When Alice DeLuca phoned her grandson Dominic to let him know the cancer was back, he was shocked. But it was her request that he return to Magnolia Grove to spend time with her before she passed that frustrated him. Tossing in his job at the bar and heading to the one place he had vowed never to return to, Dominic decided that once his grandma passed, he would be shot of Magnolia Grove. He guessed he could wait that long.

Tracy Briggs and her five-year-old son Lucas were finally happy in their lives. Tracy’s joy at Lucas’ advancement in his hearing-impaired life, now that he had the cochlear implant, was infectious. Her sister Meghan and husband Tom had been married for two years and settled into Tom’s veterinary practice, while Tracy and Lucas lived with her mother Lila. But when an elderly lady appeared at Lila’s door wanting to see Tracy, she had no idea how her life would change. There would be trouble on the horizon, but there would be extraordinary moments as well.

A Year of Extraordinary Moments by Bette Lee Crosby is the 2nd in the Magnolia Grove series, and a delightful addition to the first. Most of the characters were extremely likeable, but there was one who was not. Dominic was the worst kind of loser and the biggest kind of troublemaker and I really had to grit my teeth when I read his story. He certainly didn’t deserve the sweet old lady who was his grandma. A Year of Extraordinary Moments is a read I have no problem recommending.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

A Year of Extraordinary Moments by Bette Lee Crosby

An amazing book about family, love and relationships. Bette Lee Crosby has endowed her characters with strengths and weaknesses that make you either love them or feel sorry for them.

This book builds on the importance of family and the love and strength family offers. It shows that strong relationships can be built even if on shaky ground to start. How personal growth and strength can occur without one being fully aware.

This is a well written book about everyday people who face some extraordinary moments in their lives. The characters are real and relatable that I have to say I felt something for everyone; whether it was joy or sadness, love or disdain. I felt a mother’s pride, a mother’s fierceness and a grandmother’s love

If you enjoy women’s fiction, family drama and just a really enjoyable read this one is for you.

Thank you to #Netgalley an #Lake Union Publishing for approving my request. The opinions in this review are my own.

This story picks up where the summer of new beginnings ends, fast forward Meghan & Tom are married and Meghan got her veterinarian tech license so her and Tom are working side by side. Tracey is still running snip n save and having trouble letting go of ghosts of the past so she can move on into the future. Lucas is thriving at Gabriel’s school for the deaf and Gabriel is patiently waiting for Tracey. Lila is moving forward crossing items off of George’s bucket list he as he watches from heaven. This has been a year of discovery of love lost and love found. Wrongs made right, deceit and heartbreak. There is a letter waiting for Lucas when he turns 16. This is a beautiful story touching story that anyone can relate to.

Loved it! Grab a box of tissues and enjoy. Several family and friend relationships are involved, some of which are good, some not. I didn't read the previous one. While it would have been nice to have done so, I was still fully engaged with all the pertinent characters.

Tracey has a lot on her plate but she's handling all of it. Her son Lucas has a hearing issue but that's not an impediment to their happiness. Then, last thing she needs, her ex Dominic comes back to town. Will this be a second chance romance? Don't guess too soon. Dominic's grandmother Alice is a treat and she's the one you'll root for. Don't worry if you didn't read the first one as this is fine as standalone. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. This is a good read.

Tracy Briggs has finally gotten her act together. She’s focusing on her own life and helping her hearing-impaired son learn to talk. With her sister married and exploring a new career, Tracy has begun to run the family’s magazine business and feels her life is pretty much perfect. That is, until her son’s deadbeat dad shows up in Magnolia Grove asking for a second chance.

Now that her son is getting the help he needs and a promising new romance with his teacher is in bloom, Tracy wants to keep her life just as it is. But her ex isn’t taking no for an answer. And when a spirited elderly woman enters Tracy’s life in an unexpected way, she’ll have to work harder than ever to keep her new life on track.

Torn between the past she knows and the uncertain future, Tracy must decide what is best for both her and her son, learning along the way that ordinary choices can bring extraordinary possibilities.

My Thoughts: When I first started meeting the delightful characters of A Year of Extraordinary Moments, I was immediately caught up in their lives, with all their flaws, hopes, dreams, and losses.

Alice DeLuca is the first one we meet, and I could sense her longing to once again connect with her grandson Dominic. His mother had abandoned him, but Alice raised him. And now that she is terminally ill, time is running out.

In Philadelphia, Dominic is just barely making it, with nothing or nobody meaningful in his life. When his grandmother calls, requesting he visit her in Magnolia Grove, he sets off to make her wish come true.

But once there, Dominic falls back into his old ways, drinking and carousing.

Meanwhile, Tracy is raising Dominic’s son alone, but she has the help of her mother Lila and her sister Meghan.

What, if anything, will bring these disparate family members together? Will Alice’s final days bring some of the joy she has desired? Unexpected events change the course of all their lives, and we discover that sometimes life brings just what we need.

With a great setting and characters I could root for, this book earned 4.5 stars.
***My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union and Bette Lee Crosby for this wonderful book.

This is such a good book. It will pull at your heartstrings and make you feel such strong emotions. I laughed in placed and did some hard crying in others. This book has all the emotions and you feel them all. It pulls you in and won’t let go until the very last sentence.

Wonderful characters. You will fall in love with most and dislike, very strongly, others. There are parts that just really made me do some very ugly crying but I understand they had to be included. It was spot on perfect in my opinion. Bette Lee Crosby always delivers the best stories. I expect no less from her and am never ever disappointed. I’ve read every book she ever wrote and loved them all. This one is my new favorite. It’s so good.

