Southern summer reads!

Hi, everyone! I've been collecting emails about new Southern novels being published, and now I have a few to share. I haven't read any of these yet, but they all look interesting!

Reader and blogger Pamela Trawick offers up an excellent review of Into The Free by Julie Cantrell:

"Into the Free conveys Depression-era Mississippi innocence along with the harshness of survival in a time of unemployment and poverty. Life is hard, Millie’s family life is harder, and still she marches on. While not duplicating Harper Lee’s Scout, Millie has enough of a Scout echo to strum heartstrings that adore Alabama’s favorite heroine."

Kansas City writer and blogger Stephen Roth reviews Camp Redemption by Raymond L. Atkins:

"It’s about a brother and sister who own a cash-strapped children’s church camp in north Georgia, and one day receive an unexpected visitor. Like a lot of fine Southern writing, this novel has charmingly eccentric characters, a strong appreciation of history, and asks some rather pointed questions about God’s involvement in everyday life. It’s also beautifully written and funny as heck."

And, if you like cozy Southern fiction, here's an overview from The Word Verve, a writing and editing consulting company, of Front Porch Lemonade by JudiLynn Taylor:

"On the front porch of one Victorian home in the small Southern town of Eubanks, six women gather to indulge themselves in some cutting up, cutting loose, and an unparalleled stream of blowing off steam. While these friends cannot stop the events that at times attempt to knock them off their charted courses, they do find a way to embrace the changes in their lives—through each other’s support, laughter, and a healthy dose of Miss Abby’s lemonade. Hold the vodka?"