Disclosure:  I received these books to review. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.  The post may contain affiliate links.

It was a busy weekend full of family and fun.  Somewhere in the down times, I squeezed in a few pages of reading.  This weekend I finished The Old Man And The Sea, Home to Chicory Lane, AHA, and Mindwar.  There is no rhyme or reason to the books I pick up but they each take me to a different world.  Believe me, these books are as different from each other as can be! You can purchase Home to Chicory Lane  and Mindwar at Family Christian and other retailers.

Mindwar had a very cool Matrix-meets-Avatar theme.  Marketed toward teens, this book delved into the virtual reality of a digital world in which there are no bonus lives.  Rick’s talent for XBox games turned into a game of life and death as he endeavored to save the world from certain destruction.  I can see how this book would be extremely engaging for teens!  I had a few issues with it being a teen book, though. For one thing, there are mentions of alcohol (why do we need to know that the Bad Guys drink gin and tonic?).  The violent mindset of the story was a turn-off for me as well.  It just seemed rather dark for a teen book.  There was just enough romance to balance out the boy-ness of the book. The whole idea of living in an alternate reality was quite interesting.  I especially loved the vivid descriptions of the characters.  It was all very cloak and dagger!

In Home to Chicory Lane, we come across a generational gap.  Audrey and her husband Grant renovated and opened a bed and breakfast as seen on the beautiful cover of the book.  The cover of the book was the best part.  I loved looking at that photo; it reminded me of my sister and her love of houses.  Somewhere in the midst of the book, though, the story turned into Audrey’s daughter’s story.  Landyn and her husband Chase are newlyweds with lots of issues to work out.
Although the book seemed to be more about Landyn, there was a level of tension in the story that I just couldn’t overcome.

I think most of my annoyance stemmed from the fact that I know real-life Landyns.  Entitled and more than a little spoiled, Landyn expected her parents to drop everything and solve her problems for her.  Somehow she missed the opening of the movie where they tell her that she’s an adult now and needs to step up to the plate.  She even complains out loud about helping her mom around the house (even though she’s staying there for free) and tells her husband that there was no way she’d help her mom clean rooms or make beds in the bed and breakfast.  Since I had zero respect for Landyn, it was hard for me to enjoy the story.    I do, however, look forward to future books in the series.  I’m pretty sure that author Deborah Raney will explore the lives of other siblings in Audrey’s family.

The first book in Deborah Raney‘s new Chicory Inn series, Home to Chicory Lane, introduces us to Audrey Whitman, a mother who has launched all her children into life and now looks forward to fulfilling some of her own dreams during her empty-nest years. However, not all of her children are ready to stay out of the nest quite yet.

Deborah is celebrating the release of her new series with a $200 B&B Weekend Getaway and a Facebook author chat party.

One winner will receive:

• A B&B Weekend Getaway (via a $200 Visa cash card)
• Home to Chicory Lane by Deborah Raney

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 9th. Winner will be announced at the Home to Chicory Lane Author Chat Party on 9/9. Deborah will be hosting a heartfelt book chat, giving away prizes, and answering questions from readers. She will also share an exclusive sneak peek at the next book in the Chicory Inn series!

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 9th!