Book Review: Restless in Carolina

Book Details:
Title: Restless in Carolina (Southern Discomfort Series bk 3)
Author: Tamara Leigh
2011, Multnomah Books
ISBN: 978-1-60142-168-5
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Christian Fiction


Book Summary:
Tree-huggin', animal-lovin' Bridget Pickwick-Buchanan is on a mission. Well, two. First she has to come to terms with being a widow at thirty-three. After all, it's been four years and even her five-year-old niece and nephew think it's time she sheds her widow's weeds. Second, she needs to find a buyer for her family's estate - a Biltmore-inspired mansion surrounded by hundreds of acres of unspoiled forestland. With family obligations forcing the sale, Bridget is determined to find an eco-friendly developer to buy the land, someone who won't turn it into single-family homes or a cheesy theme park.


Enter J. C. Dirk, a high-energy developer from Atlanta whose green property developments have earned him national acclaim. When he doesn't return her calls, Bridget decides a personal visit is in order. Unfortunately, J.C. Dirk is neither amused nor interested when she interrupts his meeting - until she mentions her family name. In short order, he finds himself in North Carolina, and Bridget has her white knight - in more ways than one. But the things Bridget doesn't know about J. C. could mean the end of everything she's worked for ... and break her heart.


My Review:
I LOVED this book! I've never read anything else by this author and I'm not always a fan of contemporary fiction, but this one was really good! 


The main characters of J.C. and Bridget are well developed and amusing. Bridget is a "tree-hugger" and proud of it. She totes a pet opossum around in a fanny pack and owns a nursery. J.C. looks to be a slick city boy - but maybe not. 


I love some good secondary characters - I really think they make a book - and this novel had a load of them. Bridget's family are the infamous Pickwick's. Scandalous, dysfunctional and crazy. They make for some great supporting characters. 


Something I liked about this book is that even though I thought I'd kind of figured out where it was all going and what everyone was hiding about halfway through the book, there were so many little things going on that I second-guessed myself a few times. Up until the very end, I was pretty sure there was going to be a happy ending - but there just possibly might not be one.


Lastly, as a Christian novel goes, I really liked the way the author wrote. It wasn't super contrived, the situations seemed believable. The characters had normal struggles. The characters (even the Christian ones) were not "overly spiritual", but just seemed like normal people. I appreciated that aspect of the book a lot.


This was a very well-written, enjoyable novel. I read it pretty quickly because I didn't really want to put it down. I will definitely be checked out some more of Tamara Leigh's books and catching up with the rest of the characters in the Southern Discomfort series.

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers for my honest review. 

No other compensation was received and all opinions are mine.