Picnic in Someday Valley by Jodi Thomas picked up the stories of Piper and Colby, Pecos and Kerrie, and Marcie a few months after Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe. It was another entertaining and compelling read as more of their life stories unfold in daily reports/chapters from the characters' point of view.

Ms. Thomas writing is smoothly paced and her descriptive writing pulled me in to each of the characters' story as their thoughts and feelings are revealed. I was captivated with Marcie and Brad's story as I really wanted to know more about Marcie and this solo cowboy who was there for her when everyone else had abandoned her after the first book in this series. Piper and Colby kept me feeling frustrated as they so badly needed to "talk" and couldn't get past their pride and career duties. Pecos and Kerrie were adorable but Pecos deserved more from her and I have hopes that will come in future books. Jesse and Adalee were new characters and I hope to see more of them in the next book. The dramatic ending made me feel so proud of Marcie when she raced to save Piper and together they saved themselves. I couldn't put this book down and I'm already looking forward to the next one in the series.

What makes a good book a great book? Jodi Thomas has the answer with this one. The story revolves around three couples—characters the reader would be acquainted with from Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe, and I highly recommend reading it first to get their full background. Short chapters deal with just one character or couple at a time, so at times I felt I lost a character for a bit now and then towards the beginning, but as the story progresses and becomes more complex, as the tension and intrigue build and build, it’s really hard to put it down. Weaving all the players together to meld into the climax and conclusion was artful.

Many authors say things simply. They convey an idea but don’t paint a picture in the reader’s mind, Miss Thomas does. “Night seemed was silently weeping before the storm came in riding a north wind.” So expressive! There are many one-liners I enjoyed. “Some drunk must have sent out invitations to join him at the sheriff’s office for a party”—a description of a busy night for Pecos, the dispatcher. Little details—like the trailer park owner’s plans for a small piece of his property. This type of writing takes wit, talent and imagination and results in a great job of storytelling. Highly recommend!

Marcie Latimer Is singing at Bandit's Bar in Someday Valley which is a neighboring town of Honey Creek. Brand Rodgers is a rancher in Someday Valley who mostly keeps to himself except for the nights when he goes to the bar to hear Marcie sing. Texas Ranger, Colby McBride is dating the mayor of Honey Creek, Piper MacKenzie and Pecos Smith is a dispatcher in Honey Creek. Their lives are interwoven in this the 2nd in the Honey Creek series by Jodi Thomas. This series is one that I will look forward to reading more of in the future. It is told in such a way that the characters come alive to me. I want to thank Net Galley and Kensington Publishing for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you publishers and netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review! Thomas does it again! This is the second book in the Honey Creek series and it will so heartwarming! I love the hallmark feel and the characters are so endearing. If you are a fan of Nora Roberts you will love these books!

This is a sweet story, with some dark aspects, set In a small town. The author does a good job of describing life In a small town and the characters, for the most part are relatable and likable. Once I started I didn’t want to put it down. This is part of a series but could be read as a stand alone. I look forward to the next book in the series. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

This book is read with each chapter telling a different characters part of the story from their point of view. It was a little confusing at first, keeping track of all the characters and the situations in their lives. So glad I kept reading.
This story is about the residents of Honey Creek, Texas and the choices they make that shape their lives. While each set of characters is dealing with their own situation, the story unfolds and the character's lives begin to overlap. Great story and likable characters. Truly looking forward to the next Honey Creek novel.
I received an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Jodi Thomas takes us into the hearts and homes of several of the townsfolk of Someday Valley (in book 2 of the Honey Creek series.)

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Piper McKenzie and Colby McBride put a capital M in Miscommunication (less sizzle, more talking people!!)

Sultry Marcie Latimer learns to fight (and kick!) back when ex-marine, Brand Rodgers, teaches her some strategic kickboxing moves (and that she is worthy of all the love he can give her!)

As for Pecos and his "beauty queen fallen on hard times"/"pregnant by another man" wife: they'll be so busy with the new baby and Pecos's two jobs and his studies that I'd be thrilled if they get enough sleep, as opposed to finally "getting it on."

Adalee and Jesse are a "bewitching" pair who can only fulfill their deepest desires for one another in their dreams. (This was actually one of my favourite story lines. (Suggestion: the recipe for those insanely good scones that kept luring Jesse back for more should be included in the final edition!) The only reason I am rating this one a 3.9 out of 5 is because Adalee and Jesse needed their family and friends to step up and volunteer their baby sitting services so that these two overworked and over-burdened lovers could do more than just kiss, pine and dream! We get a taste of what these two have in store as their relationship progresses, but I wanted "more please!"

