Customer Reviews

Twisted Creek

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Allie Daniels was not only poor, but unlucky to boot. Her mother had left her on her grandmother's doorstep and seemed to forget she had a child. For years, Allie and Nana tried to stay one step ahead of poverty but it seemed to be closing in on them.

When Allie gets a letter from a lawyer in Texas she is surprised to find a cashier's check for enough to pay off her bills and travel to Texas to look into the piece of lake property on Twisted Creek that was left to her by her Uncle Jefferson.

But one problem made her believe that her luck hadn't changed ... she nor Nana knew of an Uncle Jefferson!

Allie and Nana make a pledge to make a go of the little store and cafe, at least until the lawyer discovers he made a mistake and contacted the wrong Allie Daniels. Nana is proud commander of the kitchen where she hangs her most cherished possession, a wind chime. Their store is revived and soon becomes the gathering place for both good times and trouble.

You'll laugh. You'll cry. But most of all, you'll remember, as you share the stories of a motley crew of folks who bind together in a time of crisis ... one that will change their lives forever.

This is an amazing book. It's listed as romance but I'd actually call it women's fiction because, although Allie and Luke fall in love, the story is about Allie and the people of the community and not about the romance. There are no sex scenes in this book, which is partly why I'm so surprised I loved it. It's just a sweet, beautiful, touching story about a strong young woman and her Nana finding a place to grow and belong.

A community of misfits comes together and becomes a family. The story is set in Texas, but I wouldn't call it a "Western". There is a mystery/suspense thread throughout the book relating to Allie's "uncle" and some strange occurrences around the lake, but that's all just secondary to the story of Allie growing as a person and getting to know and love her neighbors.

Nana reminded me of both of my own grandmothers, and she was even from the same hometown that my grandparents and my parents are from. This book made me cry several times, but not because the story was sad. As a matter of fact, it wasn't sad at all. It's just very touching, and the story has a very serene and wistful feel that made me homesick for small town life.

This is my first Jodi Thomas book, and it certainly won't be my last. TWISTED CREEK is a new keeper for me.

This contemporary romance displays a new level of talent for Jodi Thomas. I've been a fan for more than fifteen years, but this was a step above. The characters are all slightly damaged hearts with nowhere left to go but Twisted Creek. The family and bonds they form carry them through some tough times and surprising revelations. This one was a tear jerker!

Not only did the cover of this book draw me to it, but the excellent reputation of Jodi Thomas did also.

I loved the main characters. They were very real. These people, you feel like you know them, maybe because her characters are just like the people you know. The secondary characters were great as well, I wanted to know more about all of them. All these people were vastly different, yet were a family. The story was well written, and flowed nicely. You feel for all the characters in the book, and Jodi Thomas leaves you wanting more.

This was a terrific book; more than just a romance it really got you involved with the secondary characters. I will definitely check out more books by this author.

The first sentence of the book reads, "If rotten luck were a man, I'd have a stalker." After reading that, I was hooked, and Jodi Thomas' book "Twisted Creek" lives up to the promise of that first sentence with unusual turns of phrase and a pretty good story to set them in. It's the story of Allie Daniels and her grandmother, down on their luck and about out of options when a letter arrives telling her she has inherited property in a small west Texas lake community. With nothing left to lose, the two arrive at the small cafe/general store/bait shop to find the place pretty much a ruin. But good things just continue to happen. A delivery truck pulls up with a pre-paid load of stock for the store, customers start arriving from the very first day, and Allie and her grandma seem to have found where they belonged. Grandma begins cooking and the miniscule cafe always seems to have a table for one when it's wanted. There's the mystery of who left the place to Allie, what really happened to him, and why Luke the handsome neighbor is hanging around and even Allie can sense that something else is going on under the surface. I really enjoyed this book, going so far as to read portions of it out loud. The characters are well-drawn and the story moves right along and comes to a satisfying conclusion. I will read more books by Jodi Thomas based on my experience with this one.

This is the best book I've read in a long time! I could not put it down and when I finished it, I immediatly re-read it. The Characters of this novel are so real you care what happens to them, and worry for them, and cry for them and you want to go to Twisted Creek and visit them. It only takes one person that loves and cares for someone to save them. And that can be found anywhere, hiding under a bed, over warm biscuits and coffee, or on the muddy banks of a Twisted Creek where people like you just like you are and you feel loved.

If you like something different in the romance genre, this is for you. Twisted Creek is about Allie, an average woman whoses life has not gone in any good direction, ever. When she inherits an old bait supply/cafe from an uncle she never knew she had; she's suspicious but game.

The resulting charachters, plot and setting are compelling, complex and keep you turning pages.

I've never read Jodi Thomas before but plan on finding her backlist. This story was both moving and interesting. If you like Pamela Morsi, you'll love Jodi Thomas; like Morsi her charachters are human, fallable, and interesting. Great read! Honestly, I couldn't put it down.

I'm a huge fan of Jodi's historical romances but I liked how this one started out and thought I'd give it a read. I'm glad I did.

Jodi Thomas writes the best romances, and they're just that "romances" not bits of dialogue used as filler between sex scenes - she gives you an actual engaging story that you want to follow all the way to the end.

Keep up the good work, Jodi!

Allie Daniel's has not had an easy life; bad luck seemed to be the only luck she's ever known. Abandoned by her mother, Allie was left with her grandmother who struggled financially to raise her. Things start to change for Allie when she receives a letter that she inherited money and property from her recently deceased uncle Jefferson. Allie and Nana pack up and move to Texas to start a new life, but things are not as perfect as they appear for one huge reason, Allie didn't have an uncle named Jefferson.

Living their new life in Texas, Allie finds herself taken with the eclectic town folks and one person in particular really sparks her interest. Luke, the town drifter has Allie on edge, her attraction to him has her fearing he may be the person to expose the lie she was currently living.

Fantastic story! Twisted Creek is an engagingly fun story with a host of quirky characters that along with the sweet romance between Allie and Luke make this a story well worth reading. Twisted Creek is a light easy read that once I started it I was so drawn in I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Allie and Luke are the main draw of the story but the surrounding characters added so much to heartwarming sweetness of it. Even though things were not what they were supposed to be, moving to Texas was definitely where Allie was supposed to be no matter the reasons that brought her there. I absolutely adored this story and I know anyone who picks up this book will as well. For a book that will make you laugh, cry and smile I Joyfully Recommend Twisted Creek.

Ley
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed