Coming Home: A Returned Missionary Anthology by Renae Weight Mackley , Melissa J. Cunningham, Janice Sperry, Rebecca H. Jamison: Book Review

 

Product Details

• Title: Coming Home: A Returned Missionary Anthology 
• Authors: Renae Weight Mackley , Melissa J. Cunningham, Janice Sperry, Rebecca H. Jamison
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Parables (May 31, 2021)
• Genre: Contemporary sweet romance/Christian fiction/LDS Fiction
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 282 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1637322720

• ***I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own***

Book Summary

COMING HOME is all about finding love and eternal companionship. Laugh, cry, and root for your favorite couple as each character decides whether to serve as a missionary or comes home to find expectations shaken up. Set in Brigham City, Utah and BYU-Idaho, these faith-filled, sequential novellas feature overlapping characters with stories of their own.

No Guessing Required by Renae Mackley

In No Guessing Required, Tyler returns from his mission knowing his feelings for Raychel have blossomed into love. He can't keep his feelings from her as they resume their relationship, but she resists reciprocating, in spite of the wonderful dates he plans. Raychel is submitting her own missionary papers, and Patrick, Tyler's best friend, might also be a good catch after she returns home.

Storm-tossed by Melissa Cunningham

Storm-tossed is a poignant story revolving around Raychel's cousin, Daila, who invites newly returned missionary, John, to a YSA activity. John's girlfriend and Tyler's younger sister, Karilynn, had asked best friend Daila to keep John "safe" from other girls until she gets home from her mission. But John and Daila soon become attracted to one another as John sees Daila as a better match for him and Daila can't resist her first real taste of a man's favorable attention.

Dumped by Janice Sperry

After being Dumped, Karilynn returns from her mission two days after her former boyfriend marries her former best friend. A series of innocent and hilarious events has people believing that she and her brother's friend, Patrick, are dating. Patrick is too intent on his GPA for a social life, but worries his roommate, Nick, might have an interest in Karilynn. When Nick and Karilynn accidentally end up going to a dance together, is it enough to wake Patrick up to his feelings for Karilynn?

The Dance by Rebecca Jamison

Mari and Nick head a FHE group for their BYU-I ward, where Nick secretly takes an interest in her. He encourages her boyfriend, Carter, to go on a mission. Carter doesn't want competition, so he buys Mari a huge promise ring. Carter's new job to earn money for his mission is with Nick and Patrick at a dance studio, leaving even less time with Mari. In The Dance, Carter is matched with Gabriella, the instructor's daughter, for an upcoming dance competition, and Mari is matched with Nick.

My Review

This was a nice anthology. The part I liked the best was how all four novellas connected with each other. Some of the characters were best friends and others were siblings. This book is a Christian book based on the beliefs of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All of them have to do with missionaries coming home or people ready to leave on missions.

 These are all written well and with great characters. Some of the stories are more angsty like Storm Tossed which has more serious life situations in the story. this is also a story of forgiveness and redemption. Then the most light-hearted story, The Dance, is so lively and has a strong sense of fun and anticipation. The story No Guessing Required reminded me of so many friends that went through the same thing as these characters. Dumped was all about someone who received a "Dear John" while she was on her mission. In other words, the person who was waiting at home found someone else. I didn't like the main character at first but grew to like her more as the story progressed as she matured in her actions. 

 Anthologies are the best thing to read for busy people. All of the stories have happy endings which made this a very enjoyable book. 

***Meet the Authors of Coming Home***

Renae Weight Mackley

Renae Weight Mackley is a mother to six, grandmother to more. She puts a touch of faith into her novels, because hey--we can all use a little inspiration along with our romance and adventure. Raised in California, she loves the beach. Living in Virginia gave her the opportunity to become familiar with some amazing American Civil War sites and story ideas. She currently resides in Utah. She's a bicycle rider; a former substitute teacher; creator of music, fiber arts, good food, and the written word.

Melissa J. Cunningham

Melissa Cunningham, (also known as M.E. Cunningham) is from Northern Utah where she lives with her husband and kids, plus a slew of dogs, cats, horses, and chickens. She is a plantaholic, collects rocks and crystals, plays piano and guitar, and loves communing with nature. More of a hermit than anything, she loves relaxing at home. 

She is the award-winning author of The Reluctant Guardian series, and the Out of Terratir series published by Clean Teen Publishing.

Janice Sperry

Janice Sperry has loved words ever since she learned how to read and believes that laughter is her superpower. She lives with her husband, three children (who would like to point out that they are no longer children), and two cats (who would like to point out that their food dish is empty)

Rebecca H. Jamison

Rebecca H. Jamison has lived on a live volcano, excavated the bones of a prehistoric mammal, and won first prize at a rigged chili cook-off. She wrote novels just for fun until she made a New Year's resolution in 2011 to submit a manuscript to publishers.

Rebecca grew up in Virginia. She attended Brigham Young University, where she earned a BA and MA in English. Her job titles have included special education teacher's aide, technical writer, English teacher, and stay-at-home mom.

You can learn more about Rebecca at www.rebeccahjamison.com                                                   

**Purchase Your Copy of Coming Home HERE:**

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