#BookReview: Spare Change by Bette Lee Crosby

Summary:

A woman grieving her loss. A boy running for his life. A town defending them both.

From award-winning USA TODAY Bestselling Author BETTE LEE CROSBY, the first book of a gritty, small-town, family saga in the tradition of the finest Southern fiction.

Small-town gossip never much bothered Olivia Westerly. As a single career woman, she’s weathered her share. It’s easy to ignore the raised eyebrows over her late-in-life marriage to Charlie Doyle. But after he drops dead on their honeymoon, the whispers are salt on her raw grief. Especially when an orphaned, eleven-year-old-boy shows up on her doorstep, looking for the grandfather he never met.

Behind Ethan Allen Doyle’s wary blue eyes lie heavily guarded emotions that unexpectedly tug on Olivia’s heart, and she finds herself wanting to win his trust. But when his murderous secret comes looking for him, the entire town embraces the lonely widow and desperate child to show itstrue heart when danger threatens one of its own.

A heartwarming tale of love, loss and unexpected gifts, featuring a woman you’d like to call friend, a boy you will ache to hug, and a town you wish you could call home.

Review:

This was our Book Club Read for the month and I am so happy it was chosen because everyone loved the book!

Bette Lee Crosby can always deliver a story like no other! I was engrossed from the first few pages. We meet several characters along the way and they each have such life they practically jump off the page. While reading the book I heard their voices, felt their emotions and truly developed feelings for each of them. But Ethan Allen was my favorite. I became one of his biggest champions along the way, and I have no doubt you will, too!

Olivia Webster is a single woman in the 1950’s working for the Southern Atlantic Telephone Company in Richmond, Virginia and she wanted her life to stay that way. She did not want children. She did not want a husband. She was all about her life as a professional woman until she met Charlie Doyle at a retirement party. He was as taken in by her. You see Charlie was always wanting to remain single because he was quite the lady’s man until he met Olivia. Together they were to change their lives and start a new adventure together as a married couple. Only tragedy strikes.

Benjamin is Charlie’s son and he is married to Susanna. They have a son named Ethan Allen. They live on a farm in the country and Susanna dreamed of becoming a singer in New York City. However, tragedy strikes them as well.

This is the story of what happens after all of this loss and how Ethan Allen survives.

I was in love with the ending of the story.

I highly recommend this book!! You will sit for an evening. You will fall in love.

You will then want to read another one of Bette Lee Crosby’s books.

Go get it and enjoy!

5 Stars.