This is a sweet novel narrated by four couples (and others) in one small Texas town. The course of true love does not run straight but it is pretty clean in Honey Creek. This is the second in the series and perfectly enjoyable as a standalone, although those who read the first book will be very happy to see the stories of those they've already met continued. Marcie, who is at the center of much of the action, is someone who deserves a break and a good life, Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A positive engaging read.

Not just one romance, but three. All quite different characters. Some tears were shed. If I bit my fingernails, that would have happened, too. Some nasty happenings, along with the sweet. Wanted all to get to their happily ever after, but didn't really want the book to end. I am eager to read more. I want to read the first one in this series also. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

'Picnic in Someday Valley' is the first book I have ever read by Jodi Thomas and because of how I felt starting out reading it I was surprised how much I ended up liking it. There was so much going on, and most of the characters were facing real difficulties in their lives. The villains in the book were truly horrific and caused me extreme discomfort. Some storylines were resolved to some degree, and others I hope will be addressed in the future. There is a scene between Pecos and his father-in-law that was so touching I wept for awhile. I look forward to more, and perhaps will go back and get the first in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Marcie has not been very lucky in her life. But maybe this time she will find hope at last.
Piper is the major of a small town, and she'd found something in Colby. Will they find the way to be together?
Jesse is a widow. He lives in a farm with his three kids. Will be be able to feel attracted to another woman, different from Beth?
There are several stories running in this book. In my opinion, the intersection between them could have been worked out better. There's some explicit violence I would have liked to be warned about. All in all, the book is fine for a casual quick read. Not up to my expectations. Then, that's just my opinion.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the Honey Creek series. I loved the first book, and was excited about a second. This one had a difficult time holding my attention. While I enjoyed it, the story was in so many points of view, it was hard for me to follow the story. The writing was good, and I loved the characters from the previous book, coming back in this one, and I liked getting to know the new characters. But, it seemed like this book was in every characters point of view. But, I was completely hooked in the last few chapters, and couldn’t put it down until I finished. I’ll definitely check out any other books in this series, as I feel invested in the characters lives now. It’s definitely worth a read if you don’t mind the multiple points of view. The overall story is really good.

Readers of Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe will be delighted to meet up with their old (character) friends in this second novel set in Texas. Piper, the mayor, and her Texas Ranger are back along with the widows and a number of other folks from the first novel including Pecos and his young bride. For those who have not read Breakfast, there is a lot of information given to catch you up; however, for a more leisurely read, take the books in order.

In part, this title tells the story of Marcie. She was a character in the first novel too, but comes into her own here. Marcie is a singer who made the mistake of getting involved with the wrong man. She expects little to bad things from relationships. Will it be any different with Brand?

Readers also meet Jesse, a young widower. He takes excellent care of his three children and his farm but can he hope for more in life? Will he find love with the baker of the most perfect scones?

Spending time in the locations and with the characters make for a relaxing read. Travel to Texas; readers will want to stay for a while.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

3 Stars

I thought that there were lots of characters in the first book and in this book we are introduced to even more and the stories from the characters in book 1 continue ,,, I just found it too much. With having so many characters, I felt that no one's story was memorable. This is just my opinion, as I see that many people love the book.

I received an early copy courtesy of Kensington Books through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Book two in the Honey Creek series, Picnic in Someday Valley, takes place in the next town over, Someday Valley, Texas. There are several returning characters from the previous book, something I always enjoy.

Marci was a duped girlfriend in the previous book. She’d like a fresh start but doesn’t expect forgiveness or understanding from people her ex hurt. For some reason a mystery cowboy keeps turning up in her life. What will it take for him to figure out she’s no good?

A widowed father of three can’t seem to get the local baker off his mind. Her hands are filled with work and raising her delinquent fifteen-year-old sister. She doesn’t have time for love!

The mayor and her Ranger are experiencing troubled waters in the early days of their long-distance relationship. When will he figure out she’s a strong, independent woman and doesn’t need him to rescue her? Or does she?

Jodi Thomas packed all this and more into her entertaining novel. I loved it all and recommend to fans of contemporary romance, small town settings, just enough drama and characters you can cheer for.

I know I said this in a review after reading the first Honey Creek book by Jodi Thomas but I adore small town romance books! Something charming about the small town setting, my love for this setting could also be because I grew up in a small town and now raise my family in one. Jodi Thomas does such an amazing job with character development, making you feel like you're a part of the small towns she writes about.

