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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Debbie Macomber has won the hearts of millions of readers with her moving and inspiring stories. Now wedding bells are ringing in the tight-knit community that gathers around A Good Yarn, a store in a pretty Seattle neighborhood. Knitters come to the store to buy yarn and patterns but somehow they leave richer in friendship and love.
Lauren Elliott has waited years for her long-term boyfriend, Todd, to propose, yet he seems more focused on his career than their relationship. When Lauren learns that her younger sister is pregnant before she herself even has an engagement ring, she feels overjoyed yet disheartened. Knowing she can’t put her future on hold, Lauren prepares to make a bold choice—one that leads her to a man she never dreamed she’d meet.
Newly married to her second husband, Max, Bethanne Scranton is blissfully in love. But with Max’s job in California and Bethanne’s in Seattle, their long-distance marriage is becoming difficult to maintain. To complicate matters, Bethanne’s cunning ex will do anything to win her back.
Lydia Goetz, too, is wonderfully happy with her husband, Brad, though lately she worries about the future of A Good Yarn. As she considers how to bring in business, she discovers that someone has beaten her to the punch. Baskets of yarn are mysteriously popping up all over town, with instructions to knit a scarf for charity and bring it into Lydia’s store. Never before has her shop received so much attention, but who hatched this brilliant plan?
As three women’s lives intersect in unexpected ways, Lydia, Lauren, and Bethanne realize that love heals every heart, and the best surprises still lay ahead.
Praise for Blossom Street Brides
“[An] enjoyable read that pulls you right in from page one.”—Fresh Fiction
“A master at writing stories that embrace both romance and friendship, [Debbie] Macomber can always be counted on for an enjoyable page-turner, and this Blossom Street installment is no exception.”—RT Book Reviews
“A wonderful, love-affirming novel . . . an engaging, emotionally fulfilling story that clearly shows why she is a peerless storyteller.”—Examiner.com
“Rewarding . . . Macomber amply delivers her signature engrossing relationship tales, wrapping her readers in warmth as fuzzy and soft as a hand-knitted creation from everyone’s favorite yarn shop.”—Bookreporter
“Fans will happily return to the warm, welcoming sanctuary of Macomber’s Blossom Street, catching up with old friends from past Blossom Street books and meeting new ones being welcomed into the fold.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Macomber’s nondenominational-inspirational women’s novel, with its large cast of characters will resonate with fans of the popular series.”—Booklist
“Blossom Street Brides gives Macomber fans sympathetic characters who strive to make the right choices as they cope with issues that face many of today’s women. Readers will thoroughly enjoy spending time on Blossom Street once again and watching as Lydia, Bethanne and Lauren struggle to solve their problems, deal with family crises, fall in love and reach their own happy endings.”—BookPage
Wedding bells might be ringing somewhere, but all is not yet well on Debbie Macomber's Blossom Street: A male who cannot commit; a long-distance relationship; an intrusive ex-spouse; pregnancies; mother-daughter problems and mysterious balls of yarn. With its multiple relationships in flux, this 336-page romance is an engaging and ultimately fulfilling read. Editor's recommendation.
“Fans will happily return to the warm, welcoming sanctuary of Macomber’s Blossom Street, catching up with old friends from past Blossom Street books and meeting new ones being welcomed into the fold.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Macomber’s nondenominational-inspirational women’s novel, with its large cast of characters will resonate with fans of the popular series.”—Booklist
“Blossom Street Brides gives Macomber fans sympathetic characters who strive to make the right choices as they cope with issues that face many of today’s women. Readers will thoroughly enjoy spending time on Blossom Street once again and watching as Lydia, Bethanne and Lauren struggle to solve their problems, deal with family crises, fall in love and reach their own happy endings.”—BookPage
Debbie Macomber, the author of Starry Night, Rose Harbor in Bloom, The Inn at Rose Harbor, Starting Now, Angels at the Table, A Turn in the Road, 1105 Yakima Street, Hannah’s List, and Twenty Wishes, is a leading voice in women’s fiction. Nine of her novels have hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, with three debuting at #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly lists. In 2009 and 2010, Mrs. Miracle and Call Me Mrs. Miracle were Hallmark Channel’s top-watched movies for the year. In 2013, Hallmark Channel produced the original series Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove. She has more than 170 million copies of her books in print worldwide.
