336 pages September 26,2023 publication date Revell publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK

Cora Matthews’s life is a mess. A broken engagement and the unexpected death of her mother have left her wondering if things will ever return to normal. Whatever “normal” is.

It certainly isn’t what she finds at Moonberry Lake. After she receives her family’s dilapidated lakefront lodge as an inheritance–with a surprising condition attached–Cora finds her life overrun by a parade of eccentric neighbors who all have something to say and something to teach her.

As Cora works to put her life back together, she must decide if she is willing to let go of the past, open her heart to love, and embrace the craziest version of family and home she could ever have imagined.

MY THOUGHTS

If you’ve been reading my blog any amount of time at all you’ll notice I read a lot of different authors. Some say they want the tried-and-true authors and won’t try a debut author. I say that’s nonsense. If I hadn’t tried this author, I wouldn’t have found a new favorite author with all the elements I love in books.

Moonberry Lake is heartwarming and charming and located in the beautiful North Woods of Minnesota. Its small-town descriptions will make you want to visit, and then stay. Cora hasn’t been in Moonberry Lake since childhood but when life doesn’t go as planned, she finds herself back there with a surprising inheritance, her family’s dilapidated lakefront lodge.

Her family has kept secrets from her and while in Moonberry she’ll try to work her way through them with some unforeseen results.

Now the characters living in Moonberry are quite an eclectic bunch. Everyone has their own opinion, and they are quite different from each other. They all openly welcome her, except for one character. I’m hoping to find out more about this character in a future book.

The renovation of the family lodge is going beautifully and while the construction is going on Cora has time to settle in and really talk to her neighbors, like so many of us don’t have time for now a day.

I have to say Cora’s character seemed a little naive, but I didn’t like her any less. Of all the characters if I had to choose a favorite I’d choose Kitty, there is something very special about her.

Let’s talk about a few other characters, the dental receptionist, she is annoying. No one would keep a dental receptionist on like that, even if you did like her and felt sorry for her. I still liked her though; I thought her character was funny. I also liked the man she helped around his house, who is so introverted. All quirky neighbors, all have a story to tell and a lesson to teach. You will fall in love with this heartwarming story and not want to leave it. I am greatly looking forward to another book in the series.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Holly Varni is a native Minnesotan of strong Norwegian descent, who was raised in the Lutheran Church that Garrison Keillor made a career depicting. Between the lutefisk, grumpy grandparents, and the crazy neighbor who mowed his lawn wearing pajamas, the seed to becoming a storyteller was planted. She wants to give readers characters they can connect with, admire, laugh at, and most of all love.

She is podcast host of “Moments from Moonberry Lake,” and author of the “Moonberry Lake” series.

In her personal life, she married a University Professor with the same chocolate eyes as her romantic lead. They live on the Central Coast of California with their three sons. The characters of Moonberry Lake and their unique stories came about as she was trying to survive being a boy mom. When not doing laundry or writing, she has the privilege of being a Hospice volunteer, where she sits with the dying and listens to their stories.

Have you read this book? Did you love it as much as I did?

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping in.