Nan Rossiter

A Good Measure

Mary Harper, Nan Rossiter, Women's Fiction

A Good Measure by Nan Rossiter

Expected publication:  April 12, 2022 – Harper Paperbacks

Review copy courtesy of the author and the publisher

Description:

“Sinking into a Nan Rossiter story is like coming home.”—Robyn Carr

Return to Tybee Island off the coast of Georgia in USA Today bestselling author Nan Rossiter’s third Savannah Skies novel, a heartwarming story about love, acceptance, finding your place in the world, and learning to carry on in the face of overwhelming loss.

It has been eight months since Libby Tennyson’s husband, Jack, passed away, and now every afternoon when the fiery sun sinks below the horizon, she finds herself wandering through the empty old farmhouse in which they raised their six sons. Melancholy hour, she calls it—the time of day that was once a flurry of dinner, homework, and chores, but with her sons grown and on their own, she grieves for all she has lost—and worries about what the future holds for her youngest son, twenty-eight-year-old Chase.  

All the Tennyson boys are handsome—but there’s something about Chase that has always made women swoon. Growing up in the shadow of his older brothers, Chase was different—gentler, kinder, a boy with a big heart who looked after those most vulnerable. Though his family loves him deeply, Chase never felt he could truly be himself until he met Liam Evans, his partner in business and love. After six years, Chase and Liam are ready to make a lifetime commitment…yet both feel apprehensive including their very traditional families in their wedding planning.

But life is full of surprises, and Libby finds unexpected hope in her new stage of life when she connects with The Guild, a group of widows who get together every Thursday evening for wine, laughter, and companionship. Here, Libby not only discovers a safe space, but a place of honesty, and…growth. And while Chase and Libby may not see eye to eye every time, they can both always agree that love truly does win.

After all, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, is always poured back…because for all the measure you use, it will be measured to you! (publisher)

My take:

If you enjoy women’s fiction novels about family, friends and life in general you’ll want to read one of Nan Rossiter’s books. A Good Measure is about all these things and I really enjoyed it.

There are three longtime friends who’ve been widowed in recent years: Libby, Payton and Ames. They all face various life challenges and find support and unconditional love in their friends. I most related to Libby but enjoyed the camaraderie of all three.

Libby is learning to live without her husband who passed fairly quickly after a cancer diagnosis. Payton runs a coffee shop with her son who is on the Autism spectrum. Ames is learning to enjoy life as she wants. All three women have grown children who they worry about – as probably every mother on earth does!

The novel is told from the three women’s POV and in alternating short chapters. I turned the final page with a smile and glad to have read the book.

Recommended to fans of the genre and Nan Rossiter.

 

Promises to Keep (Review and US Giveaway)

Mary Giveaway, Harper Paperbacks, Nan Rossiter, Women's Fiction

Promises to Keep by Nan Rossiter

Publication date:  April 27, 2021 – Harper Paperbacks

Review book courtesy of the publisher and Nan Rossiter

Description:

Thirty-four-year-old Maeve Lindstrom loves her job at Willow Pond Senior Care. Her older sister Macey thinks Maeve is the only human being on earth who can make working in a nursing home sound like fun. Maeve enjoys being around the sundowners, as she calls them, helping them navigate their senior years—brightening a time that can be, all too often, a lonely, sad stage of life.

Thirty-three-year-old Gage Tennyson—who brings his mischievous yellow Lab, Gus, to whatever restoration job he is working on with Macey’s husband, Ben—loves Maeve with all his heart. He’s a handsome country boy and a true southern gentleman. But as he and Maeve grow closer, they both sense that they haven’t been completely forthcoming about their pasts.

