Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel by Melody Carlson (Dear Daphne Series )

I must say that Melody Carlson's books are always fun for me.

Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel is fun also!

Daphne is in New York, working for the New York Times writing wedding announcements. She has been stuck in the same apartment, and the same job, for the last 10-12 years. Suddenly, her Aunt Dee passes. Daphne heads to Appleton for her Aunt's funeral. Being back in Appleton, Daphne's home town, started making Daphne wonder about her live back in New York. She didn't get long to wonder, because after the funeral was the reading of Aunt Dee's last will and testament.

Aunt Dee had some major secrets, and now, Daphne knows what they are. She also knows why, but what to do with a few of them is another issue. They are life altering! To top that, she gets the classic car, the beautiful Victorian house complete with garden grounds, the two sweet cats, a new line of work, and a sizable inheritance,  with a few catches included. She has to move back home, take over a few things where her "Aunt" left off, and most of all, she only gets the whole package if she falls in love and gets married in the next 365 days! What a stipulation!!! How do you pray your way through finding the right man in less than a year??! Her only other option is to loose it all, and that isn't a great thought either. Indeed, Daphne is Lock, Stock and very much Over A Barrel with everything in her life!

Faster than she knows it, Daphne has caught the eye of several eligible bachelors in Appleton. So now what is a girl suppose to do? Worse yet she was left hurt and gun shy from Ryan, the man she was falling in love with. Finding out quite suddenly that he was married left her alone and out of the dating field for quite sometime. Now it is time to give herself some good solid advice, to trust God and to see what His plans are for her.

I'm looking forward to the next book!
Carol :)

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel

B&H Publishing Group (April 30, 2013)

by

Melody Carlson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Over the years, Melody Carlson has worn many hats, from pre-school teacher to youth counselor to political activist to senior editor. But most of all, she loves to write! Currently she freelances from her home. In the past eight years, she has published over ninety books for children, teens, and adults--with sales totaling more than two million and many titles appearing on the ECPA Bestsellers List. Several of her books have been finalists for, and winners of, various writing awards.

She has two grown sons and lives in Central Oregon with her husband and chocolate lab retriever. They enjoy skiing, hiking, gardening, camping and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.

(I made edits to the About The Book write-up. The first name was not matching my book. In the write up below I have changed the first name of the leading lady so that it matches my book!)

ABOUT THE BOOK

With high hopes, Daphne Ballinger lands her dream job at The New York Times. But it's not long until writing about weddings becomes a painful reminder of her own failed romance, and her love of the city slowly sours as well. Is it time to give up the Big Apple for her small hometown of Appleton?

When her eccentric Aunt Dot passes away and leaves a sizable estate to Daphne, going back home is an easy choice. What isn't easy is coming to terms with the downright odd clauses written into the will.

Daphne only stands to inherit the estate if she agrees to her aunt's very specific posthumous terms -- personal and professional. And if she fails to comply, the sprawling old Victorian house shall be bequeathed to . . . Aunt Dot’s cats.

And if  Daphne thinks that’s odd, wait until she finds out an array of secrets about Aunt Dot's life, and how imperfect circumstances can sometimes lead to God's perfect timing.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1433679302