My Bookshelf: Jilted by Varina Denman

A heartbroken woman desires to move beyond old memories, but will her past give way to hope?

        Lynda Turner has struggled with depression since her husband abandoned her and their young daughter fifteen years ago. Yet unexpected hope awakens when a local ex-convict shows interest. As long-hidden secrets resurface, Lynda must fight for her emotional stability and for a life in which the shadow of shame is replaced by the light of love.

        Jilted tells of a woman who has lost the joy of living , of a man determined to draw her back toward happiness, and of a town that must—once and for all—leave the past where it belongs. It is a gentle reminder that all things can work together for good.

        Jilted is the third book in Varina Denman’s Mended Hearts series, coming after Jaded and Justified. I am a HUGE fan of Varina’s, and have been since I read the first page of Jaded two months ago. I fell in love with her writing from day one, and haven’t been able to get enough of it since. That’s why I’m so disappointed that she’s only written this series! So far anyway. I’m hopeful she’ll write many, many more books in the years to come. Anyway, I cannot describe to you how much I loved both of the first two novels in this series, and I have to confess, I think I loved this one even more. Varina has an amazing talent; she manages to write sweet, poignant stories that grip your heart and have so many little touching moments and connections while still creating captivating, and even hysterical, scenes weaved into the middle. Because of that, I don’t think it would be a stretch to say she is one of my top three favorite authors of all time.

        Lynda Turner definitely was NOT my favorite character when I was first introduced to her in Jaded. I think, for the most part, that was because I was learning about her from the point of view of Ruthie—her daughter—who didn’t exactly portray her in the best light, probably because she was the most hurt by her mother’s struggle with depression, other than Lynda herself of course. But I quickly realized I didn’t have anything against Lynda at all once I started reading her story. In fact, I loved her from the start of this book, and I absolutely loved diving into the intricacies of her past, and her pain, and all the other elements of her story. And I don’t want to bring in any spoilers, but anyone who’s read the other novels knows who the local ex-convict is, and I just want to say, I did love him from the start, as he is by far one of the sweetest men EVER, and I was always sure he and Lynda would be perfect for each other.

        Anyway, this whole book was my favorite thing ever. I loved, loved, LOVED it!!! I’m literally already dying to read it again, because it is by far one of the most beautiful pieces of literature I have ever laid eyes on. Varina really outdid herself with this novel, and I cannot wait until she comes out with another new book! (I know, I know, this book just released not even a month ago, but I don’t care! I LOVE HER WRITING!). I’m sure you can tell by now what I’m going to say, but I’m going to say it anyway. I cannot imagine giving this novel any less than all five bookshelves, and it definitely has a permanent place on my all-time favorites list. I highly recommend this book to absolutely everyone who so much as knows how to read, because it is complete and utter perfection. And I promise you there’s no way you won’t love it.

        Happy reading!

Check out this great giveaway for this book here. 

I received a copy of this book through the Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for only my honest review.

To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party page.

Photo credits go to my fabulous sister, Allie, whose blog you can visit here.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Varina Denman and David C. Cook Publishing.