Reviews-Bancroft Press – Cindy's Love Of Books

PUB DATE: October 1, 2009

Thanks to Harrison at Bancroft Press for sending me this finished book to read and review for Cindy’s Love of Books. Thank You.

Thanksgiving at the Inn is a story about three generations of Heath Wellingtons. Heath Wellington III is a boy who is basically having a really hard life for a kid. His mother has left the family, his father is an alcoholic and is trying to get his book published but all he gets is rejection letters. Then to top it off Heath gets suspended from school because they think he cheated and the worse thing is that his father believes the school. From my perception Heath II (Heath’s father) basically is a mean dad who could care less about this son. Its pretty evident in the book the way Heath is treated by his dad.

Then one day his father gets word that Senior (his dad) has died. Junior (Heath’s dad) and Heath prepare to go to the funeral. Heath has no memory of his grandfather and he feels bad about it.

His father and Heath go visit the lawyer and they discover they stand to inherit the whole estate which makes Junior extremely happy and basically in his head has the money spent until the lawyer burst the bubble and tells him that there is a catch to the deal and if he doesn’t go through with it everything will be lost. What could this catch possible be?

One of the catches is that they have to stay for three months managing Seniors bed and breakfast inn called Sleeping Inn which is located in Massachusett’s. This is the home that Junior grew up in and hasn’t been back there in eight years.

Being back, Junior discovers how hard it is to be there because every where he turns he hears praises for Senior. Mean while Heath is having a hard time too because he can’t remember his grandfather.

At Sleeping Inn there is a quirky bunch of people staying there such as:

–Winsted (Preacher) He is a old man from Jamaica. With a colorful past that will shock the reader. Apart from Heath he was my favorite character. I loved reading his conversations I could almost hear him speaking when I was reading it. Loved the way he spoke.

-Mrs Farrel is a elderly lady who appears to be giving away her late husbands fortune. Apparently before he died he scammed his employees and took their money and put it in an off shore account. Did you she really discover this money or is she hoping to one day?

– Sally (Mustang Sally) is the big muscle guy covered in tattoos. He is a grease monkey who is working trying to get enough money to get his father’s garage back up and running. Heath discovers that Sally is really an children’s author/illustrator that does something that surprises Heath.

A few other characters in the book that weren’t mentioned alot was Carter who is a Harvard Grad and a news junkie. Then there is Savannah who we discover was Junior’s high school sweetheart. She has a daughter who has autism.

I enjoyed reading the book and couldn’t help but wish that Heath would get a Thanksgiving that he could be thankful for. I was happy when push came to shove and Heath stood up to his father. The father needed a wake up call and it was Heath that gave it too him. It took a near fatal accident to wake Junior up to make him appreciate what was near and dear to him and what should matter more to him then himself.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
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PUB DATE: June 2009

Thank you to Harrison and Bruce from Bancroft Press for sending me this great book to read and review. I loved the book and it was such a fun and quick read.

This is Elizabeth’s first novel and she has a total of three under her belt and is working on a fourth one.

When Lucy was almost eleven years old, Ellen, her sister was was hit by a truck while riding her bike one evening in October. Ellen lay in a coma and the chances of her surviving weren’t that good. What the family needed was a miracle.

In their backyard was a kids mailbox that Ellen and Lucy would use and pretend that it was magical. Lucky wrote a letter:

“To Whom It May Concern:
I know I’ve asked for things in the past that I said were really important, but this time I’m not lying. I swear I’ll never ask for anything else if you make this one wish come true. Make Ellen wake up and I’ll be forever in your debt.

Sincerely,
Lucy Burns”

The next morning the family got good news that Ellen was awake. Lucy went outside to destroy the letter. The letter was gone but there was a reply saying “Its a deal. Happy Birthday. I’ll be in touch. Sincerely To Whom It May concern”

From that day Lucy basically sold her sole to the devil. So be careful what you ask for you never know what can happen.

Lucy is now an adult and is working for the devil himself. She is a facilitator to hell. Her basement is one gateway to hell. There are more all over the place. She is given names that she must bring into her home and show them the basement. Meaning she shows them to hell.

She finally realizes that she is tired of her job and not being able to have a real relationship. Working with the devil is rough as he wants undivided attention among his employees.

When she gets to meet her idol Teddy Nightingale. He realizes who she really is and offers to help her out. He tells her the three steps she needs to learn so that she can give her notice to the devil. He tells her it won’t be easy and its not at first. She figures she will try it out and basically has nothing to loose.

She is willing to risk it all for Luke who is a professor at the university. Will she be able quit working with the Devil or will he make it hard for her to leave?

This was a funny and charming quick read and I loved it. There were so many spots that I laughed at (her getting totally drunk on Halloween at a Pampered Chef’s party she is hosting). I loved Lucy. She came off sweet and innocent but yet she knew what she was doing and knew how to get the job done.

I plan on looking into getting her other two books and can’t wait for the fourth one to come out.

Thanksgiving at The Inn Review

The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns Review