A PLACE TO LAND by Lauren K. Denton is a captivating and heartfelt story of sisters, love and the family we choose. I have read and loved all of this author’s previous books and I couldn’t wait to dive into her latest. Sisters Violet and Trudy Figg own Two Sisters Art and Handmade Goods in the little town of Sugar Bend, Alabama along the Little River. Trudy is a popular mixed media artist who creates art from items she collects on the beach. After a traumatic event forty years ago, Trudy stopped speaking and Violet gave up all of her dreams, staying in Sugar Bend to protect her sister at all costs. Violet now runs their shop and volunteers with the Audubon Society monitoring bird activity along the waterway. Eighteen-year-old Maya has never felt she belonged anywhere after the death of her grandmother seven years ago. After being in and out of the foster system for years, Maya somehow winds up in Sugar Bend and drawn to the Two Sisters shop. Maya and Trudy quickly develop a strong connection. But when an old boat comes to the surface of Little River, long-ago secrets that have haunted the sisters their whole lives threaten to be unburied. Can the newly formed bonds of friendship and love the characters have forged withstand the revelations of events from the past? I really enjoyed this endearing story of hope and redemption. The main characters are wonderfully-portrayed and the secondary characters add so much to the story. As with all of this author’s stories, I felt like the characters became friends and the setting was a place I would love to visit. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Lauren K. Denton has become one of the authors I know will write a novel that is perfect for when I want to get lost in a world she's dreamt up and she's done it again with A Place to Land.

As always the world and character building in this story, like her others, is top notch. I really liked the back and forth from before/after to find out what happened and how things were progressing so many years later.

I'm also such a sucker for romance for all ages so this book really made me happy when it came to Violet's old beau returning to town and into her life.

If you're looking for a book that mixes a bit of mystery, a wee bit of romance and the south this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I own all of this authors e-books and have read almost all of them. This one is beyond a doubt, my favorite so far! A Place to Land by Lauren K. Denton, which is set to release on October 4, 2022, has a little bit of everything in it. There’s some romance, a hidden crime that gets exposed, a touch of magical realism and a young girl who finally finds a place to call home. It really has it all and the author brings it together in the most perfect way as it held my attention and kept me wanting to read more. It’s really a wonderful story and it even had me tearing up in several parts. I loved that there were different storylines or histories for each of the characters and how the author brought them all together to make such a beautiful story that wrapped up with the perfect ending. This is definitely a book I recommend and one I’m planning on purchasing a physical copy of to add to my home collection of favorites. I’d like to thank Harper Muse for accepting my request and NetGalley for the arc to read and review. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more by this author very soon. I’m giving this a well deserved 5 star rating and all opinions stated here are my own.

Sugar Bend is the home of two sisters who share so much….including secrets. This story follows them as their secrets are unraveled. I enjoyed the slow build of the story and all the characters!

Laura K Denton transports the reader to the southern costal community of Sugar Bend. The setting shines in this beautiful novel. Sisters Violet and Trudy have lived in Sugar Bend their whole lives. When a newcomer arrives secrets threaten to become unveiled. With her gift for storytelling Denton weaves a compelling tale of family, love and forgiveness.
Thank you to Harper Muse and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Though it took me a bit to get into this book, I could not put it down in the end. The story is wonderful, as are the characters and the plot, and I loved how the story folded up.

A Place to Land by Lauren K. Denton is such a wonderful story.
She does the damn thing again! And I couldn't be happier.
I've had the pleasure of reading and loving her previous book!
The Summer House and Hurricane Season being my favorite. (If you haven't opened those up, you need to)

Denton has a way to set the most relateable setting and some relatable characters.
The characters were all so fantastic. Two sisters who love each other are both hiding something from one another. I love how Denton shows the true bond of two sisters. Their dedication, their bond and their strength.
The writing is amazing as usual. Her books always brings something out in me. She makes me think and her books always shows true emotion.
The pacing was perfect and the writing flowed smoothly.
A contemporary story that I enjoyed from start to end.
She has yet again knocked my socks off with a compelling, interesting and thought-provoking story.
I will anything she writes.

Lauren includes discussion questions for book clubs, which will be the perfect pick for any club lover!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Harper Muse,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Such a charming love story about two sisters, their life in a small town, the strength of their sisterly bond and a horrible secret only they know about that when it comes to light has a different view from each sister. The story kept me wanting to read, truly enjoyed the characters and they are written so well you feel like you know them. My first by this author and definitely won’t be my last.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Muse for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

The first line hooked me, “Sugar Bend has always been known as a place of secrets and mystery.”

I wanted to know more and felt like this was a place to land, settle down and enjoy a mysterious and heartwarming story in an atmospheric small town nestled alongside a river.

The author plants readers in the town of Sugar Bend showing them around, creating a sense of place. “A place to rest, relax, take in the view, and look deeper for the mysteries hidden in the water under tree-dappled shade.”

In part one we meet sisters, Trudy and Violet Figg. They own a business together, in which non-verbal, Trudy creates items to sell, and Violet takes care of the business side of things. Sometimes Violet wanted to hear her sisters voice and not read words on a note card. “Violet fought the urge to grab Trudy by the shoulders and demand she speak. Or at least explain, on that blasted notepad, why she couldn’t even say one word to Violet.”

