After her husband was killed in Afghanistan in the line of
duty, Allie Beckett's numbing all-consuming grief only
lessened as she knew she had to love and care for Wyatt,
her cute and now wise beyond his five year old year son.
With too many memories and tired of seeing the compassion
in her friends' eyes as they tried to support her, Allie
just knew she has to make a fresh start. Since no one had
used their family cottage on the shores of Butternut Lake in
Minnesota, Allie decides to pull up stakes and move to a
place where she only had happy and peaceful memories.
Arriving there in the dark night, Allie has some misgivings,
but hopes for the best. That is all she can do.
As the young widow and her son go into town the next day for
breakfast and groceries, Allie feels the first tugs of
optimism on her heart. Pearls, the restaurant she had loved
as a child, is still there and is open. Soon, she finds out
that many people remember her, especially Caroline, the
owner of Pearls and Jax, her old best friend, and now the
proud mom of three girls and who is happily expecting
another baby.
Despite some glitches, Allie begins to believe that she has
found her safe haven. As she is welcomed into the small and
friendly community, her path soon crosses with Walker Ford,
the co-owner of a group of boatyards and the owner of the
only other residence on Butternut Lake. Despite a rocky
start, there seems to be an attraction, but that causes
Allie more concern than happiness. Wyatt has been through
too much already with losing his dad. What would happen to
Him if things didn't work out with Walker? Has his earlier
experiences of love made him too commitment-adverse to give
Allie what she needs?
Fans of inspiration contemporary romance will definitely not
be disappointed by this start to a new trilogy by debut
novelist Mary McNear. UP AT BUTTERNUT LAKE is set in the
fictional, yet so very authentically rendered small town of
Butternut Lake in the northern woods area of Minnesota, it
will remind others of their time spend near cool lakes and
their adjoining small towns.
While UP AT BUTTERNUT LAKE may be based in a small town, the
novel is lovingly populated with interesting and very
likeable characters of varying ages dealing with what life
has brought to their door. In addition to the main story of
Allie, Wyatt and Walker, NcNear has nicely interwoven in
other differing stories of loss, redemption and how friends
can help bring healing and/or realistic insights into their
situations.
Caroline is a sage older, but not old woman who,
as a single mom, has raised her daughter well and now is
missing their closeness as her daughter enjoys her new life
at college. Jax also faces her own share of emotional
turmoil as her family life is threatened from past secrets.
Can hearts be open to new possibilities?
UP AT BUTTERNUT LAKE is a lovely heartfelt story of
resiliency, compassion and emotional pain, filled with
inspiring optimism. With friendly nudges and insights, one
can get through the storms and in the right direction for
safe harbours! While the story line is complete enough to be
a wonderful stand-alone read, thank goodness, there are two
more books coming to find our more about what happens to
these well-crafted characters UP AT BUTTERNUT LAKE. Enjoy!
In the tradition of Kristin Hannah and Susan Wiggs, Mary
McNear introduces readers to the town of Butternut Lake and
to the unforgettable people who call it home.
It's summer, and after ten years away, Allie Beckett has
returned to her family's cabin beside tranquil Butternut
Lake, where as a teenager she spent so many carefree days.
She's promised her five-year-old son, Wyatt, they will be
happy there. She's promised herself this is the place to
begin again after her husband's death in Afghanistan. The
cabin holds so many wonderful memories, but from the moment
she crosses its threshold Allie is seized with doubts. Has
she done the right thing uprooting her little boy from the
only home he's ever known?
Allie and her son are embraced by the townsfolk, and her
reunions with old acquaintances—her friend Jax, now a young
mother of three with one more on the way, and Caroline, the
owner of the local coffee shop—are joyous ones. And then
there are newcomers like Walker Ford, who mostly keeps to
himself—until he takes a shine to Wyatt . . . and to Allie.
Everyone knows that moving forward is never easy, and as the
long, lazy days of summer take hold, Allie must learn to
unlock the hidden longings of her heart, and to accept that
in order to face the future she must also confront—and
understand—what has come before.
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