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A highly enjoyable read for fans of Jodi Thomas and her unique world. My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Quiet cowboy. Lots of depth and mystery. My attention was caught. Jodi Thomas has long been a favorite author of mine and every time I think she cannot possibly top the last book, she does. This latest is perfection. I love Brand who knows what he wants and who he wants. His quiet ways are so appealing. Piper and Colby I wanted to smack their heads together. Pecos is just adorable. There are a few scenes that had me laugh like one of the first scenes where bodies are ricocheting and then the scene at the Widows house with the fishermen. Pure delight to read this book.

This is the first book I've read in the series, it won't be my last. I enjoyed reading about this small town, enjoyed the characters and as I continued reading, the characters became more interesting, as did the storyline Well written and enjoyable. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, the storyline and characters. The author does a great job sharing valuable back story information with the reader. She is very descriptive and enjoyable to read. Very touching characters trying to live their best lives and also trying to get ahead. This book will showcase each with great details and show that if you really want something you have to work hard to get it, nothing seems to come easy. Enjoy!

This is everything I love about a romance book. I haven't read the previous book in the series but I don't think that mattered and I really enjoyed the writing and the amazing characters. I will probably go back and read it as it will give me a bit more background into some of the secondary characters like Pecos and Kerry.

It was an easy read, and once I started I didn't want to put the book down. The author has a way of drawing you into her story and making you more invested in the characters with every word she writes. Whilst the book is very sweet in places she also manages to weave some darkness in there which kept me on the edge of my seat right until the end, I adore Marcie and her willingness to trust again after she has been hurt so badly in the past. The fine mix of family, friendships and a great neighbourhood spirit kept me invested and I will definitely be reading other books in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley UK and Zebra books for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My rating scale
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Absolutely loved it! Gave me a warm fuzzy feeling or made me cry. And took me on an emotional rollercoaster.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Really liked it. Will read more by the author and other books in the series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - It was just okay, didn’t move me, but don’t feel like I wasted me time reading it either.
⭐️⭐️ - Didn’t like this book and probably won’t read other in the series.
⭐️ - I did not care for this book at all and feel like I wasted my time reading it

Jodi Thomas can be relied upon for a cast of interesting well developed characters. Marcie Latimer, a young woman who pays the price for her boyfriend's criminal activities is particularly compelling. Although she was unaware and uninvolved in his crimes, she is unfairly blamed, gossiped about and ostracized. Thomas has this and other plot lines which she handles with her usual skill and resolves in interesting ways. A satisfying read.

I read this book as a stand alone, though I later found it is part of a series so your understanding of the characters might change if you read the whole series. The story is told from differing points of view with each chapter having a different narrator. The main character of this story, Marcie, is struggling to find a way to make peace with past choices that keep haunting her and the current danger that keeps circling around her life. She is helped along the way by a local who actually has a past job and skill set that no one in town is aware of except the Texas Ranger, but who ends up being the perfect person to help Marcie grow in confidence and begin to believe she has a future after all. Great love story but might need to know there are violence/rape scenarios which for some could be triggering. The bad guys are caught and the ladies triumph in the end which is how love all stories should end..

Picnic in Someday Valley is the second book in Jodi Thomas’s new series.
I have read and listened to almost every book by Ms. Thomas. Her writing is so good, and each series is fresh with interesting characters. I like the way the people are in all the books so we can follow them and find out how they are doing.
This one is about Marcie who is hitting rock bottom. She is treated badly by her boyfriend who tries to the mayor. Marcie is a childhood friend of Piper, the mayor who we met in the first book.
The two women save themselves with the help of the town and the men who love them. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Another wonderful, sweet, and exciting romance. This is the second title in another series which is very much like Harmony and Ransom Canyon series. Each chapter is narrated by a different person in a small town in Texas and each book covers the love stories of a few of the residents. You feel like you get to know everyone in town and are excited when you see familiar names popping back up. The bad guys always get what they deserve and the good ones get the girls. I sometimes wonder how so many people can fall in love without really knowing much about the other people, but Thomas makes us feel like they do somehow. It’s nice to be able to pick up her books and immediately feel transported into a simpler life.

This particular title centered around Marcie, who was left pretty down at the end of the last book. She had been living with the bad guy, but no one believed she knew nothing of his plans and pretty much shunned her. Except one handsome cowboy, who it turned out had feelings for her for a long time. He helped her to believe in herself again. Pecos and his new wife had their baby and Colby and the mayor were wrapped up in craziness, as usual.