The years went on and the rejection letters piled up. Her family was living on a shoestring budget, and Debbie was beginning to think that her dreams of being a novelist might never be fulfilled. She began writing for magazines to earn some extra money, and she eventually saved up enough to attend a romance writer's conference with three hundred other aspiring novelists. The organizers of the conference picked ten manuscripts to review in a group critique session. Debbie was thrilled to learn that her manuscript would be one of the novels discussed.
Her excitement quickly faded when an editor from Harlequin tore her manuscript to pieces in front of the crowded room, evoking peals of laughter from the assembled writers. Afterwards, Macomber approached the editor and asked her what she could do to improve her novel. "Throw it away," the editor suggested.
Many writers would have given up right then and there, but not Macomber. The deeply religious Macomber took a lesson from Job and gathered strength from adversity. She returned home and mailed one last manuscript to Silhouette, a publisher of romance novels. "It cost $10 to mail it off," Macomber told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2000. "My husband was out of work at this time, in Alaska, trying to find a job. The children and I were living on his $250-a-week unemployment, and I can't tell you what $10 was to us at that time."
It turned out to be the best $10 Macomber ever spent. In 1984, Silhouette published her novel, Heartsong. (Incidentally, although Heartsong was Macomber's first sale, she actually published another book, Starlight, before Heartsong went to print.) Heartsong went on to become the first romance novel to ever be reviewed in Publishers Weekly, and Macomber was finally on her way.
Today, Macomber is one of the most widely read authors in America. A regular on the New York Times bestseller charts, she is best known for her Cedar Cove novels, a heartwarming story sequence set in a small town in Washington state, and for her Knitting Books series, featuring a group of women who patronize a Seattle yarn store. In addition, her backlist of early romances, including several contemporary Westerns, has been reissued with great success.
Macomber has made a successful transition from conventional romance to the somewhat more flexible genre known as "women's fiction." "I was at a point in my life where I found it difficult to identify with a 25-year-old heroine," Macomber said in an interview with ContemporaryRomanceWriters.com. "I found that I wanted to write more about the friendships women share with each other." To judge from her avid, ever-increasing fan base, Debbie's readers heartily approve.
"I'm dyslexic, although they didn't have a word for it when I was in grade school. The teachers said I had 'word blindness.' I've always been a creative speller and never achieved good grades in school. I graduated from high school but didn't have the opportunity to attend college, so I did what young women my age did at the time -- I married. I was a teenager, and Wayne and I (now married nearly 37 years) had four children in five years."
"I'm a yarnaholic. That means I have more yarn stashed away than any one person could possibly use in three or four lifetimes. There's something inspiring about yarn that makes me feel I could never have enough. Often I'll go into my yarn room (yes, room!) and just hold skeins of yarn and dream about projects. It's a comforting thing to do."
"My office walls are covered with autographs of famous writers -- it's what my children call my ‘dead author wall.' I have signatures from Mark Twain, Earnest Hemingway, Jack London, Harriett Beecher Stowe, Pearl Buck, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, to name a few."
"I'm morning person, and rip into the day with a half-mile swim (FYI: a half mile is a whole lot farther in the water than it is on land) at the local pool before I head into the office, arriving before eight. It takes me until nine or ten to read through all of the guest book entries from my web site and the mail before I go upstairs to the turret where I do my writing. Yes, I write in a turret -- is that romantic, or what? I started blogging last September and really enjoy sharing bits and pieces of my life with my readers. Once I'm home for the day, I cook dinner, trying out new recipes. Along with cooking, I also enjoy eating, especially when the meal is accompanied by a glass of good wine. Wayne and I take particular pleasure in sampling eastern Washington State wines (since we were both born and raised in that part of the state).
Chapter One
Lauren Elliott had received the most depressing news of her life.
Her sister was pregnant.
Her younger sister.