When Maeve realizes Gage might be planning to propose, she knows she must finally be honest with everyone she holds dear. She can no longer live with the secret she’s been dragging around like an anchor, and she knows the only way she will be free to build a lifetime relationship with Gage is to risk everything—including his (and her family’s) love and respect. Before she finds the courage, however, her past comes careening into her life in a shocking and unexpected way.  (publisher)

My take:  With Promises to Keep Nan Rossiter continues the tale of the Lindstrom sisters that began with Promises Of the Heart. That was Macey’s story. Now it’s Maeve’s turn. Maeve is a lovely, compassionate woman who is in love with Gage, a man she can see a future with. Gage is a sensitive, artistic man and he loves Maeve. Sounds like a match made in heaven, right? These two are in their mid30s and have secrets that have a hold on them. When the secrets become known they’ll find out if they can be strong enough for each other. Promises to Keep is all that and more. There are family dynamics, end of life situations, and dreams to pursue. I related to several issues in this book. If that sounds like your kind of novel I recommend you pick up a copy today. I loved it.

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Promises of the Heart by Nan Rossiter plus a US Giveaway

Mary Contemporary Fiction, Giveaway, Harper Paperbacks, Nan Rossiter, NetGalley

Promises of the Heart by Nan Rossiter

Publication date:  February 4, 2020 – Harper Paperbacks

ARC courtesy of the author

Description:  Macey and Ben Samuelson have much to be thankful for: great friends, a beautiful—if high-maintenance—Victorian house on idyllic Tybee Island, and a rock-solid marriage. The only thing missing is what they want the most. After her fifth miscarriage in six years, Macey worries that the family they’ve always dreamed of might be out of reach. Her sister suggests adoption, but Macey and Ben aren’t interested in pursuing that path…until a three-legged Golden Retriever named Keeper wags his way into their home and their hearts.

Harper Wheaton just got kicked out of another foster home and it won’t be the last if she keeps losing her temper. She’s not sure why she gets mad; maybe because no family seems to want a nine-year-old girl with a heart condition. She loves her social worker, Cora, but knows that staying with her forever isn’t an option. Will she ever find a family to call her own?

As a physician’s assistant, Macey meets lots of kids. Harper Wheaton’s a tough one, but Macey knows the little girl has already struggled more than most. It gets Macey and Ben to thinking about all the children who need homes. Then Harper goes missing, and one thing is suddenly crystal clear: life is complicated—but love doesn’t have to be. (publisher)

My take:  Promises of the Heart is one of those novels that surprised me by how quickly it worked itself into my heart. I grew to love the characters and worried how life would go for them all.

Nine-year-old Harper’s mother died years ago. She’s never met her father and she’s had heart-breaking foster situations. Ben and Macey have just suffered another miscarriage. All they’ve wanted is a family to fill their big Victorian fixer-upper on Tybee Island. Is it possible that dream will ever come true? Reading Nan Rossiter’s story about people longing to be part of a family felt like being wrapped in a warm hug. The more time I spent with Macey, Ben and Harper the longer I wanted that hug to continue.

This is a story of keeping faith, putting oneself out there when it would be easier to shut the world out to lessen the chance for more emotional pain. I loved Promises of the Heart and recommend it to anyone who loves an emotional, heartwarming and uplifting story about family.

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US Giveaway: Summer Dance by Nan Rossiter

Mary Giveaway, Kensington, Nan Rossiter

My review of Summer Dance posted on Tuesday, May 30 (click the title for review). Author Nan Rossiter has generously offered a copy of her new book to one lucky winner – scroll down for the US Giveaway!

Description:  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nan Rossiter brings together characters from her acclaimed novel Nantucket in a powerful, heartwarming love story that bridges past and present.

When Liam Tate was seven years old, his uncle Cooper opened his heart and his Nantucket home to him. In the intervening decades, Liam has found both love and loss on the island, and since learning of his son Levi’s existence, a new kind of happiness. Yet one piece of his family history remains elusive—the long-ago romance between his uncle and Sally Adams. Now Sally has a revelation that sets the whole town abuzz: She’s publishing a book about what happened during the summer when she and Cooper first met, painting a picture so vivid it feels like yesterday . . .

