Valentine, Oklahoma is a small town that I think many of us
would for sure
want to visit, and possibly live in. The people there all
care for one another,
and look out for each other, and when a young family is in
trouble they pitch
in to help without calling in social services. However,
there's one hitch in
this...Valentine, Oklahoma is a fictional place, and the
only way to visit is to
read the novels from Curtiss Ann Matlock, the newest of
which is CHIN UP HONEY.
While reading the book I knew I was missing some knowledge
of the
residents of Valentine, but never felt as though I was so
unaware of their lives
as to be feeling like an intruder looking through a window
into a private
home. I believe it takes a certain talent to take a reader
like me, who isn't
familiar with the people and the town to make me feel
welcome, and to want
to go back in time, and read the earlier books. Ms. Matlock
did that
flawlessly.
There are several story lines in CHIN UP HONEY, but the
predominant family
featured is the Berry family. There are several changes
afoot in the Berry
home, and as I read I wanted to cry and cheer for how Emma
and John Cole
were working to adapt to the changes in their long marriage
rather than
following through with the divorce they were planning. I
think what helped
them to realize what they had was the engagement of their
only child to
another only child, and the doubts that Johnny, and Gracie
were encountering
on their way to the alter.
Overall I would recommend CHIN UP HONEY, but I would also
recommend that
you have some dedicated reading time because I'm confident
you won't want
to set the book aside readily. When I turned the last page
I was happy with all
the story line resolutions, but was also pleased to see that
enough was left
unresolved for me to get another invitation to visit
Valentine, Oklahoma.
It takes a lot of work to plan a wedding—and even more to
save a marriage—but in Valentine, Oklahoma, there's always
someone to help you keep your chin up.
Emma Cole's son is getting married, and she's determined to
make everything perfect—even if that means asking her
estranged husband to come home and pretend they're still
together. John may be an imperfect husband, but he's a
devoted dad. He's happy to oblige Emma—especially since he
didn't really much like living apart from her anyway. Now he
wants a second chance.
As Emma sorts through the mess of her own marriage, she puts
her heart into planning Valentine's wedding of the century.
But there's one big problem: the bride's ambitious mother
wants more for her daughter than marriage to a small-town boy.
As the wedding approaches, the many meanings of love,
commitment and happiness capture the hearts of folks in
town. And surrounded by the warmth and spirit of her
neighbors, Emma starts to see new beginnings instead of endings.
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