Gone South

Book description:  "Leaving frosty Michigan for the Deep South was never a blip in the simple plans Tish McComb imagined for her life, dreams of marriage and family that were dashed five years earlier in a tragic accident. Now an opportunity to buy her great-great-great-grandparents’ Civil War era home beckons Tish to Noble, Alabama, a Southern town in every sense of the word. She wonders if God has given her a new dream— the old house filled with friends, her vintage percolator bubbling on the sideboard.

When Tish discovers that McCombs aren’t welcome in town, she feels like a Yankee behind enemy lines. Only local antiques dealer George Zorbas seems willing to give her a chance. What’s a lonely outcast to do but take in Noble’s resident prodigal, Melanie Hamilton, and hope that the two can find some much needed acceptance in each other.

Problem is, old habits die hard, and Mel is quite set in her destructive ways. With Melanie blocked from going home, Tish must try to manage her incorrigible houseguest as she attempts to prove her own worth in a town that seems to have forgotten that every sinner needs God-given mercy, love and forgiveness."

My Review:  I don't usually comment on the cover of a book, but for this book I feel I must.  Gone South is actually a contemporary fiction, but the cover on the book indicates otherwise.  Even though I had read the book description before I started, the image on the front cover indicates that this book is historical fiction.  For me, it made it difficult to "get into" the book.  My mind said that I should be reading something historical, but I was not.  I never realized that a cover could have that much of an impact on what I was reading.  Once I overcame that hurtle, which was frustrating, I did enjoy the book.  I had to chuckle at some of the experiences Tish had living as a "Yankee" in a southern town.  Melanie's character was a reminder that children with learning disabilities can slip through the cracks, but  I think the author did a great job placing the two of them under the same roof even though they came from extremely different backgrounds.  They both made it work living as outcasts in a small southern town.  I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.