Synopsis

When tragedy strikes a West Virginia coal mining family, two children start out on a trek that they hope will lead them to a new life. Before a day passes, the children are separated and the boy is caught up in a robbery not of his making. If his sister can find him, she may be able to save him. The problem is she’s only seven years old, and who’s going to believe a kid?

Jubilee’s Journey is Book Two in the Wyattsville Series. This story of discovering lost family and finding love reconnects readers with Ethan Allen and the other heart-warming characters of the bestselling novel SPARE CHANGE

Review

Another winner of a book! I loved loved loved this story and how it tied in with the characters and storyline of Spare Change.   Paul just wants to look out for his sister and just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Detective Gomez from Spare Change is out to make a name for himself after being made a fool and does not want to look beyond what he thinks are the facts.  Detective Mahoney knows that there is more to the story and is willing to do the digging that Gomez won’t, even though this is not in his district.  There are so many little things that just tie together in this book and to Spare Change that it is hard not to be drawn into the book!  Plus we get a little peek into what life was like for the miners and how hard it was on all of the families and what they had to do to survive.

I also love when I learn some little piece of trivia. This book is set in the mid to late 50’s and it mentions Olivia having an answering machine.  Of course this was before my time but I wondered when did answering machines really come into the homes?  According to Wikipedia there was one introduced in 1949 but it wasn’t a huge success at $200 and the first one that really took off was in 1960.  Doesn’t mean that there weren’t answering machines, just not a common place item.  But I thought it was interesting that Olivia would have one in her home.

Bette has written another winner and knows how to capture our hearts with her characters. There are some funny and emotional parts, all what makes a good story.

And knowing Bette like I do, I was quite surprised (and ecstatic) to see my name in her book as one of the minor characters!   I actually saw my name and stopped and stared for a good minute or two.  I was touched to see my name, and also the names of a few other of her fans.  Thank you Bette for the honor!!!

Overall, we give this book 5 paws up and highly recommend this series!

About the Author

Award-winning author Bette Lee Crosby is originally from New Jersey, but now makes her home in Southern Florida where she lives with her husband Richard and a feisty Bichon Frise named Katie. A highly entertaining public speaker, Bette makes frequent appearances to support the various charities of women’s groups, and schedule permitting, she will join book talks and book club discussion groups.

In 1997 Bette abandoned the fast-paced world of advertising and embarked on a career as a novelist. Her books, frequently written in a Southern voice, cover a wide spectrum of locales and personalities as they tell tales of courageous women overcoming life’s obstacles. Her novels were first recognized in 2006, when she won the National League of American Pen Women Award for unpublished fiction with What Matters Most. In 2007 she won the National League of American Pen Women’s First Place Fiction Award for her novel Girl Child; and in 2009 her latest novel Cracks in the Sidewalk received the prestigious Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association; and in 2011 it won the FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal. Bette has recently completed an biography of Lani Verner Deauville, the amazing woman who is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s longest living quadriplegic. This book, scheduled for release in February 2012 is titled “Life in the Land of IS…the Amazing Story of Lani Deauville, the World’s Longest Living Quadriplegic.”

Before redirecting her talents to works of fiction, Bette enjoyed a noteworthy career in advertising and marketing working in a diversity of industries ranging from financial services to collectibles. She served as Editor-in-Chief for Innovations, a new product development publication, and as Contributing Editor for numerous trade publications including Giftware News, Supermarket News and Packaging Digest.

As the U.S. Marketing Director for the distributor of world famous M.I. Hummel figurines, Bette served as a company spokeswoman and public relations figurehead.  Much of her career, however, was spent in the challenging environment of advertising agencies—including a five-year stint as co-owner and Creative Director of the award-winning OTK Advertising Agency.

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