Oh, she was happy and excited for Carol, but mingled in with the joy was an undeniable sense of envy. The fact that Carol was about to become a mother shouldn’t have come as a shock—her sister and Jason had been married for two years, after all. Lauren loved her sister, and Jason would make a wonderful father. What bothered her was the fact that at age thirty-four, Lauren was still unmarried.
Single. Oh, how she’d come to hate that word.
Walking down Blossom Street, Lauren buried her hands deep into the pockets of her fawn-colored rain jacket. Tulips and crocuses bloomed in the flowerpots that hung from the streetlights, and the scent of roses, lilacs, and camellias followed her as she walked past Susannah’s Garden, the flower shop.
Lauren kept her head down as she mulled over this latest development. This was it. The end of her rope. The line in the sand. She was finished waiting for Todd to give her an engagement ring. A year earlier she’d had the DTR—Defining the Relationship—talk with Todd and he’d assured her that marriage was definitely part of their future. Only he wasn’t in a financial position to make the leap just yet. He’d suggested they give it time, and she’d reluctantly agreed. That was twelve months ago, and frankly her patience was shot. She’d dated the popular local television newscaster for three years and it was time to own up to the truth. If Todd was sincere about wanting her for his wife, then she would have had a diamond on her ring finger long before now.
Clearly Todd enjoyed their relationship just the way it was, and in some ways so did she. Todd was fun and smart, and she liked being with him. Because of his job, Lauren frequently accompanied him to high-profile social events. As a result, she was able to mingle with some of the city’s elite, and it didn’t hurt that many of these socialites came to John Michael Jewelers, where she worked, for their jewelry needs.
Lauren passed A Good Yarn and the window display instantly caught her attention. She stopped to give it a look and shook her head. Wouldn’t you know it, the display in the yarn store’s window was a baby blanket.
A beautiful baby blanket knit in lovely pastel colors. Lauren wanted to groan. She loved her sister, but there’d always been a friendly rivalry between them. More laid-back of the two, Lauren didn’t have big career ambitions, whereas Carol worked as a program designer for a large software company out of California. She’d married her college sweetheart and seemed to have the perfect life.
Lauren had dropped out of college after a couple of years and over time had worked at a number of jobs. She enjoyed sales and seemed to be good at it. The irony was that her specialty was engagement and wedding bands. The couples she dealt with were deeply in love and eager to start their lives together. It gave Lauren a deep sense of satisfaction to help them take one of their first steps toward commitment.
The bottom line, she realized now, was that Todd was completely content to leave matters just as they were. They got along great and talked frequently. Rarely a week passed without them attending some sort of social event. They would like to spend more time together, but Todd was busy with his broadcasting career. He had his sights set on getting an anchor position and focused most of his attention on achieving his professional goals.
“Hello, Lauren,” Lydia Hoffman said, coming up from behind her.
“Oh, hi.” Lauren spun around to greet the owner of the yarn store. Lydia’s husband, Brad, had purchased his wife’s wedding band at John Michael Jewelers, where Lauren had worked for the past five years.
“Isn’t that a beautiful baby blanket?” Lydia asked, apparently noticing that Lauren’s gaze was focused on the window display.
“It is.” Lauren had no option but to agree.
“I think I’ve sold more yarn from this display than any I’ve ever done. There’s something about knitting for babies that draws people into the shop. Just yesterday a customer stopped by and bought yarn for the blanket and told me she doesn’t know anyone who’s having a baby, but she thought she’d knit it anyway.”
Lauren faked a smile. “I just got word my sister is pregnant.” She didn’t elaborate and explain that Carol was a full two years younger than she. “When I saw this blanket I thought I should knit it for her.”
“I’m sure she’d treasure it. Anything homemade makes a baby gift all the more special.”
Lydia inserted the key to the front door, and while Lauren was tempted to purchase the yarn right then, she needed to get to work herself. “I’ll be by later today or tomorrow to pick up the yarn.”
“Make it Thursday. I’m sold out, but I have a new shipment due in then. I’ll be here if you need any help with the pattern,” Lydia assured her.