In book 1, I loved watching the relationship form between Piper and Colby. In book 2, I enjoyed seeing the "what's next" for them - and how relatable that it isn't always sunshine. While the suspense happening in the book wasn't something I could relate to, I did like feeling how real their relationship felt. Enter the story of Marcie and Brand in Picnic in Someday Valley. First of all, you'd have to not have a pulse to not build a hot image in your head of Brand. Strong, tall, silent type - it's easy to see why Marcie would feel safe with him around.

In the pages of this book we get to visit characters that now feel like old friends; Pecos, Kerrie, Mr. Winston, and Piper's aunts. I love that - a feeling like coming home after being away.

This was the right amount of romance and suspense to keep me turning the pages, flying through it in a few sittings. I can't wait to return to Honey Creek again soon!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an e-copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first read in the series. Although I didn’t read the 1st book I am able to follow the storyline as there is throwback to the 1st story as the story develop. Love the way the story alternating between the characters that ensuring the readers not to be bored and interestingly reader is still able to catch up with the characters. This book focus on Marcie who was the ex-gf of the main character in the 1st book, Piper and Colby, Pecos and Jesse. Not sure whether Jesse was in the 1st book but hope to see him in the next book (I presume he will be) to see how his relationship with Adalee develop. Overall I enjoy reading this book very much.

The stories keep getting better! This is book two in the series and should be read in order. The characters are wonderful. Piper the Mayor and Colby a Texas Ranger are once again the main characters, but there are several inner connecting storylines going on. I was afraid that I may not remember where it left off, but no problem. That should tell you what a great story teller Jodi Thomas is.
It’s 3 months later and the relationship between Piper and Colby has hit a bump in the road. Both are into their chosen careers and the long distance relationship is not working. Finally having a long weekend to be together isn’t working out as Colby hoped. Mother Nature is against them with a storm heading to Honey Creek. Of course being the Mayor, Piper needs to be in storm center and Colby is pulled in as backup. All hands on deck.
There is Marcie, a down on her luck, ex girlfriend of the man who is in jail for attempted murder. A mysterious rancher. Very young newlyweds with a baby due soon. So as you can see there is a lot going on, but not so many characters that you can’t keep it straight.
 I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story.

Jodi Thomas never fails to awe. The number of characters and relationships she juggled in this book would lead you to believe that someone's story wouldn't be as strong as the others, but you'd be wrong. Somehow she gives them each a strong storyline, but crosses them over each other and intertwines them in a fashion that gives you the perfect feeling of a small town.
There were three different love stories going on in Picnic in Someday Valley. One was the continuation of the mayor, Piper, and her rescuer from the last book. One was of Pecos and his continued marriage to his pregnant best friend, whose baby isn't his. The last is of Marcie and her new friendship with a local rancher who may be more than a rancher.
There are definitely some dark and violent themes in this book. There are triggers of rape and other violent actions against women. Just be aware.
A very good book by an excellent author!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoy visiting Honey Creek. The town folk are great. In the last book the mayor was saved from a fire. I haven't read that one yet but I sure plan to. In this story I liked Marcie Latimer. She is a strong woman. She is lucky to have Brand Rogers on her side. It was fun seeing the latest goings on in Honey Creek.

I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I liked Picnic in Someday Valley by Jodi Thomas so much that I purchased the first book in the Honey Creek Series too. This is the second book. More than one romance in this book but the main one is between Marcie Latimer and Brand Rodgers.

Betrayed with lies told by an ex-boyfriend, Marcie Latimer feels as if she has no friends. If possible she would leave this Texas town. I can’t say that I would blame her, the community spurns her which is sad. Thank goodness for Brand. He is a good friend, and an ardent supporter of her music long before he becomes a love interest. He is a white hat wearing cowboy if there ever was one.

Reading this book first I do wish I had read the books in order. That way I could have understood better why the town blamed Marcie, more about Pecos Smith and wife and how it all their lives intersect.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the second book in the series set in Someday Valley, Texas. Some of the events mentioned in this review began in the first book, but I don't think it is necessary to read the first book to enjoy this one. There are four couples in this book whose relationships are in various stages. This book starts off with a bang and builds until the end. I am focusing on the romance in this review but there are also some bad guys, danger, and a mystery.

Marcie Latimer is looked down upon by people in the small town that she grew up in, partly because of her parents and how she grew up, and most recently because she was involved in a scandal that involved the mayor's fiance. Marcie really broke my heart as the reader finds out more about her and her life. She now works for the owner of her dad's old cafe, waiting tables and singing a few nights a week.

