The Inn at Shinning Waters Series

River’s Song

The Inn At Shining Waters, Book 1

by Melody Carlson

Anna Larson has returned to her childhood home on the river for her mother’s funeral. She stays for a few days after the funeral to sort through some of her mother’s belongings. While out on her grandmother’s canoe, Hazel sees her, and can’t believe her eyes. Hazel is doing research on the local Native American tribes. Anna happens to be Native American. She invites Hazel to see some of her mother and grandmother’s things and allows her to stay in her grandmother’s cabin. Hazel suggests to Anna that the property, which was once a store, might be a good place for an Inn. Anna, tired of living with her mother-in-law’s insults, begins to ponder the idea, but is unsure she could afford to do it. Anna had married young, and her husband never introduced her to his mother. When Anna met her mother-in-law, the mother-in-law thought Anna was hired help. When she found out she was her son’s wife, she began to make Anna’s life miserable. Soon, Anna and her husband had a daughter, and Anna’s husband went off to war. When he return, injured, he had lost more than just part of his physical body. Anna had spent the next 10 years caring for her husband and living under her mother’s roof. Anna had become essentially a slave, doing all the housework, caring for her husband, trying to raise their daughter. When her husband died, Anna’s life didn’t change, at least not until returning to her childhood home. Will Anna have the courage to change her life by making the property into an Inn?

I received the galleys of this book from Net Galley for the purpose of this review.

River’s Call

The Inn At Shining Waters, Book 2

by Melody Carlson

This book picks up just a couple weeks after River’s Song ends. Anna has indeed turned her family home into an Inn on the river. Her daughter, Lauren, calls suddenly feeling sick. She comes home to the river where she finds out just how her life is about to drastically change, she isn’t sick with the flu like she thinks. She is pregnant! Will Lauren make the right choice about her future? Will she marry the father of her child and with they both grow up and be able to raise their child? Will she give up her child for adoption? Will Anna be able to guide Lauren and support her decision?

River’s Call is in a similar vein as Francine River’s books Her Mother’s Hope and Her Daughter’s Dream, dealing with the relationship of women in several generations. Both of Carlson’s books were well written and a joy to read. I cannot wait until the third book is available to read!

This book comes out February 2012

I received the galleys of this book from Net Galley for the purpose of this review.

I believe book 3 of the series comes out summer of 2012