John Michael Jewelers was one block down from the yarn store. Elisa Lippincott, the original owner’s daughter, managed the store now with her husband, Garry. Lauren enjoyed her job immensely and considered Elisa a friend as well as her employer.
“Morning,” Lauren said as she came into the store. She locked the door behind her. When the safe was open all the doors leading into the store remained locked.
Elisa stuck her head out of the walk-in safe. “Morning,” she returned brightly. She had a pair of jewel cases in her hands, which she set into the display window that looked out onto Blossom Street.
Lauren removed her raincoat and stuck it in the back office along with her purse. Right away she helped Elisa get out the precious stones. Despite the down economy, the store continued to do well. Elisa, Garry, and Lauren—all working full-time, along with a few part-time sales associates—were a good team.
“Garry will be in sometime this afternoon,” Elisa explained as she set out the semiprecious stones. “He’s got a meeting at the school for one of the boys, and then he’s headed to lunch with the Rotary Club.”
Garry was the company expert when it came to men’s and women’s watches. Lauren headed up their diamond sales, and Elisa handled just about everything else.
“I heard from my sister,” Lauren said casually as she set the jewels in the display case, locking them inside. “Carol and Jason are pregnant.” She made sure she sounded pleased and excited for her younger sibling.
“That’s great.”
“It is,” Lauren agreed. “It’s just wonderful. Mom and Dad are over the moon. Their first grandchild.”
Elisa paused and focused her attention on Lauren. “You sound like you’re ready to cry.”
“I could break into sobs at the drop of a pin,” she admitted, and tried to laugh it off, but the only sound that came out was reminiscent of something one might hear on the Sci-Fi channel. She quickly got hold of herself. “Tell me, Elisa, and please be honest. Is there something wrong with me?” Because Elisa was her friend, she expected the truth.
“Wrong?”
“Am I annoying?”
“Not at all.” Elisa sounded shocked that Lauren would suggest such a thing.
“Do I have a domineering or unpleasant personality?”
“No way.”
“Do I bore you?”
“No.” Her friend shook her head.
“Am I unattractive?”
This question produced a laugh. “Hardly. Have you looked in a mirror lately? You’re gorgeous—tall and slim, with your stunning blue eyes and that dark hair. I swear there must be some Scottish blood in you somewhere. Half the men who come in this shop leave half in love with you.”
Her friend’s words were a balm to her wounded pride. “Then why am I still single?”
Elisa didn’t hesitate. “Because Todd Hampton is an idiot.” She gently squeezed Lauren’s forearm. “You’ve been much too patient with him. You need to give Todd an ultimatum,” she suggested. “He loves you. All he needs now is a gentle shove in the right direction. Tell him it’s time; you’ve been patient to this point, but you aren’t willing to continue without a firm commitment.”
An ultimatum for Todd—Lauren had reached the same conclusion but then rethought the matter. The fact was, she’d spent the majority of the night tossing and turning, mulling over her options with Todd. She’d teetered back and forth with the relationship, wondering what would be best. She hated the idea of forcing him to set a date, and then wondered why she’d been so willing to let matters drag.
“The thing is . . .” Lauren didn’t get the opportunity to finish her sentence when Elisa’s cellphone chirped.
“It’s Katie.” Elisa grabbed it before the second chirp.
Lauren knew the shop owner had been anxiously awaiting a call from her oldest child. Katie was a college freshman, and Elisa had undergone separation anxiety sending her only daughter away to school, which was less than three hundred miles away in Pullman, Washington. Elisa worried incessantly over Katie’s diet, studies, partying, alcohol, and dating. If Katie didn’t contact her mother at some point during the day, Elisa was convinced her child had fallen victim to any number of dreadful possibilities.
“Katie, why haven’t you called?” Elisa demanded. “You didn’t answer the text message I sent, and—”
Elisa paused, then let out a loud gasp and hurried into the small office, quickly closing the door. Lauren couldn’t help but wonder what that was about. Her friend tended to be something of a drama queen. Even with the office door closed, Lauren could hear Elisa, although she couldn’t make out what she was saying.
