Customer Reviews

Angel Lane (Center Point Premier Romance (Large Print))

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Heart Lake is a small, quiet lake-side town. It seems to be experiencing a bit of growing-pains, however. Citizens are no longer courteous to one another and it's beginning to loose its Mayberry feeling.

The three main characters (Jaime, Sarah, and Emma) are local shop owners and close friends. They decide to come up with a way to bring the "heart" back into Heart Lake. Each of them decides to do one good deed a day in the hopes that their actions influence those of others, a sort of pay-it-forward campaign.

In the midst of this campaign, each of the main characters are experiencing their own personal drama.

Jaime, Sarah's niece, works at the town's chocolate store. She moved to Heart Lake to get away from an abusive marriage. She's in no rush to get into another relationship. However, when she crosses the path of Jake Armstrong, a widower raising two young girls, her world is upended. She's proud of her independence and doesn't want to get hurt again. But Jake is hard to resist.

Sarah is experiencing serious grandchild withdrawl after her daughter's family moves away. She's been a part of their lives since they were born and their absence is noticable. Her good deed is to provide cooking classes to a handful of the young girls in town. Her efforts seem to be in vain when one of her students takes advantage of her kindness.

Emma feels like a failure when her beloved quilt shop fails to take off. She has a handful of customers, including one who always seems to forget her checkbook, and Emma has allowed her to create a pretty hefty tab. Will hard work ever pay off?

Have you ever picked up a book, start reading it, instantly falling in love with the characters? That's what happened when I started reading Angel Lane. I became wrapped up in the characters lives within the first few pages. Roberts writes a very inspiring tale of how the actions of three individuals can influence an entire town. My life has been very hectic for the past few weeks, but the citizens of Heart Lake provided me with a bit of peace. And I'd be remiss not to mention the delicous recipes listed at the end of the book. I will definitely be trying out a number of them, specifically the one for pumpkin cookies!

I don't like to compare one author's writing to another's, but I can't help but notice a similarity between Roberts' writing with that of Debbie Macomber. Both women write inspiring tales revolving around a small-town community. Each have endearing characters that you can't help but fall in love with.

If you are looking for a relaxing, easy read, then Angel Lane is the book for you. Now that I've finished reading it, I miss the characters. They really became part of my life. They've inspired me to pay-it-forward as well. I do hope the author has a sequel or a follow-up planned in the near future!

In Heart Lake, Washington, quilt store owner Emma Swanson, bakery shopkeeper Sarah Goodwin and her niece Chocolate Bar owner Jamie Moore decide to do something nice for their small town. They organize the "keep the heart in Heart Lake" campaign asking residents to do something nice for someone else every day.

The three women plan to be role models, but not one expected the consequences of kindness. Emma's Quilt Corner store may close; Sarah is lonely even as she gives free baking lessons and has met Sam; and Jamie has to face her fears of commitment since she met a widower single father of two, Josh the cop.

This is a fun Pacific Northwest small town tale that looks profoundly into a community and as deeply into friendship. The three amigas may have issues that make it difficult to be angels, but they each try anyway. With a warm fuzzy holiday feel, fans who appreciate an inspiring tale will know it does take a committed caring community to bring the heart to everyone.

Harriet Klausner

Emma, Sarah and Jamie are shop owners in the idyllic community of Heart Lake, Washington. Sarah owns a bakery, Jamie owns a chocolate candy store and Emma owns a struggling quilt shop and each woman brings her unique talent to their friendship.

Their friendship began one Wednesday in September when Emma wanders into Jamie's chocolate shop as Jamie and her Aunt Sarah were ending their day with a dose of chocolate. This impromptu get together had quickly became a weekly tradition. On one particular Wednesday, the group was discussing how Heart Lake was growing and losing its small town feel and how it is time to "keep the heart in Heart Lake." They unite to start a campaign of "pay it forward" with random act of kindness towards the citizens of Heart Lake and in turn their town would be a much friendlier place.

Each of the women are battling problems of their own; Sarah is lonely for her granddaughters and she gives back by teach a group of girls how to bake, Emma whose busines is failing takes in a stray cat and Jamie is nursing a broken heart from an abusive husband brings candy to the post office as a thank you. Regardless the ladies make a difference in the life of a family new to Heart Lake; Josh Armstrong, his father and two daughters plus their own friendship.

This novel is such a feel good story of friendship and love that it would make a great holiday gift for your BFF and to spark up your holiday spirit. ( )

Searching for a feel-good story about three businesswomen in a small town trying to help it regain its heart? "Angel Lane" is just the ticket. Sarah, a baker, is a grandmother sorely missing her grandchildren who have just moved away. Emma is struggling to keep her new quilt shop open. She dreams of a life out of the movies, but reality has her living alone with a stray cat who doesn't like her. Jamie, who runs a very successful chocolate business, is divorced from an abusive cop. She is working hard at starting over, but is extremely reluctant to open her heart to an attractive cop and his two young daughters.

These three women decide to start a "good-deed" campaign encouraging other in their community to perform random acts of kindness. The story tells of many of these deeds and their outcomes (which are not always positive!). It also tells of their relationships with each other and others in their world and how they develop. This story features three of my favorite things - baked goods, chocolate, and quilting. Even if it lacked all three, it still would have been a great read. It is light reading with a positive message. It pulled on my heart and made me both cry and laugh. I recommend it highly!

