THE KISSING TREE

Four Novellas Rooted in Timeless Love

by Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings,

Amanda Dykes, and Nicole Deese

Genre: Christian / Romance / Anthology

Publisher: Bethany House

Date of Publication: October 13, 2020

Number of Pages: 400

Scroll down for the giveaway!

In this Texas-sized romance novella collection, courting couples, decades apart, leave a permanent mark of their love by carving their initials into the same oak’s bark.

Regina Jennings: “Broken Limbs, Mended Hearts”

When a young man from her past returns and upends their small town with a new invention, schoolteacher Bella Eden is reminded of the heartbreak she suffered years ago under the old oak tree. When her job is on the line, can she trust the man who disrupted her life to help her fight for a brighter future?

Karen Witemeyer: “Inn for a Surprise”

Determined to keep love alive for others, Phoebe Woodward builds an inn that caters to couples. When her father sends a property manager to help make it a success, she finds her whimsical vision thwarted by his stodgy practicality. Finding the right blend of romance and reality is a challenge, and her spinster heart may be in for a surprise.

Amanda Dykes: “From Roots to Sky”

WWII airman Luke Hampstead found comfort in letters from the sister of a lost compatriot. When he visits Texas to thank her, he discovers her constructing a project with surprising ties to his letters . . . and that she herself is even more surprising. While a promising opportunity awaits him elsewhere, will what they’ve shared be enough to give their future flight?

Nicole Deese: “Heartwood”

Abby Brookshire’s world is turned upside down when the historic tree she’s strived to preserve as the head groundskeeper at the Kissing Tree Inn is put in danger of removal. Making matters worse, the only way to protect its legacy is to partner with the man she’s been ignoring since he left town years ago. Will she have the courage to move on from the past and start a new beginning?

Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Baker Publishing Group

These four novellas travel through time in Oak Springs, Texas, and weave together love stories surrounding the Kissing Tree. While each story is independent of the other, there are a few ties that bring them all together besides the tree. The main characters in the first story, “Broken Limbs, Mended Hearts”, Bella and Adam, make an appearance in “Inn for a Surprise”. The Kissing Tree Inn is constructed in “Inn for a Surprise” but is still around in the last two stories and it is a descendent from the story “From Roots to Sky” that ties the fourth story into the book. Each story brings together two souls that thought they couldn’t find love and they couldn’t be more wrong.

I don’t think I can pick a favorite out of these four stories. Each has a unique tale to tell and I fell in love with all of the characters and the situations that they endured to get to the apex of finding their true love.

“The magic found in Oak Springs had less to do with a romantic inn and everything to do with the nature surrounding it.”

Broken Limbs, Mended Hearts features Bella and Adam. You could say there were not bosom buddies while in their last year of school, in fact, a situation occurred that had Bella changing her chosen profession. I don’t think she ever forgave Adam for that incident until he arrives back in town several years later and realizes she is the one that he wants as his wife. I liked how Adam realized he had a couple of hurdles to cross to win her affection and he is quite creative in helping get past those barriers. I enjoyed this line because progress happens no matter the time and this reminded me of that. Adam says this line to Bella – “I came to Oak Springs to bring our town up to date. It’s the 1870s. Progress needs to happen.”

Inn for a Surprise is the story of Phoebe and Barnabus. This story had me in stitches because Barnabus thinks that this inn is a lost cause when it comes to marketing and has, in his mind, renamed the inn with several alliterations, including the Inn of Pecking Pulp Providers. When Phoebe stumbles across this information, I think it causes her to see Barnabus in a new light. They work well together as a team and it shouldn’t be too surprising that they fall in love. What did surprise me was her father’s reaction. You’ll have to read the story to discover that answer.

From Roots to Sky is Hannah and Luke’s journey. Luke came to Oak Springs out of a sense of obligation to Hannah’s brother that died during WWII. He had taken on the task of writing to Hannah and he included drawings of what he saw in Europe, much like her brother had done for her before he died. Hannah is endearing and scattered all at the same time. I’m sure many are not sure how to handle her proclivity to keep moving and not wait for anyone to help her do anything. I admired her determination to forge her own path and not a traditional path that might be expected of a woman in the 1940s.

Heartwood is the last novella and brings together Abby and Griffin. Abby is a descendent of a character mentioned in “From Roots to Sky”, Arnie, and the cottage built in that story by Hannah and Luke is another tie to all of the stories. I enjoyed watching these two lovebirds (when they finally admit it) reconnect even though it takes some time to get there since Griffin is there to assess the Kissing Tree and this riles Abby up to no end.  Abby and Griffin know each other well and both love nature and the outdoors. In fact, I liked this line that Abby says to Griffin – “You’ll always smell like trees no matter what you squirt on your shirt. Nature’s in your DNA.”

No matter what sort of story you might like, each novella in this book will appeal to you in one way or another, from the characters to the setting.

We give this book 5 paws ups.

Voted #1 Reader’s Favorite Christian Romance Author of 2019 by Family Fiction Magazine, bestselling author  Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. She makes her home in Abilene, Texas, with her husband and three children.

Website ║ Karen’s Posse Reader Facebook Group

Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University, with a degree in English and a minor in history. She’s the winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award, a two-time Golden Quill finalist, and a finalist for the Oklahoma Book of the Year Award. Regina has worked at the Mustang News and at First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. She lives outside of Oklahoma City with her husband and four children.

Website ║ Facebook

Amanda Dykes is a drinker of tea, dweller of redemption, and spinner of hope-filled tales who spends most days chasing wonder and words with her family. She’s a former English teacher and the author of Whose Waves These Are, a Booklist 2019 Top Ten Romance debut, as well as three novellas.

Website ║ Instagram

Nicole Deese’s eight humorous, heartfelt, and hope-filled novels include the 2017 Carol Award-winning A Season to Love. Her 2018 release, A New Shade of Summer, was a finalist in the RITA Awards, Carol Awards, and INSPY Awards. Both of these books are from her bestselling Love in Lenox series. When she’s not working on her next contemporary romance, she can usually be found reading one by a window overlooking the inspiring beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She lives in small-town Idaho with her happily-ever-after hubby, two rambunctious sons, and princess daughter with the heart of a warrior.

Website ║ Facebook

————————————-

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

SIX WINNERS! Grand prize: print copy of The Kissing Tree plus custom, 18” x 3.5” wooden sign;

five other winners: print copy of The Kissing Tree.

 October 20-30, 2020

(U.S. Only)

Visit the Lone Star Literary LIfe Tour Page

For direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily.

Or, visit the blogs directly:

blog tour services provided by