The possibilities raced through Lauren’s mind. More than likely, it was something minor. Katie might have flunked an important test. More likely, she needed extra money put into her bank account. Quite possibly, she hadn’t turned in her library books on time and had allowed the fine to accumulate. Lauren liked Katie and considered the teenager levelheaded and responsible. As a friend and employer, Elisa was great, but as a mother, she was a bit fixated.
Ten minutes later, Elisa reappeared, as white as a sun-bleached sheet.
“Elisa,” Lauren asked tentatively. “Is everything all right with Katie?”
Her friend didn’t answer and then simply shook her head.
“Do you need to sit down?”
Elisa nodded.
Lauren scooted over a stool, and Elisa sank onto it in slow motion.
“Do you want me to call Garry?”
That got an immediate response that came as a shout: “No . . . no!”
“Can I get you coffee?”
“I need something way stronger than coffee. Way stronger.”
Lauren didn’t think they kept anything more potent at the store, unless it was for a special sales event. Even then it was champagne, and Lauren suspected Elisa wasn’t in the mood to celebrate with a glass of bubbly. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
“I . . . I don’t know.” Tears welled in Elisa’s eyes.
Apparently, this was something far worse than an overdue library book or a failed test. Disregarding what Elisa had claimed she needed, Lauren brewed her a single cup of coffee, making sure it was extra-strong. She added three cubes of sugar and stirred until it had dissolved before delivering it to her friend.
Elisa held on to the cup with both hands as though it was all that was keeping her from falling off the edge of a ten-story building. “Do you remember Dietrich?”
Some writers make you feel like you are visiting loved family and friends when you open the pages of their newest arrival. Debbie Macomber is one of those writers.
In Blossom Street Brides we get to revisit our favorite shop, A Good Yarn—the place where three women all struggling with different worries in their life come together to find friendship, support, and hope as they knit their way past their troubles.
Lydia Goetz, the owner of A Good Yarn, is worried about the shops finances, her adopted daughter’s mental health, and the knowledge that her time with her aging mother is coming to an end.
Bethane Scranton, is worried that love may not be enough to sustain her new marriage to Max. Will either of them be willing to sell their successful business and start over in a new location?
Lauren Elliot, has decided to take control of her love life. She breaks up with her long time boyfriend, Todd, and is taking time to figure out exactly what she wants in a future husband. She is taken by surprise when she meets Rooster and discovers that he might be exactly what she needs.
Love, life lessons, and friendship abound in Blossom Street Brides. I really enjoy the down to earth characters and the realistic issues that they all struggle with. I do feel that this book works well as a stand-alone or as part of the series. But I recommend reading all of them so that you too can fall in love with all the wonderful people on Blossom Street.
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.weluvdopey
Posted Wed Apr 02 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Love Blossom Street!!
I love Debbie Macomber’s books and this one is just as good if not better than the others. If you have read other Blossom Street books then you will be familiar with some of the characters in this book. This book has three main stories and they are nicely intertwined to make a wonderful book. We meet Lauren first who doubts her relationship with her current boyfriend Todd after hearing the news that her sister is going to have a baby. Lauren decides that Todd is never going to propose to her so she decides to end their relationship. Lauren meets Rooster when he comes to town, and they both feel instant attraction to each other. We also meet Elisa, who is Lauren’s boss at the jewelry store. Elisa learns that her 19 year old daughter is pregnant and wants to get married. Bethanne and Max are newlyweds and are living and working in separate states due to their jobs. They are both struggling trying to decide how to make their marriage work and how they can change their living arrangements to they don’t have to live in separate states. We also meet Lydia who is worried about her daughter Casey, who is having nightmares that leaves her clinging to Lydia. Lydia and her husband adopted Casey a few years ago and they are trying to find a way to help Casey. This book is awesome, if you love a great clean romance, that has some humor then you need to read this book!
A Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MI_Reader
Posted Tue Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I love Debbie Macomber's Blossom Street series and this new book doesn't disappoint. She introduces Lauren Elliott as a new character, but then intersects her story with Lydia Goetz - the main character thread throughout all the Blossom Street books - and Bethanne Scranton, who has been a main character in a few of the books, most recently A Turn in the Road. I enjoyed reading about these normal women, their every day struggles and their strength and fortitude. It is also fun to catch up with others on Blossom Street and see how they are doing.
