Book ~ "Night Music" (2018) Deanna Lynn Sletten

From Goodreads ~ Charlotte Parsons is devastated over losing her brother in the Vietnam War. Desperate to learn more about the war, she joins a group of college women who send letters to soldiers and befriends Joseph Russo, a young soldier. But a few months after they begin corresponding, his letters stop coming and Char moves on, still confused as to why so many young lives are being lost so far away from home.

Two years later, Char begins college in her small Illinois town of Grand Falls. She’s been dating her brother’s long-time best friend, Deke Masterson, who is a senior in college and is deep into the anti-war movement. Char isn’t sure how she feels about the war. Then a stranger comes to town and changes everything.

Joseph Russo served in the Vietnam War, earning a Purple Heart for his injury as well as a life-long limp. He’s ready to put the war behind him. While in Vietnam, he’d corresponded with a girl from Grand Falls and he enjoyed reading about her idyllic life. When he’s discharged, he moves there to attend college. And when he meets Charlotte in person, he’s taken with her sweetness, intelligence, and beauty.

The battle lines are drawn as Deke resents Joe’s presence around Char. What started out as a well-deserved escape to a small town for Joe soon turns into a battle of wills between him and the idealistic Deke. And there stands Charlotte, right in the middle.

"Night Music" is a story about a moment in time when the world was chaotic and nothing was completely clear. In the midst of all the chaos, can Char and Joe find enough middle ground to fall in love?

It's 1968 and Joe is a soldier in the Vietnam war.  He is pen pals with Charlotte, a stranger who lives in a small town in Illinois.  Joe gets hurt, discharged and sent back home to the States.  Charlotte had made her town sound ideal so Joe moves there and enrols in college.  He meets Charlotte and they become friends.  Her father gives him a part-time job in his hardware store as Joe doesn't have a lot of money.

Charlotte's brother had been killed in the Vietnam war and she is now dating his best friend, Deke.  Deke is against the war and extremely vocal about it.  He's not happy when Charlotte and Joe become friends, especially since Deke sees all the Vietnam vets as baby killers.  This leaves Charlotte conflicted because she knows her brother wasn't a baby killer but Deke is so dedicated to his cause.

This is the fourth book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I like the writing style and it is written in third person perspective.  As a Canadian, the Vietnam war doesn't have the same relevance to me as it does/did for Americans (I'm assuming) so I didn't really get caught up in that part of the story.  I liked the characters and their small town interactions and 1960s innocence.  I wasn't crazy about Deke (I'm not sure I was supposed to like him, though) and I had a hard time relating to his active in-your-face opposition to the war (again perhaps because I'm Canadian?).

I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Book ~ "One Wrong Turn" (2017) Deanna Lynn Sletten

From Goodreads ~ The words “I’m her husband” roll off Clay Connors’s tongue, but with his estranged wife lying in a coma - and no assurance that she’ll awaken - he knows he’s perilously close to losing everything. A singular, terrifying accident has left Jess Connors suspended between life and death. Now Clay is reunited with the family he hasn’t seen for two years, including the daughters he left behind. 

Clay should have been there for his family. He never should have stayed away so long. The alcohol that took over his life destroyed everything but a shred of his self-preservation. Sober and haunted, Clay revisits the memory of love, marriage, and how his life unraveled. He hopes that by trying to reconnect with the daughter who blames him and the daughter who barely knew him, he can find a light of hope in this darkest hour. As his family faces its most grueling, emotional test yet, Clay must summon the courage to make right what was wrong - and find forgiveness from his harshest judge: himself. 

Jess has an accident one day as she is driving home and ends up in a coma.  Clay is contacted and he rushes to the hospital claiming to be her husband.  They have been married for almost 15 years but haven't been together in two years.

Clay is a musician and Jess was a stay-at-home mom.  What started out as Clay having a couple beers a day turned into an alcoholic problem.  He had been in rehab three times and after the last stint, he didn't think he could handle the stress of being a husband and dad so didn't go home.  His 12-year-old daughter, Maddie, now hates him for leaving and his 7-year-old daughter, Jilly, doesn't remember him.  It's time for Clay to step up and be the dad and husband he should have been as they wait for Jess to come out of her coma.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It is written in third person perspective.  It starts in present day and then shifts back and forth to how/when Jess and Clay met and their lives together until they broke up (the dates are at the top of the section so it's obvious when the story goes into the past).

I liked the characters.  Jess and Clay were good for each but then his addiction started getting in the way.  Jess eventually had to put the safety of her family before her marriage to Clay.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Book ~ "Finding Libbie" (2016) Deanna Lynn Sletten

From Goodreads ~ Poring over a dusty hatbox of photographs in her grandmother’s closet, Emily Prentice is shocked to discover her father was married to his high school sweetheart before meeting her mother.