In 1969, Winston Ellis Cooper III lands on Nantucket with only a duffel bag and a bottle of Jack Daniels. He finds a sparsely furnished beach cottage, about as far from Vietnam as he can get. But even here, Cooper can’t withdraw from the world entirely. Especially once his eyes meet Sally’s in the flickering lights of a summer dance. The effects of that fiery affair can still be felt decades later. And as the story unfolds, there are new lessons for all to learn about life’s triumphs and heartaches, and about loving enough to let go.

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Giveaway ends on June 9, 2017

 

Summer Dance by Nan Rossiter

Mary Contemporary Fiction, Kensington, Nan Rossiter
  • Title:  Summer Dance
  • Series:  Nantucket #2
  • Author:  Nan Rossiter
  • Pages:  352
  • Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
  • Published:  May 2017 – Kensington
  • Source:  Publisher

My take:  Summer Dance is the story of Sally Adams. We met Sally in the first book of the Nantucket series. She was the love of the protagonist’s uncle Coop in that book (Nantucket).

Sally has always wanted to write a book and decides that a memoir would be the way to go. Her life was deeply impacted by the death of her mother when Sally was a little girl. Her father made sure she was fed, clothed and educated but wasn’t able to give her much direction in the important things in the life of a girl. He did tell her that humans “make mistakes. Hopefully, we learn and move on…and God forgives us.” The decisions regarding her education and religion would guide her life for decades. That had positive and negative consequences but all made for a good memoir.

Sally could be a frustrating character but, at the same time, very human. She seemed to find forgiveness for almost everyone in her life but herself. Guilt consumed her and she felt undeserving of true happiness because of her sins. From the time she was a little girl she knew if she wasn’t good she wouldn’t get to heaven to see her mother someday. Sally strove to be a ‘good Catholic’. So, while it was frustrating for this 21st century Catholic to read about those mid-20th century days I also felt sympathy for Sal. Ultimately she was a good person who tried her best and had many people who loved her.

I like a ‘book within a book’ novel and Nan Rossiter did a great job with it. Sally’s life was filled with good times as well as times of heartache – much like anyone. Summer Dance is a wonderful companion to the first book and I hope this saga will continue. There are a couple of loose ends at the close of the novel that seem a natural lead-in to a book 3.

Recommended to fans of the author, a Nantucket setting, and family sagas. Also included is a Reading Group Guide as well as a sneak peek chapter of the first book in the series.

Advance praise for Summer Dance:

“Rossiter returns to the characters from her novel Nantucket in this coming-of-age story.” – Publishers Weekly 

“Continuing the story started in Nantucket, Rossiter revisits the New England island with a quiet look back at one woman’s past with the man she loved…It’ s a pleasant love story fit for a summer read.”– RT Book Reviews 

About the author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nan Rossiter’s adult fiction is often compared to the work of Nicholas Sparks – especially her first novel, THE GIN & CHOWDER CLUB. Nan’s second novel, WORDS GET IN THE WAY, is an uplifting story about a single mom whose young son has autism. Her third novel, MORE THAN YOU KNOW, touches on the bonds of sisterhood and the tragedy and despair of Alzheimer’s. UNDER A SUMMER SKY ties the first three books together in an unexpected way, and NANTUCKET touches on the difference time can make, the truths that never alter, and the bittersweet second chances that arrive just in time to steer a heart back home. FIREFLY SUMMER is an uplifting story of the resilience of sisterhood and the bright glimpses of joy and solace that, like fireflies after rain, can follow the deepest heartaches, and Nan’s new novel, SUMMER DANCE, brings together characters from her acclaimed novel NANTUCKET in a powerful, heartwarming love story that bridges past and present.

Nan is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and is also the author-illustrator of several books for children including, most recently, THE FO’C’SLE: HENRY BESTON’S OUTERMOST HOUSE, called “a lovely vision of one man’s communion with nature” by Publisher’s Weekly.

Nan lives in rural Connecticut with her husband, two handsome sons and a black Lab named Finnegan.

