This was the first book i read from lisa wingate. it was excellent! it was one of those kinds of books that hits the spot and just makes you feel good. its really sweet and i felt like i could connect with the characters. i was really sad when it was over.

I will admit unabashedly that I am a Lisa Wingate Fan. When I looked for this book at my local library ~~ I had hoped to have it before my surgery so I could enjoy my recovery period reading this book. Even after it arrived three days later ~~ it still helped me pass away recovery time reading this sweet little book! (I did read Texas Cooking first!)

This book is the second in the trilogy of Wingate's contemporary romance novels. This one focuses on Laura Draper, a young successful woman high up on the publishing world ~~ sent to Texas for a month to revive a magazine there and get it sent off to the publishers on time. During a horrid day ~~ tornadoes landing in other parts of Texas, a freeway found to be unfit for travel ~~ Laura was stuck in backcountry Texas trying to find her way to the office when a hail storm hit. While sitting in the storm ~~ Laura receives some bad news ~~ the second in several months. So instead of escaping the car for shelter, Laura just simply collapses in her car and wait out the storm. After the storm passes, she notices that she is near an old Cafe ~~ where they serve up buttermilk pies and the most wonderful cup of coffee. Turns out the two women who own the cafe have a nephew that is just a good-looking cowboy with secrets of his own.

And that is just the beginning of a fun and wonderful romance that is set among barbecues and country singing, cranky fathers who forget to take their medicines and all that fun stuff. It does tug at your heartstrings and make you believe in the magic of love!

If you're looking for a quick and wonderful read ~~ don't hesitate to pick this one and Texas Cooking up! It's perfect for those summery days as well as those wintery days when the weather can't make up its mind!

3-7-05

After the death of her mother, high powered magazine executive Laura Draper finds herself working in Austin on a start up/revamp of a Texas publication as well as dealing with a grief impaired father. When a freeway is closed and a detour is mandated, Laura literally falls through a rabbit hole and into the world of the Lone Star Cafe. The author gives us wonderfully sketched characters, with a lovely sense of place, and some thought provoking peeks into the inner values of her characters. It's a nice little romance, one you could share with your mother or your daughter.