Disclaimer: I won an ARC of this book from Debbie Macomber. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Blossom Street Brides is the tenth book in the Blossom Street series by popular American author, Debbie Macomber. Lydia Goetz, proprietor of A Good Yarn in Blossom Street, is concerned. Her adopted daughter, Casey is having terrifying nightmares with increasing frequency, and her mother, Mary Lou seems to be rapidly deteriorating, both physically and mentally. She is also intrigued: someone is leaving Knit Me baskets around the town with needles, yarn and instructions for a simple scarf for charity, to be delivered to A Good Yarn on completion. Her good friend Bethanne Scranton (whom readers will remember fondly from the very first Blossom Street book, and the eighth in the series) is happily married to her biker, Max, although their long-distance marriage is challenging, but continues to have problems with daughter Annie, who is still hopeful Bethanne will reunite with ex-husband, Grant. The news of her younger sister’s pregnancy prompts Lauren Elliott to confront her long-time boyfriend, TV broadcaster, Todd Hampton about their relationship. She is now certain he will never marry her, and she has no intention of remaining single and childless. Enter Rooster Wayne, good friend of Max Scranton, and she unexpectedly sees in this biker a man who ticks all the boxes on her husband list. But Todd is not prepared to let go quite so easily. This instalment has an elopement, a hastily arranged marriage, an aborted honeymoon, attempted blackmail and three pregnancies. Macomber touches on everyday topics like pride and jealousy, trust and honesty, as well as dementia, long-distance relationships and the effects of childhood trauma. Macomber is the mistress of the heart-warming read.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Lauren, Lydia, Bethanne, and Elisa's daughter Katie are all tied together. Throughout this charming novel, baskets of yarn
with instructions to "Knit Me" start appearing all over town, telling folks that when the scarf is done they should take it to
"A Good Yarn" Lydia's yarn shop to be donated to a homeless shelter. Each have their own relationship issues.
this is a book filled with the unexpected, some surprising little things and others, some real jaw droppers.
This is a book I read with a smile on my face, most of the time.
Lauren dumps her long time boyfriend and finds love in a surprising place. Lydia struggles with a daughter who seems to
be haunted by her past and a mother in decline. Bethanne struggles with a daughter who refuses to accept her parents
divorce and her moms remarriage. Elisa is anguished to find out her daughter is pregnant at 19.
You will feel like each of them is a friend or neighbor. A good read!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Peachey04
Posted Sun Mar 30 00:00:00 EDT 2014
This is a lovely story that follows three women as they journey thru life. Each is seeking the answers to their questions: how do I find true peace and happiness and how do I keep it once it is found. Ms. Macomber is a master story teller and you feel as though you know the town and all its characters. This is a fascinating book that you will not want to miss. Another truly delightful hit for the lovely and talented Debbie Macomber.
Received from NetGalley for review
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2014
4 STARS
This is a good mix of three different couples dealing with life and finding love. Lots of drama, characters that I liked and enjoyed finding how it all would work out.
The setting for this was Blossom Street, Seattle, WA.
Lauren Elliott has been waiting three years for her boyfriend Todd to propose. A year ago he said he wanted to get married but he wanted to get more set in his job and get some debts paid off. Lauren decided to call it quits. He really did not want to marry her.
She made a list of what she really wanted in a husband.
Bethanne Scraton and Max have been married a year. Max lives in CA he has his own business their. Bethanne has her own business in Seattle plus her two children live there. It is hard to only see each other on weekends. Bethanne's daughter Annie and her ex-husband Grant want to breakup the couple.
Lydia Goetz and her family are wonderful family. They are dealing with her adopted daughter Casey's nightmares. Lydia's mom is going down hill fast. She forgets who Lydia is sometimes, but so far remembers Casey.