Brandon Rogers is a quiet man who likes to listen to Marcie sing. He isn't too well known to many people in Honey Creek, even though he went to school there. One night he helps Marcie out of a tight situation and they begin to get to know each other. There is more to both of them than almost anyone around them knows. They have a beautiful love story, more so because no one in her life had ever really cherished and protected Marcie.

The mayor of Honey Creek, Piper MacKenzie, is tired of waiting for Colby MacBride, now a Texas Ranger. They grew close during the drama of the events in book 1 but now she hasn't seen him in months. That is about to change. Maybe because they have so little time together, theirs has seemed to me to be the weakest love story in the series - so far.

Pecos Smith and his new bride Kerrie are both just out of high school. Pecos is one of the sweetest, most loveable characters in any book I've ever read. Kerrie became pregnant and left home because her parents did not take the news well. Pecos came to her rescue, although it wasn't his baby. He graduated from high school and got a job as a dispatcher for the police department in Honey Creek. Kerrie is uncomfortable and close to delivering. Pecos is wondering if he will ever be a lover as well as a husband.

The fourth couple was introduced in this book. Jesse is a busy single father of three who barely has time to breathe. Adalee works in a bakery and her scones are already famous in town. She is raising her 15-year-old sister who is a handful. I can already tell that their love story will be fabulous.

I highly recommend this series and am hoping to see more of these characters in the next book. My thanks go out to Kensington Books and Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book. I was delighted to read and review it.

As soon as I open and read the first page of Picnic in Someday Valley by Jodi Thomas I am totally in. It's like coming home and being able to rest in the arms of a storyteller who will spin a good yarn. For a start the cover draws me in, and as it will turn out, it is very relevant to the story of one of the characters.

It's really a good time read. The characters are both sweet and tough. There is one bad guy out to do a lot of damage and he provides the suspense in the story. But maybe he's about to meet his match from an unlikely source.

Yes there are lots of characters but it's easy to follow and stay up to date with them. Some get happy at least for now endings and I sense there is more to come for others that I need to know, so expecting more for them in another book. Honey Creek #3 I am looking for you.

Full of small town goodness, Texas flavour and characters to cheer for and chuckle at appropriate times. 
4.5 stars rounded to 5.

Just what I enjoy in a Jodi Thomas novel! She has a template, yet I love reading her depictions of small Texas towns. In each of her novels, there are interwoven stories of lonely people who, somehow, manage to find another lonely person who is the perfect match for them. Meanwhile, the community of the small town will have to come together to survive a crisis. In this novel, it’s record storms that threaten to flood parts of the town and a sadistic rapist who has it in for one of the characters of the story.

The author has a gift for describing these characters and their internal monologues with humor and wit, simplicity and sympathy. Her characters sometimes aren’t the classic romantic heroes and heroines, but they just seem to fit.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This is the first book I've read in this series and it was so good. This is a well written story that hooks you on the first page and doesn't let go. Now I want to read book 1 and can't wait to read the next book in this series. Thank you Kensington Books via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

*4.5 stars*

Warmth and family, friendship and love… All the good things are here…

This isn’t one couple finding romance but are three very different sets of people and circumstances all trying to find their way in life. And love… Small town life was never so good, or so darn complicated…

I’d be hard pressed to declare a favourite but if I had to, Marcie and Brand snicked a bit ahead. Mysterious, quiet and unbelievably strong and protective, Brand was a balm to Marcie’s soul. She was no fragile flower, far from it, but in those most desperate hours, a hero cowboy would not be turned away… Pecos and his new bride were quietly finding their way as well. He’d loved her for years and couldn’t believe he had a chance… Piper and Colby. Well, there way was hampered by distance and lack of plain speaking. Thank goodness they had the opportunity to figure it out.

Told in this author’s signature straight and no nonsense style, I loved the quiet unfolding of stories laced with warmth, humour and all the foibles that live in man and life. There were anxious moments but these stories had me glued to the pages with the sheer emotion so calmly shared.. An abrupt ending meant I left this story, this valley, way too quickly for my liking but I have a book to catch up on and another to look forward to…

Book two in this new series we get to see all the characters and left over story line. Something new - something old - and something that is such fun to read. I love the large cast of characters and how they all end up interweaving in each others lives. A great read for this time of our lives.