To learn more visit http://www.nanrossiter.com

 

Review/US Giveaway: Firefly Summer by Nan Rossiter

Mary Giveaway, Kensington, Nan Rossiter, Women's Fiction
  • Firefly Summer (7:26)Title:  Firefly Summer
  • Author:  Nan Rossiter
  • Genre:  Women’s Fiction
  • Pages:  352
  • Published:  July 2016 – Kensington
  • Source:  Publisher

Description:  The close-knit Quinn siblings enjoyed the kind of idyllic childhood that seems made for greeting cards, spending each summer at Whit’s End, the family’s home on Cape Cod. Then comes the summer of 1964, warm and lush after a rainy spring—perfect firefly weather. Sisters Birdie, Remy, Sailor, Piper, and their brother, Easton, delight in catching the insects in mason jars to make blinking lanterns. Until, one terrible night, tragedy strikes.

Decades later, the sisters have carved out separate lives on the Cape. Through love and heartbreak, health issues, raising children, and caring for their aging parents, they have supported each other, rarely mentioning their deep childhood loss. But one evening, as they sit together at Whit’s End to watch the sun set, the gathering fireflies elicit memories of that long-ago night, and a tumult of regrets, guilt, and secrets tumble out.

Poignant yet hopeful, Firefly Summer is an uplifting story of the resilience of sisterhood and the bright glimpses of joy and solace that, like fireflies after rain, can follow even the deepest heartaches.  (publisher)

My take:  I’m from a big family of seven girls and one boy so I love novels about siblings, especially sisters. Nan Rossiter’s new novel is about four sisters in their late-fifties to mid-sixties. When they were young, more than fifty years earlier, tragedy struck the family and had a profound effect on each sibling.

Birdie, the oldest feels responsible for the tragedy and has increasingly self-medicated with wine. It’s taking a toll on her marriage as well as her relationship with her sisters. Remy was widowed young and made her life’s focus raising her three children. Now she has an unexpected chance of love. Sailor, having just filed for divorce from her philandering husband, has realized her dream of living on the Cape near her sisters. Piper, the youngest sister, is feeling the physical changes women of a certain age go through and is a bit disconcerted by it all.

I loved reading Firefly Summer. The Cape setting was lovely. There’s so much I identified with – a bit in each sister. I found that so enjoyable. There’s not a lot of fiction out there with characters in my age demographic so I relished in reading it. The future is uncertain for all the siblings, just as it is for all of us. What is certain is that if one remains optimistic in life it makes the tough times a little easier to endure. And, in this novel as well as my case, having sisters is always a plus. Recommended.

Praise for the novels of Nan Rossiter

“Nan Rossiter is at the peak of her storytelling abilities with Under a Summer Sky, which is told with the kind of compassion, grace, and wisdom that is nearly unrivaled in contemporary fiction.”—Examiner.com

“Eloquent and surprising…I love this story of faith, love, and the lasting bonds of family.”—Ann Leary, author of Outtakes from a Marriage on The Gin & Chowder Club

“A gripping story of three sisters, of love lost and found and a family’s journey from grief to triumph. A sure winner.”—Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on More Than You Know

About the author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nan Parson Rossiter’s adult fiction is often compared to the work of Nicholas Sparks – especially her first novel, THE GIN & CHOWDER CLUB. She hopes readers who enjoyed GIN & CHOWDER (or those who haven’t discovered it yet!) will look for the same characters in the Christmas anthology, MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT. Nan’s second novel, WORDS GET IN THE WAY, is an uplifting story about a single mom whose young son has autism. Her third novel, MORE THAN YOU KNOW, touches on the bonds of sisterhood and the tragedy and despair of Alzheimer’s, and her new novel, UNDER A SUMMER SKY, ties them all together in the spring of 2014.

Nan is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and is also the author-illustrator of several books for children including, most recently, THE FO’C’SLE: HENRY BESTON’S OUTERMOST HOUSE, called “a lovely vision of one man’s communion with nature” by Publisher’s Weekly.

Nan lives in rural Connecticut with her husband and two handsome sons.

