Jo Huddleston

Prior to reading this book I found myself in a fiction reading funk (I’d read a number of really bad fiction books one after the other) so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one; then I started reading it. I was so impressed I sent a personal note to the author thanking her for restoring my faith in fiction books. I found I really looked forward to getting back to read her book every chance I got.

Whilst reading this book I found myself asking why the style of writing sounded and felt familiar. It wasn’t until after I finished it that I realised the answer to this question. The writing style reminds me of Janette Oke’s style; a style that I have always liked. It’s a style which is very fluid, easy to read and displays sensitivity to the story being written allowing the reader to travel through the story with the characters, feeling and experiencing what the characters experience.

Jo Huddleston’s story [b:That Summer|18894686|That Summer (Caney Creek #1)|Jo Huddleston|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385175018s/18894686.jpg|23513263] is about the physical and spiritual journey of the main character Jim who, as a way to escape an abusive father, decided he was going to leave home and make a living for himself. When Jim left he was determined to do the opposite of his father so that he would have a financially secure life for himself and any future wife and family that he would have so that they didn’t have to live like he, his mother, and his siblings had to live. This story had a surprising twist to it which Jo Huddleston handled with great sensitivity and realism.

This book left me wanting to get stuck into the next one so as I could continue the story wanting to find out what happens next to the characters that I had grown to love.

Recommend for: Young Adults to adults, and people who would like to read a sweet, clean, Christian romance story.… (meer)

When Susan Lockwood from Knoxville, Tennessee, left work on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving she wasn’t going home, instead it had been for a job the next day in Asheville, North Carolina, at the Maxwell Trucking Company. However, the trip didn’t go as planned; to begin with the rain and fog caused her to travel slower than the posted speed and she had a truck right behind her bright lights blinding her in the rearview mirror until she pulled into a gas station. It was there the truck driver, David, told her about her broken break lights and try as he couldn’t help her get it repaired but escorted her car with his truck to the hotel she was to stay at. While at the gas they found each other to be somewhat attracted to each other.

When Susan arrived for her interview thanks to the shuttle the hotel provided she felt somewhat antsy which soon changed the moment she and the company’s boss saw each other, for they’d met the previous night when she knew him only as the cute trucker who’d come to her aid. With Susan’s previous work history, general demeanor in the way she presented herself in both the way she spoke and dressed David hired her on the spot.

Not only did he hire her for the job, he hired her because he felt she’s the woman he’s been waiting so long for to put on a pedestal so he could treat her like a princess, which for the time being he had to keep to himself. He took her to lunch and invited her to his family’s Thanksgiving dinner the next, as well as to have dinner together at her hotel. However, with the raging ice storm, after she’d returned there, the power was lost, and when she told him about it, David invited Susan to spend the night at his mother’s home as well.

While Susan admired his politeness, she started to have a conundrum regarding having any sort of serious with him, a conundrum which involved his essentially seeking his mother’s permission before doing something. Susan already has had her fill of having relationships with great guys who could best be described as being a tied to their mother’s apron strings.

With the way everything has happen so far, from the way they first met, to David’s being the boss she had to be interviewed by, to her getting the job on the spot, to what’s happening with being invited to spend the night at his mother’s home and Thanksgiving dinner, Susan felt that God must he having his hand in everything.

With his family’s acceptance of Susan, he now felt certain that she’s the girl of his dreams. This sets the stage for a lot of possibilities. But will Susan be willing to look past David’s kinship towards his mother to have a meaningful relationship with him? Even though about a day has passed, could there be something major about to happen in Susan’s life? Could this something be a possible unexpected HEA? I’m not going to say, but you’ll have to read all of the details in the book to find out?

For getting me to smile as did the protagonist in this book, I’ve given Ms. Huddleston 5 STARS for her efforts here.… (meer)

STORY-LINE FRIENDLY PERSUASION BY JO HUDDLESTON:

Set in 1958, Friendly Persuasion follows two best friends. Joyce Williams and Wayne Mahan have always been best friends; even after graduation, they continued writing letters. Joyce wanted a life of adventure far from her small hometown. Pan Am beckons and Joyce answers. With their ten-year class reunion on the horizon, each decides to attend. They are once more together in their hometown.

