Angel Lane [Paperback]

Sheila Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 29, 2009

Keep the heart in Heart Lake. That’s exactly what three small-town shop owners hope to do when they launch their crazy-ambitious “Have a Heart” campaign—asking neighbors to commit one random act of kindness every day. Emma, Sarah, and Jamie love their lakeside community, but the little town is growing too big too fast, and a doing a good deed never hurt anyone. Or so they thought…

When Emma slashes prices at her quilt shop, practically giving away blankets to anyone who looks vaguely cold, she almost stitches her way into bankruptcy. Sarah’s free cooking class boils down to a hotbed of crime when some punk kid swipes her favorite heirloom. And at Jamie’s chocolate shop, things take a bittersweet turn when a local policeman starts giving her grief, stirring up feelings she’s tried to forget—and slowly melts away her defenses…

With irresistible humor, warmth, affection—and recipes!—author Sheila Roberts serves up a generous, open-hearted story about the friendships we make, the chances we take, and the lives we touch every day.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Roberts returns to Heart Lake, Wash., for a second beguiling visit (after Spring in Bloom). Chocolatier Jamie Moore, her bakery-owner aunt Sarah and quilt store owner Emma Swanson take on a community project, Have a Heart, to encourage good deeds in Heart Lake, but the friends find paying-it-forward isn't as easy as it would seem. Cop Josh Armstrong, a handsome widower with two cute daughters, keeps rescuing Jamie, who fights her attraction to him because of her first marriage to an abusive cop. Emma, who's struggling to keep her store open and is also hungry for love, adopts a stray cat. Married Sarah fights off a lecherous neighbor and gives free (but messy) baking lessons to girls. Roberts's world of good deeds can verge on Thomas Kinkade overkill, though her relentless cheer will doubtless warm more than a few hearts. (Oct.)
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Review

"Roberts' book of small-town life is as sweet as ginger cookies and as homey as raisin pie (recipes included). Readers will laugh and cry with the women lovingly portrayed in this heartwarming story that explores the joys of friendship and the power of good deeds."

--RT Book Reviews

 

"... will doubtless warm more than a few hearts."

--Publishers Weekly

 

"Angel Lane is a feel-good book that shouldn't be missed and is a perfect read for the upcoming Christmas holiday season."

--Romancing the Book

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1 Original edition (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312384823
• ISBN-13: 978-0312384821
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,098,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sheila Roberts lives on a small lake in the Pacific Northwest and has three children and one long-suffering husband. Her books have been printed in a many different languages, and her novel "On Strike for Christmas" was made into a movie for the Lifetime Channel. When she's not playing with girlfriends or on the tennis court Sheila can be found writing about those things dear to women's hearts:family, friends, and chocolate.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and Endearing Tale of Small Town Life October 7, 2009

By Jennifer Lawrence

Format:Paperback

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!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Holiday Spirit October 29, 2009

By Beverly Yacovitch

Format:Paperback

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. ( )

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars fun Pacific Northwest small town tale October 9, 2009

By Harriet Klausner #1 HALL OF FAME

Format:Paperback

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