Quick easy read. Truly enjoyed the quirky characters gathered together and assisting each other with living life. You don't have to be related to make a family!Kindle free book. ( )

I wanted to like this book - I mean, what has better promise for a story than a kitten and a broadsword? The premise is intriguing, but the characters are hard to know. The heroine comes across as puerile, naive, obsessed and directionless. She does eventually find direction, and she overcomes some of her helplessness, but by the time she does, it is too late. She is certain that her sister's spirit will be reborn, and she is on a search for her - convinced that she is either a kitten or the unborn child of an abused teen. Valentine, a con man, really has no personality and has a predictable part to play in the story as a bad-boy-gone-straight. The later characters of the married couple that live together but don't speak and the broadsword-wielding gun shop owner are amusing caricatures, but too oddball to feel real. The chapter headings are all Texas historical markers, which is an interesting addition to the story, and I wonder if they are actual markers or just fabricated to help set the scene. The author had a great plot idea, but for me, the execution of the story just fell short. It felt a little like a Stephanie Plum novel without the mystery, the steamy love triangle or the hamster.

I received a free review copy of this book from Netgalley.com ( )

I'm really not into chick-lit and the down-home, folksy narration this uses should make me really cranky, but every time I started to put this down and walk away I'd think "just a few more pages" until ... a few hours later I found myself at the end. Despite the fact that this is something I think I shouldn't have enjoyed at all, I found myself laughing and crying as I watched Eudora, aka Pea, leave Austin on her quest to find her sister's reincarnated self somewhere in Taos and get sidetracked by the menagerie of people she decides to rescue along the way. It's not so much a story of redemption as it is a story of dealing with grief and (self) forgiveness.

I received a digital ARC of this through NetGalley. ( )

"Sometimes you just have to take the leap and see where the road leads."

Summary: After the death of Eudora "Sweet Pea's" older sister, she is left feeling guilty, empty and lost. Her mother died when she was eight. She calls her father "Casper" for good reason. So, without any living family remaining in her life, longing for something more "Pea" sells everything, quits her job and decides to go searching for her sister who held a strong belief in reincarnation. Absent any real plan, "Pea" sets out alone, in a beat up old car all with only her last meager paycheck to live off, to travel across the state of Texas. In no time at all, she finds her car full of more than just her personal belongings, but when the old beater breaks down in the middle of the rural town of Jewel, Texas she's faced with some unexpected challenges. Slowly, its becoming evident there is a whole lot more here to "fix" than just her car.

Insight: The story takes place mostly in the small town of Jewel, Texas. Using Texas Roadside Markers at the beginning of most chapters, the author ties them neatly to Eudora's journey. The heroine of the novel, Eudora or "Pea" as she was affectionately nicknamed by her older sister, is a very likable character with a kind heart. She holds the desire to help out whoever/whatever she comes in contact with: con-men, estranged sisters and even a pregnant "Goth" teenager. As "Pea" is taught how to manage a local cafe to earn money for the car repairs, she ultimately learns a whole lot more than just "home" cooking. The novel explores the strength/power of womanhood, family and the sense of belonging.

Recommendation: I recommend this book to predominately female readers who enjoy "chick lit". Its a novel about women, friendships and finding courage to stand on your own. Young adults or children would not appreciate the mature themes this book explores. The story is a journey, as it unfolds it takes the reader on a quite a ride, so if your in the mood to be entertained do give it a try. ( )

I received this book as a Librarything Early Reviewer; not sure if I would have tried it otherwise. The story of a woman "lost" because she has no family and is trying to get over the death of her sister and the circumstances surrounding her death. Premise is fine but the book didn't really grab me. The reincarnation theme was a little too constant and therefore distracting. The story got better when Eudora ("Pea") gets stuck in a small town waiting for her car to be repaired. There she finds the people and the strength to rebuild her life and form her own new, untraditional "family." ( )