Larger Print (Mass Market Paperback)
Pages: 384
Published by: Harlequin Heartwarming (@HarlequinBooks) | imprint of Harlequin
the City by the Bay Stories:
The Charm Offensive (Book One)
The Doctor’s Recovery (Book Two)
Ava’s Prize (Book Three)
Single Dad to the Rescue (Book Four) | (see also Review)
In Love by Christmas (Book Five) | (see also Review)
Her Surprise Engagement (Book Six) | (see also Review)
Three Makes a Family (Book Seven)
Converse via: #Contemporary #Romance
+ #Harlequin OR #HarlequinHeartwarming & #CityByTheBayStories
The reason I had to feature an abridged showcase for this lovely novel is because last weekend after years of its absence in my life, my issues with vertigo returnt full throttle. I was also consumed with issues stemming out of my intense and extreme seasonal pollen allergies combined with heat exhaustion and overall fatigue. In essence, the hours I was looking forward to reading & blogging became a weekend of SLEEP and recovery from overall unwellness. The hardest bit was the loss of stamina in my eyes and in my ability to both read a book in print and handle reading on a screen in order to blog. One must never take either for granted as there are moments where we are unable to enjoy both.
This week as I had to shift my post forward to the final day of the blog tour – I had hoped to rebound and be able to get back into the book and back onto my blog. Sadly, neither was accomplished – I decided to share my abridged thoughts about this novel in one of my #25PagePreview showcases rather feel the fuller guilt of not being able to enjoy the story before/during the tour itself. I will be reading this lovely in full as soon as I’m able too – thereby, expect more reactions & remarks from me in the near future on behalf of this story and series.
| Three Makes A Family by Cari Lynn Webb |
It might be due to my love of the tv series ALL RISE, or it might be my love of how Webb began this story, but there was something wicked about how she presented the past history of her characters whilst giving us such a charming re-entry into their lives! I love whenever lawyers are on opposites – this was also true in another legal drama series I loved which unfortunately was quite short-lived and I never saw how it concluded (ie. FOR THE PEOPLE (ABC). When you see them working in both the public and private sectors it instantly becomes a potboiler because of how difficult their jobs are in different ways in deference to the cases and the people they are representing. Not to mention the fact they could be either on the same side or opposite side of the legal system if/when their cases were ever to cross.
The interesting bit about how they re-entered each others’ lives is how at this particular moment Drew needed the old friend he used to confide in moreso than a reunited lost friend in Molly; or were they one and the same? I felt he was at a cross-roads attempting to sort out if the woman he’s speaking with now was a mere memory of the person he once knew or if she were indeed the same friend he used to love confiding in and could resume from whence they once left off. That of course is the tricky bit of reconnecting with old friends – how to walk the fine line of balancing your memories with the trust you once knew you had with the new reality of not realising where you currently stand in your relationship.
Likewise, for Molly’s part – you could tell she’s holding back some information herself – yet she wants to reach out to Drew, which also speaks volumes in of itself. Interestingly – we, the readers get a bit of interesting news in regards to why Molly is interested in Drew all of a sudden whilst Drew for his part is winning our hearts by his compassionate empathy for helping others. The first twenty-five pages of this novel are such an uplift of joy to be read – especially as they tuck you into the lives of two characters who are at a different set of forks in their proverbial roads and are about to make a choice about which path they desire to walk towards – choosing a path into a future they both deserve.
On my continued JOY of reading this series
& Ms Webb’s Contemporary Romantic styling:
The concept of friendship & family as outlined by Ms Webb through her author’s note & dedication ahead of Three Makes A Family follow my own thoughts on those subjects as well. Without family, I have always felt I would be as unmoored as I would be if I were without faith as combined I feel anchoured and supported. Family truly is everything in our lives and our friends – especially the ones who stay with us through the changing tides of our lives are the ones who matter most in the end. We are fortunate if we can hang onto them whilst life turns adverse and uncertain and we can fondly celebrate them when life has more rainbows & sunshine than torrents of lightning and storms!
Webb has a brilliant way of alighting into a character’s life so completely and so tethered close to their emotional state of mind, you never feel you’re meeting her characters for the first time! As you drew a breath closer to Molly and Drew, you see who they are simply through their actions and their thoughts – especially how they have a propensity for caring for others and wanting to right the wrongs they hope they can influence towards positive change. It is such a strong opening set of chapters that you immediately feel interconnected into the plot and have a strong sense about the kind of story which will continue to unfold for you to savour reading.
Which is why I love her stories within this series – as each of the stories is a new reflection of hope, friendship and family; plus the fortitude to see how characters can effectively change their own lives or have their lives changed by others. I love stories which are both empowering and heartwarming to read – they give us all a lovely respite from our everyday hectic lives and a restoration of a heartful boost of encouragement to realise that no matter what hope is lingering right round the corner.
This blog tour is courtesy of: Prism Book Tours
By clicking this banner you can find out about the giveaway associated with the tour;
my particular tour stop doesn’t host the giveaway as I’m a review stop, however,
you’ll find many other bloggers who are hosting the information!
readers who gravitate towards the same stories to read.
{SOURCES: Cover art of “The Charm Offensive”, “The Doctor’s Recovery”, “Ava’s Prize”, “Single Dad to the Rescue”, “In Love by Christmas”, “Her Surprise Engagement”, “Three Makes A Family”, as well as the synopsis for “Three Makes A Family”, the author photo of Cari Lynn Webb and her biography; and the Prism Book Tours badges were all provided by Prism Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Stories in the Spotlight banner, #25PagePreview banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2021.
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