Blog Tour: Review & Excerpt of Saving Jake by Sharon Sala

Author: Sharon Sala
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date of publication: October 2016

 There is always hope

After eight years in the Marines, Jacob Lorde returns to Blessings, Georgia, with no plans other than to hole up in his empty house and heal what’s left of his soul. But with a charming next door neighbor and a town full of friendly people, keeping to himself is easier said than done.

As long as you can come home

Laurel Payne understands far too well what Jake is going through, after witnessing her late husband experience similar problems. She’s in no hurry to jump into another relationship with a complicated guy, but their attraction is undeniable—and perhaps exactly what both of them need.

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My thoughts:

Saving Jake is the third book that takes place in the small town of Blessings Georgia.  While not my favorite of the three, I still enjoyed Jake and Laurel's story.  Jake has returned home a wounded veteran who is still feeling the effects of war.  He wants to settle down in his hometown and get on with his life.  Laurel is a widow raising her young daughter.  Her husband was a war hero who ended his own life.  The last thing she wants is to get involved with another soldier.

I did ultimately like Jake and Laurel's story.  Their fall into love was sweet if a little rushed.  The story is about healing and allowing oneself to rely on others to help the healing process. Both Laurel and Jake have a lot of healing to do and I could see why they would be drawn together. I was kind of hoping that Jake would seek out help for his PTSD nightmares because I could see them causing an issue in the future. 

The thing that I didn't love about the story was the many point of view that were included.  I felt like it took away from the main couple's story. Especially in terms of Truman's storyline as I felt that really seemed like it wasn't essential to the story and could have been completely left out. There was also less of the townsfolk present. especially from the Curl Up and Dye crowd.  They were what I loved about the other books.  I still recommend this installment.  Visiting Blessings it like visiting with long lost friends.  

Excerpt:

Dear Reader:

I welcome you to Blessings, Georgia, the best small town in the South.

No, there aren’t any secrets kept here, and yes, everybody knows your business, but when bad things happen, good people come to your rescue.

I grew up in a place like that—-a place everyone should live in at least once in their lives, but since that’s not possible, I’m offering the next best thing: stories about that way of life—-touching stories, funny stories, stories that will break your heart on one page and heal it on the next.

Count Your Blessings was the novella introducing my readers to the Georgia landscape.

You and Only You was the first full-length novel set in Blessings. It’s a story about the faithfulness of friends and family and what it means to be Southern to the core, as well as being a sweet love story to enjoy.

I’ll Stand By You was the second full-length novel. It’s a story about how people starting life off on the wrong foot can still find a way to live happy ever after.

Saving Jake is the next story, the one you’re holding in your hands. It’s a story that gets to the heart of what matters in life: redemption, forgiveness, and trust. It’s a story of the times, and yet timeless in its simplicity.

Pick up one of my stories and take a visit to Blessings with me.

You just might like it enough to stay.

See you between the pages,

Sharon Sala

Chapter 1

Thomas Wolfe once wrote, “You can never go home again.” Jacob Lorde never took the word of a stranger. He was on the way home, marking the passing of every mile with a war-weary soul. He needed a place to heal and Blessings, Georgia, the place where he grew up, was calling him.

He’d come back briefly over a year ago to bury his father, and the calm and peace of the place had stayed with him long after he’d returned to his unit. Only a couple of months later, an IED on one patrol too many earned him a long stint in the hospital and brought his time with the army to an end.

Now he was coming home to try and bury the soldier he’d been.

He wanted to be done with war.

He needed peace.

He needed the emotional security that comes with knowing where he belonged.

He needed that like he needed air to breathe, so when the Greyhound bus in which he was riding came around the curve and he saw the city-limit sign of Blessings gleaming in the early morning sunlight, his eyes blurred with sudden tears. He took the sunglasses from the pocket of his uniform and slipped them on, then held his breath as the bus began to stop.

The brakes squeaked. They needed oil.

Jake stood slowly, easing the stiffness in a still-healing leg, walked down the aisle, and then out into a sweet Georgia morning. He took a deep breath, smelling pine trees on the mountains around him and the scent of smoke from someone’s fireplace.

He was home.

The driver pulled his duffel bag from the luggage rack beneath the bus, shook his hand, and got back on board. The rest of the trip home was on Jake.

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About the author:

SHARON SALA has over ninety-five books in print and has published in five different genres. She is a seven time RITA finalist, four-time Career Achievement winner from RT Book Reviews, and five-time winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award. Writing changed her life, her world, and her fate. She lives in Norman, Oklahoma.