Sincerely, Mayla by Virginia Smith (Tour Day 4)

Other books by Virginia Smith (Ginny can write anything!!!) are:

Stuck in the Middle, Book 1 of The Sister-to-Sister Series. (Revell, ISBN 978-0-8007-3232-5) Joan Sanderson is stuck. While her sisters are off making lives for themselves, Joan lives at home helping Mom take care of her kooky grandmother. She's been deserted by her father, dumped by her boyfriend, and God seems like a distant observer. Then a Christian guy moves in next door - a doctor, no less! If only her little sister wasn't such a flirt ...

The Unforgettable Mayla Strong

Just As I Am (ISBN: 978-0825436932, Kregel Publications) Sometimes God’s call comes when we least expect it, and to the most unlikely people! When purple-haired Mayla Strong slumps into the back pew of Mama’s little country church she has only one goal – to get Mama off her back. But Pastor Paul’s message pierces her soul, and almost before she knows what’s happening she’s in front of the congregation, lip stud and all, praying the prayer that changes her life forever. She is baptized on the spot, wearing Mama’s slip under her white baptism robe to hide her hot pink panties from eyes of the curious congregation. Coming out of the water, Mayla knows life will never be the same.

More about JUST AS I AM

Sincerely, Mayla. (ISBN 978-0-8254-3692-5, Kregel Publications) The purple hair is gone, but Mayla Strong’s spunk and her nostril stud remain. She has set her cap for Pastor Paul—if only he would give in and accept the inevitable. When he stubbornly resists her charms, she goes off to sulk at her grandmother’s. Soon the house fills up with strays: a sullen teenage runaway and an angry ex-friend. As Grandmother serves up huge portions of guilt along with her famous fried chicken, Mayla realizes being a control freak is an inherited trait. She knows God has all the answers—the trick is letting go long enough to let Him prove it.

Murder by Mushroom (Steeple Hill,

ISBN 037344253X) A potluck on the lawn of Heritage Community Church attracts the usual pests - ants and flies, gossips and murderers. In this cozy mystery set in the small town of Versailles, Kentucky, kitchen klutz Jackie Hoffner decides to bring something other than potato chips to the church potluck. When someone plants poisonous mushrooms in her casserole to kill a gossipy old lady, Jackie determines to find the killer and clear her name.

More about MURDER BY MUSHROOM

Bluegrass Peril (Steeple Hill, ISBN 9-780-373-44272-0) -When the director of a retirement farm for thoroughbred champions is murdered, Becky Dennison teams up with the handsome manager of a neighboring horse farm to find her boss's killer. The amateur sleuths uncover a trail of clues that lead them into the intricate society of Kentucky's elite thoroughbred breeding industry. They soon find themselves surrounded by the mint julep set - jealous southern belles and intensely competitive horse breeders - in a high-stakes game of danger, money, and that famous southern pride.

One that I read and enjoyed is Bluegrass Peril (and Stuck in the Middle is in my TBR pile). Here is that review on Bluegrass Peril:
I finished the book just moments ago. For once in my life, I have now read a mystery suspense that I couldn't guess what was going to happen next. This was really surprising and a welcome change of events. It has been quite a while since I have read any suspense novels because of that very reason, but this just might have influenced me to try again in that section. Virginia Smith did a very good job of keeping the reader on their toes and guessing. The words really could not become absorbed by m...more
For once in my life, I have now read a mystery suspense that I couldn't guess what was going to happen next. This was really surprising and a welcome change of events. It has been quite a while since I have read any suspense novels because of that very reason, but this just might have influenced me to try again in that section. Virginia Smith did a very good job of keeping the reader on their toes and guessing. The words really could not become absorbed by my eyes and brain fast enough to keep going; I wanted to know just what would happen next.

This story brings in a mother of twins that from the very first a reader can sympathize with and feel her emotions clearly as their own with a relative part of her life. She has both good and bad in her life and tries to focus on the good and what's right, but just like all us, can become overwhelmed by the bad that she wants to fix. Another character from the very start is Scott Lewis, Scott has a past of a broken heart and does not want a repeat and therefore is very guarded with his life. Thrown in with the what-ifs of life and love and what shouldn't be... murder. Who committed the murder and why? When people start to get too close, others begin to get hurt and die. So many suspects... So many motives... where to turn and what to think?

This book was very realistic in some ways for a fiction novel. I can easily see the characters play out in real life in a similar fashion. The only part I do not buy is the un-authorized detective work performed by civilians. In this day and age with our law enforcement it is almost scary to think of investigating things. But perhaps, I've seen to many movies and heard too many stories and just find police officers suspicious and ready to jump on anyone that appears too interested... Too bad we cannot all be Nancy Drew. ;-)