"Abby Finds Her Calling" by Naomi King

About This Book

The Lambright family's eldest daughter, Abby, runs her own sewing shop. There, she mends the town's clothes and their torn relationships. But the town maidel has sworn off any suitors of her own because of her unrequited love for James Graber, who is about to marry her younger sister, Zanna...

On the wedding day, Zanna is nowhere to be found, breaking James' heart. Zanna has brought shame to her family, but there's more in store for them when they discover how far she has fallen. Long-buried secrets come to light, and they test the bonds of the Cedar Creek community. Abby is at the center of it all, trying to maintain everyone's happiness. But will she ever find her own?

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This book was released in February 2012

This was a well loved library book that was reviewed

My Review

“Abby Finds Her Calling” by Naomi King is the first book in her series 'Home at Cedar Creek' that is connected with her 'One Big Happy Family'. Yes they are two different series titles, but really they are all a part of the same series, which I have lovingly termed 'Need a Flow Chart' series. This is the fourth time I have read this book, because I need to refresh my memory in order to read “Emma Blooms at Last” which has been recently released and is the fourth and final book in the series. I have reread this book each time a new book in the series has come out and each time I discover something new as for the message.

I may joke about needing a flow chart to follow along through the different books, I am also not that far off. I can remember the first time that I read this book, I was so completely frustrated with how the book ended for I didn't think it was fair or very nice to the reader. I still don't think this book is very fair or nice to the reader, but man oh man it is a fantastic book and series. This book could be a stand alone if anyone could walk away from the one story line that is left unsatisfactory, but then again if that story line is not leaving the reader hanging really for there is an ending to it, in regards to this book.

As I hinted at there is almost two story lines going through this book, or maybe three if you want to look at the other family who has some secrets that are revealed, but wow what messages the stories have. Some of the messages that I gathered from before and now are, forgiveness, tenderness, determination can be a good thing when everyone thinks you are making a mistake, growing up, forgiving and forgetting is not always easy but worth it, anger is normal but shouldn't be allowed to fester, and that life is not always fair but you will only find joy in life if you look for it in everything. Oh yeah I got a lot of messages and they mean just as much this fourth time reading the book as it did the first time around.

There are three main characters that is for sure in this book, Abby, Zanna and James, and what a tangle web is woven through this story and to watch it get even more tangled before it is unraveled was an amazing journey. Even though I have read this book so many times I have to be honest that my emotions were all over the place with empathy, anger, frustration, joy, heartbreak and complete understanding. I wish I could explain why I felt each emotion but if I do then I am going to be ruining this book to someone who hasn't had the pleasure of reading this book yet.

There are numerous characters that are introduced in this book, all who have some pretty big parts to play later in different books, and at this point the readers are given pretty good ideas about each of them, and who they are on the inside. We, as readers, also are felt as if we are invited into everyone's lives through the good and the bad, through all that they are going through and are written in such a way that it is hard to remember that these people are simply fictional characters for they seem to reach out and touch people in a way that real life people do.

I truly hope that everyone who reads this book, enjoys it as much as I have each and every time I have read it.

Other Books in the 'Home to Cedar Creek' and 

'One Big Happy Family' series

Rosemary Opens Her Heart

Amanda Weds a Good Man

Emma Blooms at Last