Lydia owns a yarn shop and business has been slow. Then someone is going around town leaving baskets with yarn and needles. The notes say they are for making scarfs for the homeless asking people to knit while they wait. When the scarf is finished would they drop it off at Lydia's shop. The yarn was bought from Lydia's shop. Lydia does not have a clue who is doing this.
The baskets of yarn sound like a fun thing to do. Except I don't knit. It is exciting to hear the reactions of different people finding the baskets and working on the scarfs.
I read as late as I could stay awake and finished the book first thing this morning. I cared for the characters. Okay I did not like Grant. Rooster I liked even though at first I judged him a little as a biker. Their are other characters and problems that we see in the book that draw you into their lives. I don't know if they are characters from previous books or not.
This is a clean read that is entertaining and made me think about what I can do to help someone.
I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I will start out by saying that I am not a fan of really short chapters and bouncing the story around so much. Now I can say I loved this story line. It was nice to reconnect with old friends from previous books. I felt so bad for Bethanne and Max with the clash in their family life. Then poor Lydia is trying to figure out the secret of the yarn baskets all over town for folks to just knit and relax. Amid that her adopted teen daughter Casey is having flashbacks to her past and won't share. Their friend Lauren feels her internal clock ticking away. She has had a boyfriend forever and wants marriage and the whole home and family scene. She meets Max' s friend Rooster and dates amid her boss's daughter being pregnant and wanting to marry a boy unacceptable to Mom. It was great to see friends back up their friends. Enjoy this book. I did!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Jun 20 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Title: Blossom Street Brides - Blossom Street Series
Author: Debbie Macomber
Publisher: Random House LLC/Ballantine Books
Published: 3-25-2014
ISBN: 9780345528841
E-Book: B00FUZPQZY
Pages: 338
Genre: Women's Fiction
Tags: Family Sagas, Romance, Series
Sensual Level: Mild
Overall Rating: Excellent
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Reviewer: DelAnne
Debbie Macomber has sent us back to Blossom Street and Lydia Goetz's Shop A Good Yarn. We are blessed to catch up on the lives of some of the characters from previous novels and get to know new ones. During this visit we read of Lydia's plans to improve business when someone arranges a promotion surprising in its scope and generosity. Then there is the strained long distance marriage between Max and Bethany. Which one is willing to make the first move in the name of love to save their marriage. Finally Lauren Elliott is tired of waiting for her boyfriend to make a commitment. When she learns her younger sister is pregnant her joy for her sister is overshadowed by her feeling that life is passing her by as she stagnates waiting on Todd.
Each woman tackles her individual problems with courage and determination. Ms. Macomber has provided us with a story that warms our heart and shows us once again that where love is nothing can destroy it. Friends abound on Blossom Street and those friendships only grow stronger with time. If you have never read a Blossom Street novel before do not worry you can still read Blossom Street Brides with no difficulty. Id you have read the series from the beginning you will enjoy visiting some old friends and catching up on the events in their lives. Either way you will get to enjoy an offering by one of the most beloved authors. Her Cedar Cove series is even a series on Lifetime. There is also her latest series also set in Cedar Cove about the guest at the local Rose Harbor Inn.
You can be assured that if the author is Debbie Macomber it is going to a novel that you will enjoy from beginning to end.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ethel55
Posted Sun Mar 30 00:00:00 EDT 2014
This was another fantastic, feel good novel by Debbie Macomber that showcases regular women, in extraordinary romances, never shying away from the realities that many of us face. Max Scranton's business partner and fellow biker, Rooster is knocked head over heels when he sees Lauren Elliot on Blossom Street. I enjoyed the follow up to this biker, remembering this character from A Turn in the Road. Lydia Goetz, owner of A Good Yarn, is dealing with both an aging parent and a troubled teen. Bethanne and her new husband, Max are navigating their new marriage while maintaining households in two states. I really liked catching up with various characters from earlier Blossom Street books, via cameos and as friends of the women detailed here. I heartily recommend setting aside a nice spring afternoon for a visit with Macomber's characters.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.falcargenta
Posted Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Debbie Macomber delivers another positive -- though never insipid -- chapter to her Blossom Street saga. This may not be her best, but it is a good continuance. We find out how Bethanne (formerly Hamlin) and her new husband, Max, are managing the challenges of their new marriage: (1) can they make it work with Max's wine distribution business in California and Bethanne's party planning business in Washington? and (2) will Grant (Bethanne's ex-husband) and Annie (Bethanne's daughter) ever accept the fact that Bethanne has moved on and is no longer the woman she was when Grant divorced her?
