Blog Tour: Say You’ll Stay & The Christmas Wedding Guest by Susan Mallery @SusanMallery @Blunder_Woman @HarlequinBooks

Welcome to Wishing Tree, the new series by Susan Mallery, just in time for Christmas!

 

Shaye Harper is on her way to Seattle to start a new life after the death of her parents. Her hometown in Iowa holds too many painful memories and there’s nothing to keep her there. Before she reaches her destination, she stops at the town of Wishing Tree, which is in the throes of its annual Christmas in July celebration. As she’s checking out the festivities, she strikes up a conversation with Lawson Easterly, one of the town residents and a veteran who recently returned. Both feel the attraction and he convinces her to stay around for a few days, which turns into a stay through the celebration.

The charm of this story isn’t so much the romance between Shaye and Lawson but that of the town. It creates the foundation for the coming stories with brief introductions of some of the major characters and features of the city. I think it was well done and made me eager to jump right into the next book. I listened to the story and the narrator added a little whimsy to the performance. She was lighthearted in her delivery, setting just the right tone. It’s a perfect introduction to Wishing Tree.

Book Info

• Release Date: September 28, 2021
  
• Series: Wishing Tree #.5
• Narrator: Tanya Eby
• Audio Length: 2 hours, 51 minutes
• Publisher: Harlequin Audio

 

 

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Sisters Dena and Regina (Reggie) Somerville are romantics at heart but haven’t been very successful at finding it for themselves. Reggie was engaged one day and her fiancé called it off the next evening. Dena’s done just about everything to find “the one” and finally gave up waiting to start her own family. She’s now pregnant (barely) after going the in vitro route. Their parents have decided to have the wedding they couldn’t do when they first married and are planning a big celebration at Christmas. Reggie’s back home from Seattle for the first time since the fiasco of her engagement a year ago. Dena, who’s a teacher and owns the Wishing Tree B & B, had to reveal her pregnancy early because she’s plagued with morning sickness at all times of the day. But, they’re all in to help their parents have a fabulous wedding, even when Reggie’s first love is now back in town and a handsome musician shows up at the B & B to distract Dena.

If you’re looking for a story to catapult you into the holiday spirit, this is the one! From the charming town, the delightful Somerville sisters and their friends, the hysterical antics of two fur babies and the two men who provide a romantic angle, I got carried away to a happy place. I was a little concerned that one of the romances might eclipse the other but that just didn’t happen. Reggie’s reconnection with her high school “first” Toby Newkirk was just as compelling as Dena’s slow developing attraction to Micah Ruiz who’s the lead singer of a famous rock band (yes, she was clueless about them). They worked well together, beautifully woven into the fabric of this multilayered story.

I listened to the book and am loving the tone the narrator chose for the story. She really captured the lightness of Reggie & Dena who are the type of women I’d like to have as friends. There are serious moments as their relationships are not without issues but they deal with them honestly and maturely. I enjoyed everything about this one and can’t wait to return to Wishing Tree as there are a plethora of secondary characters I’m anxious to see at center stage.

Book Info

• Release Date: September 28, 2021
  
• Series: Wishing Tree #1
• Narrator: Tanya Eby
• Audio Length: 10 hours, 59 minutes
• Publisher: Harlequin Audio

 

 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm

 

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About the Author

Susan Mallery is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—40 million copies of her books have sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.

Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the two ragdoll cats and adorable poodle who think of her as mom.

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(Thanks to Harlequin Audio for my complimentary copies. All opinions are my own.)