Book Review - High Cotton by Debby Mayne

Photo Credit - Amazon

The Bucklin family has a family reunion almost every few months which is why no one really wants to go but they go to avoid being talked about. Shay Henke has mixed feelings about the next reunion. She is looking forward to meeting her family and spending time with them but she has been single for so long and knows everyone would only focus on her being single. Days leading up to the event, Shay learns a secret her sister-in-law is keeping along with juggling her childish twin cousins. When Shay's high school crush moves back home, will Shay be able to deal with all the drama?

The book is enriched with Southern heritage values with names such as Digger, Puddin', Missy, Southern gentleman values, and sweet tea. When I first read the summary, I assumed the deep, dark secret was going to be something terrible and horrendous. When, the cat was out of the bag, the secret was quite laughable especially since the person already knew. The characters' dynamics were interesting and fun to read especially at the family reunion pieces but I felt some of their values were a bit old fashioned. I also found it disheartening that three people go from being alone to finding love in less than 100 pages at breakneck speed.  Along with many characters thinking their problems would end their world but was solved a few pages in. The story was told by four females' point-of-view, but I think I would have preferred maybe just two, so we would get more details into that person's life.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson

Photo Source - Amazon

**May Contain Spoilers**

Ben Jones is a heavily in debt truck driver on Route 117. The desert is known as a haven for criminals and people running from their past. Ben provides the inhabitants with supplies and is usually their only contact with the outside world. Each of the inhabitants carry with them a mysterious past and a deep need to keep it a secret. One of the many stops on Ben's route is a mysterious once-famous roadside diner that hasn't open in years but still remains in pristine condition. Among the diner is an abandoned housing development where Ben finds a beautiful woman named Claire. Claire is sitting alone in the abandoned structure and is beautifully playing the cello. As the two fall in love, Claire's past emerges and she is desperate to get rid of it. Will Ben and Claire be able to find their happy ending they both so desperately need?

The beautifully written novel has many twists and turns while keeping the reader entice to the very end. You will root for Claire and Ben to love and complete each other. The book shows how far you would go for to protect the ones you love. But it also shows that when you love someone, they are not yours forever -- you just merely borrow them. As one of the characters put it, the desert is home to light but also for the opportunity for you to embrace it.

**Disclosure : I received a free copy of this book for my honest opinion**