We also get to know Rooster, Max's business partner and motorcycle pal, better. He finds a love interest in Lauren, but is Lauren just rebounding from an unfulfilling relationship? Can she prove to Rooster that she truly loves him and is not using him for "revenge"?
Debbie's newest Blossom Street offering is not just about brides. All is not flowing smoothly in the lives of Brad and Lydia and their children. Casey, their adopted daughter, while consciously aware that she is loved and accepted by Brad, Lydia, and Brad's son, Cody, is having nightmares that she refuses to discuss with her adopted family. Also, the elderly mother of Lydia and Margaret seems to be going downhill.
Questions are raised in this narrative which is certain to continue in following Blossom Street books.
DOOG737kooba
Posted Tue Aug 05 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I just start reading this book yesterday and I'm already enjoying it. I've read all the Blossom Street novels and it's fun reconnecting with the characters.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Age: 19
Family record:my mother and my grandmother were Robers but my grandfather and my dad are not, I used to be a small Rober just stealing small things but I don't want to do that anymore.
Smart clever has sharp eyes and can quickly get anything back, varries a lot of hidded weapons
Anonymous
Posted Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Ok im there
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Proudmom508
Posted Thu Jul 31 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Once again, Debbie Macomber has come back to Blossom Street to spin three yarns in interconnected stories. While this book is part of a series, it is written in a way that can stand alone without a new reader not understanding a character or a series veteran being bored by memories of previous books. I recommend the previous Blossom Street books as well. In Blossom Street Brides, Debbie continues the stories of Bethanne and Max, Lydia and Brad while introducing us to Lauren, Elisa and Katie. The story about Katie is somewhat surprising in this day and age but it could have happened so it's believable. I wish there had been more resolution for Casey but that may be for another book. I hope other readers will enjoy the stories and characters as much as I do.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Go to result 4 and we will start
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.quiltlor
Posted Fri Jul 04 00:00:00 EDT 2014
A definite must for Debbie Macomber fans. The story brings a smile to your heart as it relates a tender interaction with the characters. One is sorry to come to the end of the book, wishing that there were another book to immediately continue on. Thank you Debbie, once again.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Kelsmitt
Posted Thu Jun 05 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I love Debbie Macomber's Blossom Street series. The characters are strong and truly believable. I love that we revisit characters from previous books. Lydia was a favorite character of mine and I am happy to see more of her, her knitting store and the customers that congregate there. Meeting new characters just makes the story more interesting. Each woman is finding that they are facing concerns about their future and the journey how they come to terms with dealing with or directing their future is heartwarming and enjoyable. Thanks Debbie for taking us back to Blossom Street.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.bookluvr35SL
Posted Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014
The ladies of Blossom Street are back in another great book from Debbie Macomber. Someone has been leaving baskets with yarn and instructions to "knit me" all over town, and indication that Lydia's yarn shop is involved. Lauren desperately wants to be married and have kids, but sometimes love comes in unsuspected packages. Bethanne's ex-husband is up to his old tricks and creating a rift in her marriage to Max. Even if you haven't read any of the Blossom Street books, you will have no trouble following along. Definitely a must-read this summer!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Thu May 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I could not put this book down and I read it in a little over a day. If you love a good sappy romance, then you will love this story. Thevonly storyline that I felt needed more depth was Lydia's daughter Casey.
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Overview
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Debbie Macomber has won the hearts of millions of readers with her moving and inspiring stories. Now wedding bells are ringing in the tight-knit community that gathers around A Good Yarn, a store in a pretty Seattle neighborhood. Knitters come to the store to buy yarn and patterns but somehow they leave richer in friendship and love.
Lauren Elliott has waited years for her ...