Secrets Over Sweet Tea by Denise Hildreth Jones

About the Book:

Secrets can be funny things. We think they keep us safe, but more often than not, they spill out when we least expect and make a mess out of everything.

It’s a truth Scarlett Jo Newberry knows all too well—a truth Grace Shepherd and Zach Craig are about to learn the hard way. As the lives of this boisterous pastor’s wife, polished news anchor, and beleaguered divorce attorney intersect in the tree-lined streets of Franklin, Tennessee, scandal threatens to topple their carefully constructed worlds.

Grasping at survival, they embark on a journey of friendship and courage, desperate to find a way back to laughter, love, and life.

My Thoughts:

I must be truthful...I've been savoring this novel for several weeks.  Loved it so much I had my husband purchase a finished copy for me.  This one is going on my treasured book shelf...where I keep all the books that change me and I know I'll read again.

Scarlet Jo is a hoot and a handful.  When I first met her I wasn't sure I liked her.  She's the kind of woman that intimidates me just by breathing.  She's loud, plain-spoken and oozes confidence.

Just the kind of friend I need, whether I want to admit it or not. 

Thankfully, she lives not far from Grace Shepherd.  Scarlet Jo's boisterous and inquisitive nature rescue Grace during her darkest days.  She coaxes secrets out of her new friend, and when Grace's world comes crumbling down, Scarlet Jo is there to help her rebuild and regroup.

It's that unlikely friendship with Grace that connects the two women to Zach Craig.  While Zach at first seems like a dirty buzzard of a man (you won't like him at first), Scarlet Jo also is able to dig a bit deeper and learn the truth of who Zach is and what he is made of.

With a little help from Grace and from Zach's wife, Caroline (a woman you probably won't like immediately, either).  The twins come across as obnoxious (Zach is living in estrogen-land), but they grow on you.

What we end up with are real, imperfect characters that teach us more about grace and mercy and finding your heart than we thought we needed to learn.  We see the power of secrets kept and secrets shared, and that even those who help us in our time of need can have moments of great need themselves.

Ultimately, I grew to love Scarlet Jo (as did Grace's best friend, Rachel--now SHE'S someone I like immediately!).  She's a hoot and a handful...and one of the most memorable characters you'll ever meet in a work of fiction.

Denise has been a long-time favorite of mine, and each novel she crafts just makes her more beloved.  I savored this one for two reasons: one, who knows when she'll perfect another story for me to read and two, one does not chug sweet tea...one sips it and savors it.

High praise to the marketing geniuses behind the cover change...oh, yes, it is perfection!  I received an advance copy of "Secrets Over Sweet Tea" from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for an honest review. 

This book is so highly recommended that my husband bought me my own finished copy before I had even finished reading the book!  This is truly one of the finest pieces of fiction I've ever read, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Happy Reading!





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