Saturday, July 22, 2023

About the Book

Book: Runaround Sue

Author: Jennifer Lynn Cary

Genre: Sweet and Wholesome Romance

Release Date: May 30, 2023

She gave away something precious…

…He lost a part of himself.

Can they find a way to help each other heal?

Sue is hiding out until she is sure her former reputation won’t destroy what she’s trying to rebuild. Unfortunately, that means this brilliant wordsmith turned semi-hermit is working beneath her potential and dealing with stress every time her office door opens.

The last thing she needs to do is greet some biker guy who sets her nerves to jumping just by being in the same room.

And if his hairy face isn’t enough to put her off, the mere fact that he’s male is.

So why does she keep ending up in his presence?

Mac is home from Viet Nam and if he never thinks about that place again, it will be too soon. Instead, he’s returned to his music that got him through his teen years, his exotic senior trip overseas (thanks to his Uncle Sam), and the deep wound that he brought home with him. Using his GI bill to further his music understanding has pushed him outside his comfort zone, but the leggy secretary at his professor’s office is tempting him with other ideas he thought he’d shelved for good.

Even if she gets flustered every time he runs into her.

What will it take for her to give him a chance? Or is she more wounded than he is?

Return to 1972 Kokomo, Indiana for the third installment of The Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue series—Runaround Sue—and what see happens when people discover who God has called them to be.

You will love Runaround Sue, inspired by Dion and the Belmonts’ 1960s hit song, because everyone understands about facing fears with a do-over.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Historical Christian Romance author, Jennifer Lynn Cary, likes to say you can take the girl out of Indiana, but you can’t take the Hoosier out of the girl. Now transplanted to the Arizona desert, this direct descendant of Davy Crockett and her husband of forty years enjoy time with family where she shares tales of her small-town heritage and family legacies with their grandchildren. She is the author of The Crockett Chronicles series, The Relentless series, and The Weather Girls trilogy as well as the stand-alone novel, Cheryl’s Going Home, her novella Tales of the Hob Nob Annex Café, and her split-time novels The Traveling Prayer Shawland The Forgotten Gratitude Journal.

Runaround Sue is the third book of her spin-off series The Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue.

More from Jennifer Lynn

One of the best parts of writing this series is that I get to relive lots of fun memories from my childhood. As my bio states, I am a direct descendant of Davy Crockett. This was a big deal to my father, and he made us memorize the generations back.

Well, my first real friend (we met when we were four but didn’t get to play together again until we were in first grade—long, funny story) had a famous last name, famous around Kokomo at least. Haynes. She mentioned she was related to this guy who was a big deal with cars and steel. That was about all my first grade mind could fathom.

I was able to connect that to a little side trip I took with my dad one day. He pulled up in front of an old white building on Apperson Way in Kokomo and led me to the front door. It was obvious the building was empty and had been for some time. But on the slab porch, in front of the entrance, he pointed out a tiled mosaic of a jack rabbit. Dad explained that this had been the factory where the Apperson brothers produced their car, the Jack Rabbit. They ran their factory for about twenty-five years producing one of the first sports cars ever made.

By fourth grade, where we learned about Indiana history, I also got a bit more information on Elwood Haynes (my friend’s ancestor) and the Apperson brothers. Aside from a converted horse cart, their Pioneer car from 1894 is considered the first automobile made in the USA and is now housed in the Smithsonian.

I don’t think I fully grasped Elwood Haynes’s contributions to science and industry, however, until I moved away and became an adult. (Getting older and learning how to surf the web helped too). I was able to use what I learned about the man and share it in Runaround Sue.

The auto industry left Kokomo in the dust when it became evident that Detroit was easier and less expensive to deliver raw products to. However, that didn’t stop Mr. Haynes from doing his experiments. One story has it that he invented stainless steel because his wife was tired of polishing the silver. And we can thank him for finding a use for that residue that was left after cleaning the oil captured from the drilling in the Kokomo area—a little thing called gasoline.

I love that I’m from Kokomo, that I had a wonderful childhood there, and that there are so many cool pieces of information about the place. (BTW, actor Strother Martin and author Norman Bridwell of Clifford the Big Red Dog series are both Kokomo famous sons).

If you’ve ever been to Kokomo, Indiana, I hope you will respond and let me know. If you haven’t, it’s a nice place to visit. I hope you will check it out.

MY REVIEW

The setting of the story takes place in the early 1970s which might be around the time I was a teen. Oh the memories of songs I loved to listen to and the fun of growing up in this era makes me think about the good old days. The author captures the lingo perfectly and I was transported back to the days when certain songs were popular and fun times were just around the corner.

Sue is a challenge to say the least. She has this wall built around her heart and is determined not to let anyone crack it open. I enjoyed the job she had at the church and how I think it helped her become more confident in herself. Her time with the middle school girls at church was a lot of fun to observe. I loved the way she took a song that is considered worldly and showed how the song related to God. Sue is good at pointing out that the songs we listen to should glorify God and to be careful of those who can turn us away from Him. She wanted the girls to know that what they say or listen to will influence them and to be mindful of what they allow theirselves to be subjected to that is not of God.

Mac oh my he reminds me of the guy everyone thinks is kinda on the bad side but deep down he has a sensitive side. He cares for others but he has some issues to deal with. His encounter with Sue is funny at first. They each seem shy but God had a purpose for them meeting. Mac never thought he would be playing guitar at Sue’s Bible study group of young girls but surprise he is. I like how it stretches him and helps him become more approachable . Did you notice that both our main characters have similar flaws?

What I really like about the story is that Sue and Mac are very relatable. Sue had weight issues when she was younger. The words she heard were so hurtful it became a crutch for her. She believed that in order to be accepted she had to lose weight. I can say right now that society has made all of us think that looks are what is important. Like Sue she fell for the trap and found herself criticized and rejected. Her father has been such a hinderance in her life, that she has very low self esteem.

Mac has come back from Vietnam a changed man. He has hidden a secret for a long time. I tried to guess what it was but the author took me by surprise. So many things made sense when his secret is revealed. His insecurity, not wanting to get too close to people and especially not wanting to talk about his time in Vietnam. Slowly he reveals to Sue the emotional turmoil he had been through while fighting for his country.

Don’t miss this enjoyable story that follows two people who each have baggage that requires them to be honest, ask for forgiveness and allow others to speak into their lives. The ending is sweet and I loved the little nod that is included in each book in this series. Have you discovered what it is? Be sure to take note of the historical facts in the book that the author shares. I would love to visit the museum sometime and learn more about Elwood Haynes.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.