To learn more visit www.nanrossiter.com

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Giveaway ends August 13, 2016

Nantucket by Nan Rossiter (plus a US Giveaway)

Mary Contemporary Fiction, Kensington, Nan Rossiter
  • Nantucket (8:25)Title:  Nantucket
  • Author:  Nan Rossiter
  • Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
  • Published:  August 25, 2015 – Kensington
  • Source:  Publisher

Synopsis:  Over twenty-five years ago, Liam Tate and Acadia McCormick Knox fell in love. It was summer on Nantucket, and eighteen-year-old Liam knew that wealthy, college-bound Cadie was way out of league for a local boy who restored boats for a living. Yet the two became inseparable, seizing every chance to slip away in Liam’s runabout to secluded spots, far from the world that was trying to keep them apart. 

After Cadie returned home to New York and discovered she was pregnant, her parents crushed any hope of communicating with the boy she’d left behind. Unanswered letters and calls couldn’t change Liam’s heart, but over the years he’s settled into a simple, solitary life in his rambling beachfront house. Now he’s learned that Cadie is returning to Nantucket for the opening of her son’s art show. Over a weekend of revelations and poignant memories, Cadie and Liam have an opportunity to confront the difference time can make, the truths that never alter, and the bittersweet second chances that arrive just in time to steer a heart back home… (publisher)

My take: Nantucket is the story of Liam and Cadie. We learn about their history in chapters that alternate between 1989 and the present. Usually when this technique is used in a novel I prefer one time period over the other but Nan Rossiter did it flawlessly and I was engrossed in both.

I loved Liam’s willingness to open himself to Cadie and her family when it would have been so much easier to keep living his closed-off life. Cadie risked a lot by coming back to Nantucket but she knew she had to do it. I was also charmed by the children in the novel. They added so much to the emotional tone of many scenes.

Of course, I loved the Nantucket setting. The passages describing Liam’s job of building and repairing boats were interesting and, at the same time, helpful in the understanding of Liam himself.

Nantucket is an emotional and romantic story of love, forgiveness, trust and second chances. I really liked it and recommend it to fans of Nan Rossiter and women’s fiction.

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Review/Giveaway (US): Under a Summer Sky by Nan Rossiter

Mary 2014 Favorite, Christian fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Giveaway, Kensington, Nan Rossiter

Under a Summer Sky (June)

  • Title:  Under a Summer Sky
  • Author:  Nan Rossiter
  • Genre:  Contemporary Fiction; Christian Fiction
  • Published:  April 2014 – Kensington Books
  • Source:  Author

Synopsis:  The old Cape Cod house that Laney Coleman shares with her minister husband Noah and their five boys is usually brimming with cheerful chaos. There’s nothing fancy about the ancient kitchen or the wooden floors scuffed by the constant parade of activity and the clicking claws of their two Labrador retrievers. It’s a place to savor the sea breeze wafting through the windows, or sip coffee on the porch before another hectic day begins. This summer, life promises to be even busier than usual, because Noah’s younger brother, Micah, wants to hold his upcoming wedding on their property.
Though thrilled that Micah has found happiness after past heartache, Laney is apprehensive about having her home turned upside down. She has other concerns too–her youngest son is being bullied at school, and Noah’s father is not the robust patriarch he once was, in mind or body. As the bride and groom’s large, close-knit families gather, there will be joyful celebration but also unexpected sorrows and revelations, and a chance to store up a lifetime of memories during the fleeting, precious days of summer…  (publisher)

My take:  Nan Rossiter has done it again. She wrote a wonderful multi-generational story that will resonate with many readers. It certainly did with me.  I related most with Laney. She really has her hands full as she balances a job, motherhood and being wife of a minister. She even agrees to host a wedding at their home after her husband volunteers. As most mothers do, she quietly deals with other issues at the same time.

A side note:  when my kids were growing up one of our favorite TV shows to watch together was Seventh Heaven. If you’re unfamiliar with the show it was about the life of a minister, his wife and kids. This novel gave me the same feel as that show – which I think is high praise! We loved it and I enjoyed Under a Summer Sky just as much.