A must read after you read the first in the series,The Summer Of New Beginnings. I can’t wait for the next book by Ms Crosby. This is a big 5 star book.

One doesn't simply read a book written by Bette Lee Crosby, you stroll into it, take a seat and share a cup of tea. Her settings are always warm, inviting and populated by people who are just as warm and inviting. The second in the Magnolia Grove Series, this could easily be read as a standalone. In my opinion, it's better than the first book mainly due to Tracy and Lucas. There's a lot of drama in Tracy's life and it was nice to see some things get resolved.
The addition of Alice and Charley were superb. They added so much more meaning and love to this novel.
I highly recommend this book if you're searching for a heartfelt book with a character seeking redemption and a fresh start.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book from netgalley, the author and Lake Union. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book sooo much! These characters are so real to me. Love the sisters, and mom. The men in their lives as well. The addition to Grandma Alice was so special. I was a little worried for a while that the happy ever after might not come about, but Bette made it happen believablely so. Truly a heartwarming series. Well done Bette Lee Crosby! Thank you. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me the privilege of reading early.

This is the second book in the A Magnolia Grove Series. The story continues focusing on the Briggs family and the people they have in their lives. The youngest daughter, Tracy finds maturity due to being a mother and finds love also because of a situation with her son.

The story flowed smoothly. The characters are well developed and the story is believable, which is always a plus to me.

Bette Lee Crosby has written another heartwarming story that I enjoyed very much.

Another wonderful book by Bette Lee Crosby. She always brings the story to us from so many different points of view with Love and family first and foremost.

A Year of Extraordinary Moments is a heart-warming book about families, filled with fascinating characters and complicated relationships! Tracy is a single mom of a hearing-impaired son whose life has finally started to come together...until her son’s deadbeat dad returns, hoping to renew their relationship. This book is a good mix of family drama, romance and suspense that will keep readers engaged from beginning to end. Thanks to Net Galley for providing a copy of this book.

A Year of Extraordinary Moments is such a fantastic sequel in the Magnolia Grove series. My favorite characters are back, and a couple of new ones have been added to that list. This story concentrates more on Tracy and Dominic, and i love the way it turned out. Definitely 5 stars!

This novel was a wonderful, inspirational story about family! I enjoyed the way the characters and their relationships were depicted. This story picks up on the lives of the characters from the first book, The Summer of New Beginnings, that started this series. Tracy is back living at her mother’s house. She’s very busy taking care of her young son and running the family business. Things seem to be going well for Tracy and her life is in control. But then her son’s estranged father shows up and attempts to get back into her life and see his son. The characters face challenges and changes in their lives as there are both endings and new beginnings in their lives. The story flows along with surprises along the way, mixed in among joy and sadness.

This is a book that has all the emotions of family life in it; hope, anger,sadness, and love. It is well written and flows smoothly from beginning to end. I enjoyed reading this book. Thank you Betty Lee Crosby and Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley for the ARC copy this book. This is my honest review.

Thank you to Bette Lee Crosby at Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for giving me an e-arc Of The Year of Extraordinary Moments to read and review. This is the second book in her Magnolia Grove series, following The Summer of New Beginnings. To my surprise, I found I liked this second story even more than I enjoyed the first, which I found hard to believe. Where the first book centered around the sister Meghan’s life, this one was mainly about the other sister Tracy and her hearing impaired son Lucas. The genre of the story is women’s fiction. What I like about the Magnolia Grove books is that the characters are very likable (except Dominic), and the storylines are easily relatable to as many of us have gone through similar circumstances. I feel that both stories are light, easy reads that leave you feeling good, and like you’ve learned a few important life lessons. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who understands and appreciates what it is to be part of a family. However, I do suggest that although it’s possible to read one book without the other, it’s probable that you would get a better understanding of the story if you read both in the appropriate order. Now I’m curious to see if there will be more to the series and if so, in what direction the story will go.

This is the second book in the Magnolia Grove series that I had been anxiously awaiting and it didn't let me down. I already knew most of the characters from the first book so I was excited to see what would happen next.
Bette's style of writing, characters and setting, with her southern charm are always a pleasure to read. With a rollercoaster of emotions and true to life story it was a real page turner!
Kudos to the author on another 5 star book and a big thank you for allowing me to read an advanced copy. Once I found this author I have read all of her books and always look forward to a new one. She has become one of my favorite authors. Do yourself a favor and try one of her books, I'm sure you'll enjoy her as much as I do!

Love, love, loved this book! I was anxious to find out Tracy and Lucas's story and I wasn't disappointed. Well, in Dominic I was but the rest was heartwarming and full of everything I hoped for! I'm really hoping the story is not over tho! I think there is more to know about this loving family! Lila is at my age and I'd love to know how her golden years look! Another winner for Bette Lee Crosby!

A heartwarming story of a mother's love or grandmother's. The characters are developed with love by this author. You'll be sad at times but also understanding. You'll be drawn in and will not be able to put it down until the end.

A Year of Extraordinary Moments book # 2 in the Magnolia Grove Series by Bette Lee Crosby. I was impatiently waiting for the second book in this series and I was not disappointed. This wonderful book by an awesome storyteller kept me turning page after page. I did not want to put this book down just like all of Bette’s books you get drawn in and don’t want to have the book end. Bette writes about some very hard issues to deal with but she handles them well. This book will pull at your heartstrings it will make you laugh and it will make you cry. As with all of Bette’s books I loved this one just as much. I highly recommend reading all of her books not just this one. Thank you Bette for another heartwarming story.