Really enjoyed this book. Great plot and engaging, believe characters. I was drawn right into the story. Would definitely recommend.

I was not aware that this book was a sequel when I requested it, which was probably why I found that the characters lacked depth. I am sure the author had introduced them better in the previous two books, so I will not hold this against her.

Unfortunately, this book was way too religious for me, or for any reader that does not base their life on faith. There was also no big conflict that drove the plot. Even when something interesting happened and two of the three protagonists' husbands got arrested during a trip abroad, the women just drank, ate and had massages, all the while saying that they would take action, but always postponing it. They did not even visit their husbands until they were bailed out, and one of the couples were actually newlyweds.

Speaking of the newlyweds, I really did not see any chemistry between Bonnie and Carl. I thought their marriage was unnecessary and bound to fail. Maybe this was because one could not help but compare them to Jackie and Steve, who had a more solid, love-based relationship.

I also thought that words like 'crapola', 'lollapalooza', and 'rub-a-dub-dub' were used way too much, making the narration, which already included a certain number of mistakes and typos, kind of awkward.

I believe this would be the perfect book for a faithful Christian, or someone who is already a fan of these series. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

The Winner's Circle is a laugh out loud story of a group of friends, one if whom wins the lottery. And let the fun and adventure begin. I can imagine my friends and myself on every page. Now enjoy the story, then head to the nearest lotto terminal and Good Luck!

A really good "feel good" book that could have happened to anyone, well anyone who knows my cast of family and friends. The ladies are comfortable friends who are sisters of the heart. when one wins big, of course she will share with her sisters. The story will make you laugh, gasp and shake your head as their antics unroll. PJ Colando writes as if this is her life...

The Winner’s Circle is such a cute story about three friends in middle age, two who embark on an adventure when one of them wins the lotto big time. The third friend, newly married to a pastor, remains in their small town to do damage control when things for the travelers go way south. There are some crazy, funny scenes that happen to delight and tickle the funny bone.

“The Winners Circle” by PJ Colander is book three in the “Faith, Family, Frenzy” series. Fran, Bonnie, and Jackie, familiar characters from the first two books, are still laughing it up on each page, and new readers will laugh right along with them. Any needed background information is incorporated in the natural narrative of this book. Readers new and old alike shake their heads and ask themselves “Why are some people devoted to chaos and determined to live in turmoil?” Regular readers will also be glad to know that scones reside in the freezer right next to that secret stash of marijuana-laced treats.
It all begins with a late night phone call. Of course, even answering phone calls for these friends is an entertaining task. The ringtone blares “Amazing Grace,” and the only appropriate answer is, of course, “How sweet the sound.” This time Bonnie replies that the next sound will be “cha-ching” because she has just bought a lottery ticket. Bonnie has the winning numbers, and all that money might change everything. Actually, things remain the same, just the geography changes. They still worry about their family and friends, and readers will laugh as they try to keep the money secret (like that will happen) and keep everyone out of trouble. Through it all, they are friends helping friends.
Colander paints a vivid picture of life in the Midwest. The dialogue brings the characters to life, and readers get to know people through the “down-home” descriptions. They are our parents, our grandparents, our children; we are these people.
“Bonnie flicked her hair like a pony who’d won a blue ribbon at the rodeo.”
“Jackie guessed if you were born and raised in Michigan like her and Steve, you basically breathed your own breath nine months a year, mouth wrapped in a scarf during cold weather outdoors”
“Carl had wedged himself into everyone’s hearts with the force of the freight trains that hurried Midwestern grains to food preparation plants.”
“Shut the front door! Is he all right? Let me talk to him.”

The action unfolds as the two couples replace their farm routines with Australian adventures paid for by lotto winnings. They meet some odd and unusual characters along the way.
“The man lizard-eyed the ladies. His sliver of red licorice mustache didn’t move, though his orangutan red hair was fully askew. An odd juxtaposition, as if he was half-liberal, half-conservative, half-unhinged, with the other half enslaved by the law.”
In alternating in chapters, readers also look in on those at home. Social media reports the actions of the adventurers, and back-home friends see things they wish they could un-see.”
“The Winners Circle” is about tight-knit group of friends who survive life’s uplifts, down drafts, and everything in between. To them, faith, family, and friends matter the most; all they need is hope and each other. I received a review copy of “The Winner’s Circle” from PJ Colander, Acorn Publishing, and NetGalley. It is filled with escapades and adventure but mostly with laughs and fun

The Winner's Circle by P.J.Colando
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy for my honest opinion and review.
A BIG SOLID 5 STARS
Description
FAITH… FAMILY… FRENZY!

Life in a rural small town can dull the senses. A trio of gal pals—mired in middle age, Middle America, and other people’s problems—long to escape.
When Bonnie wins the Boffo Lotto, her circle of friends urges her to lawyer up, invest, and sequester herself.
But secrets are inconceivable in small towns, so Bonnie and Carl invite close friends to witness their Vegas wedding and honeymoon in Hawaii with endless vagabond beyond. The sky’s the limit!
The allure of travel is fun for a while—hilarious, in fact. But when the husbands are jailed, wanderlust is no longer a romp and things get complicated when you’re halfway ‘round the world, untethered from all you know and love.
Life has its consequences… and there’s no place like home.

I loved this feel good, laugh out loud novel. I totally connected to the ladies and these baby boomers know how to have fun!! A refreshing, clean read with no stopping the fun or laughs. Get this book and have some YOU NEED THIS FUN book time.