Dear Reader,
The Room with the Second-Best View (Goose Creek B&B Series #3) by Virginia Smith is full of fun surprises.
As the residents of Goose Creek plan to celebrate the town’s 150th anniversary, Dr. Susan plans what she hopes will be a quiet wedding. With all the excitement, Millie Richardson has moved up the timeline of hosting B&B guests from two years away to a few weeks away—but before Millie can break this news to her husband Al, she tumbles down their newly renovated staircase and acquires, among other setbacks, a tender derriere.
Meanwhile, polydactyl cats are taking over Goose Creek. Millie’s relationship with her best friend Violet becomes strained. Socially awkward Lulu Thacker is trying to find her footing. And Justin’s Aunt Lorna won’t stop unloading extravagant, quirky gifts.
But no “Creeker” will ever forget their beloved veterinarian’s unusual wedding day.
As is often the case, the plans for Dr. Susan’s wedding start out simple. A quiet ceremony will be followed by lunch with a few friends at a favorite restaurant.
When they turned onto the northbound side of Main Street, Justin pointed out the Whistlestop Café on the corner.
“That’s where we thought we’d go for lunch after the ceremony. It’s our favorite place in town to eat.” He pulled into the parking lot and leaned slightly over the steering wheel, peering at the deep, rough-wooded front porch.
Reader, my interest was piqued here because I’ve grown to love the stories surrounding another favorite author’s restaurant by the same name, so I emailed Virginia Smith to ask how Goose Creek’s Whistlestop Café came about. She replied that Goose Creek’s Whistlestop Café is fashioned after a real-life restaurant in Midway, Kentucky, called Darlin’ Jean’s Apple Cobbler Cafe. (The restaurant’s social media photos show the “deep, rough-wooded front porch.”) Isn’t that fun?
Like the first two books in the Goose Creek series, The Room with the Second-Best View includes notes scattered throughout, including recipes for Lulu Thacker’s Parsnip Maple Cake, Millie Richardson’s Breakfast Casserole, and Kentucky-Style Devonshire Cream.
The Room with the Second-Best View might be my favorite in this series. I’ve really grown to love these characters, and we see a lot of growth in them in this third and final book. (A quick visit to Goose Creek at Christmastime promises to be the perfect antidote for my homesickness. Watch for my review of the novella A Goose Creek Christmas this holiday season!)
And on a side note … In my review of the second book in the series, I wrote that you can read any of these books as a standalone novel. I still think that’s true, but because there’s so much character growth that happens in this third book, now I encourage you to read the three books in order for each character’s story to be that much more compelling.
Reader, what do you love most about Goose Creek? Will you go back there with me at Christmastime?
Here with you,
Laura