Noah, Laney’s husband, delivered a sermon that struck an emotional chord with me. It was about appreciating and being present in every moment – especially the small moments. You never know when the last time you do something will be the last time. Anyway, when I finished that chapter I had to stop and wipe my eyes.

Under a Summer Sky celebrates family connections and the truly important things in life. I’ll be sharing this novel with my sisters and close friends.

Recommended.

_____

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More Than You Know by Nan Rossiter

Mary Contemporary Fiction, Kensington, Nan Rossiter

more than you know - rossiter

  • Title:  More Than You Know
  • Author:  Nan Rossiter
  • Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
  • Published:  April 2013 – Kensington
  • Source:  Review copy from the author

Synopsis:  Losing her father on the night she was born could have torn Beryl Graham’s family apart. Instead, it knitted them together. Under their mother’s steady guidance, Beryl and her older sisters, Isak and Rumer, shared a childhood filled with happiness. But now Mia Graham has passed away after battling Alzheimer’s, and her three daughters return to their New Hampshire home to say goodbye.
Swept up in memories and funeral preparations, the sisters catch up on each other’s lives. Rumer and Isak have both known recent heartache, while Beryl has given up hope of marriage. But surprising revelations abound, especially when they uncover Mia’s handwritten memoir. In it are secrets they never guessed at–clandestine romance, passionate dreams, joy and guilt. And as Beryl, Rumer, and Isak face a future without her, they realize it’s never too late to heed a mother’s lessons–about taking chances, keeping faith, and loving in spite of the risks… (back cover)

My take:  When the three Graham sisters come together to prepare for their mother’s funeral they find out things they never new about her – shocking things. She left a memoir that told them everything and gave them a new perspective of her life. She raised her three daughters alone after a car crash took the life of her husband on the night of their 5th anniversary. They thought she never remarried because she couldn’t imagine loving anyone else but their father. Her memoir tells them the real story.

Though dismayed by what they’ve learned, they take to heart the lesson to never take life for granted and to appreciate especially the mundane events of everyday life. Timely advice because all three are at crossroads in their personal lives.

More Than You Know is a novel of faith and family that will resonate with many readers. I enjoyed it.

*Note:  At the end of the novel Nan Rossiter shared a couple of recipes made by the Graham sisters. I’ve made copies and plan to try both!

The Gin & Chowder Club by Nan Rossiter

Mary Fiction, Kensington, Nan Rossiter

Title:  The Gin & Chowder Club

Author:  Nan Rossiter

Genre:  Fiction

Published:  June 2011 – Kensington

About:  (Back of the book) The friendship between the Coleman and Shepherd families is as old and comfortable as the neighboring houses they occupy each summer on Cape Cod. Samuel and Sarah Coleman love those warm months by the water; the evenings spent on their porch, enjoying gin and tonics, good conversation and homemade clam chowder. Here they’ve watched their sons, Isaac and Asa, grow into fine young men, and watched, too, as Nate Shepherd, aching with grief at the loss of his first wife, finally found love again with the much younger Noelle.

But beyond the surface of these idyllic gatherings, the growing attraction between Noelle and handsome, college-bound Asa threatens to upend everything. In spite of her guilt and misgivings, Noelle is drawn into a reckless secret affair with far-reaching consequences.  And over the course of one bittersweet, unforgettable summer, Asa will learn more than he ever expected about love – the joys and heartache it awakens in us, the lengths we’ll go to keep it, and the countless ways it can change our lives forever…

My brief take:  I liked the idea of this novel. The setting is beautiful, the characters for the most part seem like normal, decent people, and two of them struggle with an epic moral situation. Nan Rossiter let it play out – and kudos to her for doing so. Given the Christian fiction tone I was kind of surprised by that. Because of the moral issues there would be a lot for book clubs to discuss.

I loved the book cover as well as the brief chapters. I read The Gin & Chowder Club in one day – I liked that I could set it down and pick it up without feeling the interruptions.

Source:  I won my copy from the author via a giveaway at Redlady’s Reading Room