If you haven’t read a Jodi Thomas book yet, what’s stopping you? They’re a great escape. If I give one title 4 stars and the next is the series 5, will that make it 4.5 stars? Probably not, but that’s where I am.

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you read the previous book in the Honey Creek series you need to read this one. it can stand alone but you will understand the characters more if you read the previous book. I really liked this book. I thought it was well written and the characters drew me in. Jodi Thomas did not disappoint with this book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for my early review. Jodi Thomas is a new writer to me and I appreciated a chance to read her work. I was compelled to finish the book because of the well-written characters despite the strongly offensive violence that came into the book out of nowhere. This is why it is a two star and I debated on whether it should really be a one or less. I may not read any other books by this writer because of the offensive element surprisingly included in this book.

Picnic in Someday Valley should have earned three or four stars because it is filled with wonderful characters. Jodi Thomas's characters are well written and are discovering how to love again after personal struggles. You want to root for and get to know each of the main characters Marcie, Jesse, Colby, Pecos and Piper along with the minor characters Brand, Adalee, Winston, Star and the Sheriff. The book is flawed by lacking a single plot - it is more like five short stories loosely connected. But, the book's disorganization could have worked if more details were put in to connect everything and it would have been a very pleasant experience - if the author chose to not to change the book for the worse about 70 percent into it.

So you read along and want to see what is going to happen in the five separate romantic stories and then POW! {Spoiler Alert} Leon, a serial rapist, targets Marcie and there is graphic description of his plan to torture her, brutally stabbing her, to smear her with her own blood and repeatedly rape her over several days. He kidnaps and plans to burn alive her friend Piper, the mayor, and calls Marcie on the phone to come and rescue Piper because he really wants to torture Marcie, but Piper is like a bonus? I thoroughly object to rape and violence against women in books and television, because it ONLY serves to encourage real-life Leons to act and I don't need or want to read this. Prevalence of this garbage, makes it commonplace. Instead, we should be outraged by this and NEVER think it is acceptable as "entertainment." It is not. Writers should not use it as a cheap trick just thrown in to thicken the plot.

It's not fair to readers who think they are getting a nice western style romance with first responder heroes, only to get this thoroughly disgusting stuff thrown in just for effect. The author tries to redeem herself by Marcie's growing confidence and her bravely defending herself against Leon, acting to save the day. This is a small concession given the level of violence included. There may be a proper way to write about violence against women, but this was not it. If the last 30 percent of the book was like the rest, this would have been a very good book. Maybe a re-write should occur.

The second book in the series did not disappoint. Picnic in Someday Valley was engaging, intriguing, and captivating. It kept my attention throughout the whole book. I cannot wait for more books in this series in the future.

Following a few different individuals' point of views. Marcie is a small town girl who has seen a lot of hardship in her years of life. She is trying to figure out what to do with her life after her boyfriend tried to kill the Honey Creek mayor in the town hall fire. Everyone in her town and the neighboring towns wants nothing to do with her. She finds herself being cared for by Brand Rodgers, a local quiet farmer. After reconnecting with her childhood friend, the Honey Creek mayor(Piper), they both find themselves in danger from a local drunk who wants to hurt Marcie. Marcie and Piper both have strong-willed men on their side who want to take care of them. Marcie believes she needs to take care of her own problems. Piper is trying to figure out what she wants from her current boyfriend, Texas Ranger Colby McBride. By the end, the two will find what they truly want from their lives.

This is a good story - there are a LOT aid characters to keep up with and I found myself struggling to keep them all juggled. If I’m being honest, I just read the Brand story and didn’t bother with the others. I have a hard time trying to keep it all straight. Overall, a good idea for a story - just a little difficult to follow.

First, let me say I love all of Jodie Thomas' books and have read almost all of them. She is one of my top three favorite authors. This book caught me off guard - in a good way. There is more in depth and riveting suspense in this book than in any of her previous ones. Such attention to detail and descriptions. Her books are always thrilling but the main focus is usually romance. In this one it was more about the mystery. I was caught up in the enigma of trying to figure out if and when this guy would be caught. Would Marcie and Piper survive? There is plenty of sweet romance with strong independent women and even stronger men standing behind them-just in case they are needed. We love our heroes but independent heroic women are awesome! This is book two in the series. I can't wait for book three.
Thank you to NetGalley and Zebra Books for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.