I really like Sheila Roberts writing style. I have read a lot of books written by her. I love reading Christmas stories during the holiday season and this book was a welcome addition. I dont think you will be disappointed if you decide to purchase this book.

When I won this book, I was delighted. The blogs and comments I had read made one want to read it. Take the movie "It's a Wonderful life" and compare it to this book. Three women own difference types of shops and their lives impact each other - not only as friends but also in the community. Living in a small town myself I could well relate to the Keep the Heart in Heart Lake move. Rural Communities tend to look out for each other and big cities don't. I know as I was born in a big city.
One kind deed leads to another and another and another. Emma, Sarah, and Jamie all have different types of shops. All are struggling to get people to buy locally as they opt for sales and savings (as I am sure is the case today with the economic conditions). One does not realize what this does to those in their community. This book will make you want to be more loyal to those in your Community.
Jamie suffered abuse at the hands of her first husband, a cop, so she relates all cops to him and lumps them as abusive. So it is hard for Josh, with two daughters, who lost his wife to win Jamie over.
Sometimes I think we forget people who own shops are people just like us struggling with their own issues. A very good read. You'll laugh, you'll want to cry and you'll rejoice in the end.

I enjoyed this book. The three main characters are very likeable and I got caught up in the story right away.
It takes place in a small town and each of the characters owns their own shop and decide to make the town a better place. They are hoping to pass on the act of doing good deeds and hope it catches on with the town, its a story of friendships, caring and very heartwarming.
Its a cozy read, just curl up with a cup of hot tea and your favorite afghan and relax and enjoy! I know I did.
This is my first book by this author but will try others after enjoying this.

Angle Lane is a very warm inspiring story of three women who own their own business in Washington State.

You really get into the story and almost feel as though you are part of the community and you really want to live there. I could not put the book down.

It is a great read for a quiet afternoon after the holidays. My daughter gave me a copy of LOVE IN BLOOM and from then on I was hooked on Shelia Roberts. I really enjoyed ON STRIKE FOR CHRISTMAS and it has been passed around all my friends and they are all waiting now to read ANGEL LANE.

Thank you Ms Roberts. I have now found another great author and can't read another
book. Hope there are more to come.

Karen, SC

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Angel Lane is a delightfully, wonderful and inspiring story, that I had to literally pull myself away from. Every once in a while, you come across a book that you can delve right into and feel as though you, yourself, are a part of the story. Angel Lane is one of those precious books. I absolutely loved Sheila Roberts's style of writing and her characters are so real and true to life. They are, quite simply, everyday women that most anyone can relate to in some way.

Jamie, Sarah and Emma are each very different in their own ways, however, they are the best of friends and have a single goal in mind - to put the 'Heart' back in Heart Lake, their beloved and Mayberry-esque town. To do this, the women decide to put forth a campaign of doing one good deed a day, a kind of "pay it forward". If they could get everyone in town to do this simple act, imagine how much friendlier and closer life would be.

Meanwhile, each of the woman have their own troubles they are dealing with. Sarah is suffering from severe grandchildren withdrawals when her daughter, husband and two granddaughters move away. Emma is feeling defeated when her beloved quilt shop continues to unravel and business continues on the snail pace side. Jamie has moved to Heart Lake to take back her life, after divorcing her abusive policeman husband. She seems to be doing just fine until a handsome widowed cop with two young daughters continues to pop up into her life, creating a bit of havoc within her heart.

I truly loved every aspect of Angel Lane. The story is entertaining, heartwarming, fun and brings the holiday season to life with the true meaning of giving. For fans of such authors as Debbie Macomber, I think that Sheila Roberts and her delicious novel Angel Lane will be a huge hit. This is the perfect book to relax with and gives a delightful reminder that even the smallest of good deeds brings about huge results! So, do yourself a favor and run out and grab Angel Lane and enjoy a lovely time in Heart Lake!

Sheila Roberts takes us back to Heart Lake, the small town we got to know in Love In Bloom, and introduces us to three interesting women: Sarah, Jamie, and Emma.

Sarah is in her 50s and married. Her grown children live out of town and she needs to feel needed. She's the owner of a bakery and decides to use her skills to do a good deed. Sarah's niece Jamie is a chocolatier and business is good. She's glad to be busy and doesn't need to have a social life unless it involves the "Have a Heart" campaign. Emma, owner of a quilt shop, is Jamie's friend. She has mostly given up on her own "happily ever after" so in her free time she watches old movies and lives vicariously. She has a good heart and can't quite figure out why things don't work out in real life the way they do in movies. I enjoyed all three characters but found Sarah to be a bit of a kindred spirit - we're in the same age demographic. She has a good sense of humor and I related to her feelings about her kids living too far away.

The "acts of kindness" program is a lovely theme that brings people together at the perfect time of year - the holidays. No matter how small, an act of kindness can have a huge effect on people. Each of the women find out that it can have a positive effect or it can produce a totally unexpected result.

There are serious as well as funny moments as the plan is put into action. Angel Lane is an entertaining and heart-warming novel - perfect for the holidays or any time of year. I feel inspired by this novel and more aware of my own ability to do random acts of kindness. I recommend Angel Lane.