The Most Famous Illegal Goose Creek Parade (Goose Creek B&B Series #1) by Virginia Smith
Harvest House Publishers, 2015
Although retirement is still three years away, Al Richardson is counting the days, anticipating restful years in which every day feels like Saturday. But when Al’s wife, Millie, learns that a Victorian-era home is up for sale, she launches a full-blown campaign to convince Al that Goose Creek needs a Bed & Breakfast. Meanwhile, a new veterinarian has hung up her shingle, but her only patient is the smelly dog belonging to her part-time receptionist. Plus, townsfolk are taking sides on the issue of re-painting the water tower. And just how does a town demonstration change from being a protest to a parade?
Al Richardson, the unassuming hero of fictional Goose Creek, Kentucky, is entirely likable. He works hard during the week and spends his weekends puttering on his perfectly maintained property. He walks his squirrel-chasing dog because he knows they’ll both reap health benefits. And when his wife sets her heart on buying a decrepit Victorian mansion and turning it into Goose Creek’s first Bed & Breakfast, Al gives up his retirement to make his wife’s dream come true.
A fun cast of characters supports Al. His wife Millie is earnest and believable. When Millie sees that the new, young veterinarian she works for is struggling to fit in with her new community (and that she gets weak-kneed around a certain good-looking, motor-cycle-riding building contractor) she figures out ways to nudge everyone along. Throw in nosy “Creeker” neighbors who turn up at inopportune moments, ever-adapting gossip at the local ice cream parlor, and a badgered town council, and you have small-town “gentle fiction” at its best.
This series promises to be the perfect getaway from everything that is not right with the world. Visit Goose Creek, check in at the B&B with Al and Millie Richardson, and give yourself the gift of peaceful entertainment.
Reader, have you visited Goose Creek yet? Which townsfolk are you becoming friends with?