However, Wayne has always had a secret love for Joyce and it is hard to hide when they meet again. Will his love ruin the perfect friendship? My romance book reviews of Friendly Persuasion follows.

CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:

As always, Jo Huddleston created a sweet clean romance filled with small-town values, faith, love, and life-changing decisions. Huddleston's talent for interweaving faith and values into her stories without pushing those beliefs on the reader is evident in this story.

Sadly, Joyce's character is portrayed as a young woman who has never been close to her mother. She wanted out from under the stifling environment of her mother and her small town. She's deeply frightened of ruining the best thing in her life if she and Wayne change the dynamics. She is the classic person who does not see what is right before her face, but everyone else had always known. When she comes to a life-changing revelation, is it too late?

Wayne is a true man of faith, Christian values, and patience. I loved his personality and willingness to let Joyce go her own way. Jo Huddleston held the outcome close to her chest as she wove the threads of her story together, including anxious moments for the reader. Did Joyce wait too late to come to realization? Will all be lost because of fear and indecision?

MY OPINION:

Friendly Persuasion's a quick read of seventy-five pages. The story is well-written with well-developed characters, and excellent plot lines. Huddleston included many facts about the 1950's career and requirements for becoming an airline flight attendant; I found this fascinating. I did not realize to become a flight attendant that the rules and regulations were so strict. Her scenes transitioned smoothly, and the writing flowed well, and her characters are full-bodied with a deep Christian faith which is the backbone of their lives. The love and romance in Friendly Persuasion are clean and sweet. Huddleston does not rely on sex to expand the word count or carry the storyline, nor did she include fluff. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who reads sweet clean romance novels. Jo Huddleston also included a preview of her coming book, Wait For Me.

FRIENDLY PERSUASION RECOMMENDATION: STARS 4

ALSO, PLEASE NOTE

In addition, I borrowed Friendly Persuasion from Kindle Unlimited and received a copy from the author. I chose to voluntarily review the book/novel with honest romance book reviews. Furthermore, reviews of any novel are dependent on the review author’s opinion. Consequently, all reviews online and on my blog, are my opinions. No one influences my voluntary romance book reviews.… (meer)

I read this book via an Amazon-US KINDLE Unlimited download.

It’s been a while since I read Jo Huddleston’s first book in this series when it had been offered as part of the “Get Your Kiss on Route 66” anthology.

Have you ever had the experience of hearing things about some guy without never having any personal interaction with him? If you did then you’re able to step into Betty’s shoes when it comes to the beginning of her interactions with Greg. The bride and groom, Donna and Tommy, are in California for their wedding; along with Greg, Tommy’s best man and Betty with her friend Mary Ann, from their hometown.

And it’s from there that Betty might have developed her apparent dislike for Greg, a guy by the way who is quite handsome, causing her to continuously throw criticisms at him at every opportunity, she wants absolutely nothing to do with him, and his narcissistic behavior doesn’t help matters any. Greg in juxtaposition is truly attracted to Betty and her sheer beauty, but is unable to comprehend her animosity towards him.

Just as we’re told to forgive and forget, Betty needs to forget all of her previously conceived notions about Greg and allow herself to let Greg into her life, so she can experience the person he truly is. And in doing so, perhaps she can learn the truth regarding relationships.

First impressions can literally kill any relationship before it even has a chance to begin as is the case here with Betty. But, with having no fascination or wish in getting married, she’s the one who caught the bridal bouquet, which by tradition means she’s the next to get married.

Will Betty’s attitude towards marriage and Greg change enough, by the end of the story, so she’ll be able to finally obtain the HEA she’s been secretly wanting for so long?

For having given her readers and myself a sweet a Kismet, unsought after kind of Christian love story, during a much simpler time than we’re living in today [1956], I’ve given Ms. Huddleston 5 STARS.… (meer)