In the summer of 1968, Jack and Libbie fall in love under the spell of their small town, untouched by the chaos of the late sixties. Though Libbie’s well-to-do parents disapprove of Jack’s humble family and his aspiration to become a mechanic, she marries Jack a year after they graduate high school. But soon their happiness crumbles as Libbie’s mental state unravels and she is drawn to alcohol and drugs. Despite his efforts to help her, Jack loses the woman he loves and is forced to move on with his life.

Now that Emily’s mother has passed away, Jack is alone again, and Emily grows obsessed with the beautiful woman who had given her father such joy. Determined to find Libbie, Emily pieces together the couple’s fragmented past. But is it too late for happy endings? 

Emily's grandmother, Bev, is downsizing to a townhouse and Emily is helping her pack up her farmhouse for the move.  They come across a dusty box of pictures in a closet.  They are pictures of Emily's father, Jack, and his high school sweetheart, Libbie.  It seems Jack and Libbie were married in the late 1960s before he married Emily's mother and Emily never knew.

Though Libbie's rich parents didn't approve of him, Jack and Libbie married shortly after high school.  Jack felt the pressure financially because he was a young mechanic and didn't have his in-laws' wealth.  Libbie went from being a pampered daughter to a housewife and didn't know what to do with her time.  She changed and became anxious and self-medicated with alcohol and drugs.  As much as he tried to take care of her, they eventually broke up.

After a few years, Jack met Emily's mother and had a good life with her and their children until she passed away two years ago.  Emily becomes obsessed with what happened to Libbie.  Jack's life turned out well and Emily hoped the same for Libbie.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  It is written in third person perspective.  I thought it flowed well.  It starts in present day ... then shifts to the late 1960s to Jack and Libbie's story ... and then comes back to present day again.

I liked the characters.  Back it in the late 1960s/early 1970s in a small town, it was a different time.  The biggest fear they had was young men getting drafted and heading to Viet Nam.  Jack and Libbie were young and sweet and in love.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Book ~ "Maggie's Turn" (2013) Deanna Lynn Sletten

From Goodreads ~ Sometimes you just have to walk away … to rediscover who you are.

Maggie Harrison is a devoted wife and mother, always putting the needs of her family ahead of her own. Then, one day, without planning to, she drives away, leaving behind an indifferent husband and two sulking teenagers. Maggie goes off on a quest of self-exploration, enjoying adventures, meeting new people, and rediscovering her passions. For the first time in years, she dreams about what she wants out of life, and she realizes that her deteriorating marriage can no longer continue as it is. Can she and Andrew repair their floundering relationship, or is their marriage over?

Andrew Harrison likes his life to be in perfect order. He enjoys his work and status in the community, leaving Maggie to take care of everything at home. He knows his marriage isn't perfect, but after twenty-three years and two kids, whose marriage is? When Maggie leaves without a word, he is forced to start paying more attention to his home life and his almost grown children, and he begins to do a little self-exploration of his own. Slowly, he begins to understand what drove Maggie away, and how important she is in his life. Is it too late to resolve their differences and save their marriage? Or will Andrew lose Maggie forever?

Maggie and Andrew have been married for about 20 years and are the parents of two children ... Kyle is 19 and Kaia is 14.  The kids are sulking and Andrew is snapping at her.  After she drops Kaia off at school one morning, she hears Bob Seger's Roll Me Away and that inspires her to take a couple hours for herself.  She has her camera with her and is going to take some photographs.  When Andrew and the kids get home at the end of the day, they are surprised and annoyed to realize that supper isn't ready and Maggie's not there.

Though she hadn't planned it, Maggie had kept driving, stopping along the way with her camera, listening to Bob Seger and realizing how good it felt to be free.  What follows is Maggie's journey to find herself again and decide what she wants in life.

It is left to Andrew to take care of the household.  Maggie has always done everything so Andrew has no clue how to do even the simple things like buying groceries and doing laundry.  He also doesn't know how to relate to his children since he has been too busy the last few years to spend time with them.  As all the responsibilities fall on him, he realizes how much Maggie had taken care of over the years and the impact she has had on others' lives.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  I liked the storyline ... we all get so busy and overwhelmed at times that it's tempting to run away and have some time to ourselves.  I liked the writing style.  I found that it flowed well and kept me wanting to read more.

I liked the characters.  Maggie had carried quite a load and had reached the point where she couldn't take it anymore.  Along the way, she meets people who encourage her to find herself again.  I was glad that she didn't give in and head back home no matter how much pressure Andrew and the kids put on her ... she finally put herself first.  Andrew makes bad decisions and instead of fixing his messes as she always has, she knows he has to do it for himself for things to change.  For most of the story, Andrew is an selfish arrogant A-hole who had taken Maggie for granted.  As the story progresses, Andrew realizes that unless he changes, he's going to lose everything.  Kaia and Kyle also take their mother for granted and come to appreciate her after she's left.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.