The author unfolds part of these sisters’ mysterious back story in well-timed flashbacks of high school, when life was full of excitement, when they had wonderful dreams for the future and when Trudy could speak

In part two readers meet Maya, a young girl, who has aged out of the foster care system and is trying to find a place to call home. Maya saw a flyer at the gas station. It advertised a River Days Art Festival in a place called Sugar Bend. “As her eyes focused on those two words, Sugar Bend, a cool rush of air caressed her over warm skin and images flashed through her mind, as quick as her grandmother’s hands: a handful of seashells and tumbled glass….” She then asks how far it was to Sugar Bend. Maya smiles when she discovers it was ten minutes away.

Readers also meet Tyler Holt, who has an obligation to carry on the family business at the Feed and Seed, but his heart’s desire was to be a schoolteacher.

I adored this colorful cast of characters and how they all meet. The author takes her time in helping us get to know her cast and see how all the pieces to this puzzle come together. I enjoyed this story filled with heart heartwarming moments and some socking ones too.

This is the first mysterious story this author has written. I loved it. It makes for a fun escape and one that will work for a book club pick.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I requested and received a copy of this book by the publisher/NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog https://psalm516.blogspot.com/

Denton once again pens a story that the readers will find themselves immersed in. As the readers go farther and farther into Violet and Trudy's story we find ourselves in the story along side the two sisters. We find ourselves longing for that place to land, that place where we belong.

This is one of my favorite authors! This was a mesmerizing story about two sisters. Both sisters are hiding secrets, each thinking they’re protecting the other. It’s also a story of hope and new beginnings.
It’s a good story with some twists and romance. I couldn’t put it down! I loved it
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Lauren K. Denton is an author I can depend on for a story filled with rich characters and a beautiful sense of place. I loved this story of sisters Violet and Trudy and their quiet lives in Sugar Bend, Alabama. I found the parts about each of the sisters’ hobbies, Violet’s birds and Trudy’s crafting, particularly interesting. While the “mystery” was not truly a surprise, I still enjoyed every moment of this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

EVOCATIVE! Each year I wait in anticipation of bestselling author Lauren K. Denton’s new release. It is always a special gift with which treat myself. Her latest release, A Place to Land, is evocative in the way Denton creates an exceptionally beautiful word picture that will have readers feeling as if they are participating in her story and not merely reading it. She writes of things that have deep significance. Sisters Violet and Trudy have known pain yet remain closer than ever, they are devoted to each other and their common work and livelihood, one sister putting aside all other relationships to take care of the other because of a promise to their Mother, and understanding what it means to be the underdog and need a helping hand and opening their hearts, business, and home to help someone else find a place to land. You learn the two of them are bound together in a strange mixture of mystery, guilt, and rebirth as their story progresses. Once the truth finally makes its way to the surface, there is even a possibility of an old relationship becoming new again. Denton closes with these sentences: “He sighed, a gentle rumble that passed through his body and into hers, settling her like feet on firm sand. She gazed out at the water, the place that held both secrets and salvation, mystery and mercy. Then she closed her eyes and breathed the mild, river-scented air deep into her soul.” It is the perfect summation for a book that has been filled with such intensity of feelings, mystery, guilt, and mercy. I was provided q complimentary copy of this book by Harper Muse & NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own & without influence.

I am a long time fan of Lauren K. Denton and eagerly await a new release by her, A Place To Land did not disappoint. I love the way the lines of lyrical prose wrapped around me as I became a part of Sugar Bend. This story evoked a series of emotions and, although I felt the ending was a tad too tidy and perhaps unrealistic, it was a happy one.
I do recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading southern women's fiction.

Trigger warning for domestic violence.

I received this book from #NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

A southern gem not to be missed!!! 🤩 A charming storyline that entails a forty year old secret 🤫 and a little touch of magic 🪄 . What a treat to read, this is LKD’s BEST yet!!! ❥
5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub. 10/4/22

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Violet and Trudy live in Sugar Bend, Alabama, and have an art shop called Two Sisters. Their lives have held a secret for forty years. Trudy has not spoken for forty years, communicating by notes to her sister, and she is very reclusive. She creates wonderful one-of-a-kind pieces of art from found items. A walk on the beach is her shopping center.

Maya, a young woman on her own, walked into the shop one day and fell hard for Trudy's art work, and knew she could create these as well. The sisters, on a whim, hire her. Maya came with her own set of baggage, being newly emancipated from the foster system.

Jay Malone spent some time with Trudy forty years ago, and he vanished without a trace long ago. Jay knew everyone and was super friendly to everyone. There are no answers to his disappearance.

These diverse characters come together in the story created by Lauren Denton. Each one is looking for a place to land. The story switches from present day to earlier times, as the reader is brought up to date with what has happened to each one of these people. There is also a very positive love interest or two for the sisters. How all these story lines comes together makes for a very enjoyable read.

A captivating Southern story from the strong writing voice of Lauren K. Denton. The author mesmerized me with her plot of a love that couldn’t be broken; domestic violence; murder, and redemption.

Sisters Violet and Trudy Figg own Two Sisters Art and Handmade Goods in Sugar Bend, Alabama. Trudy is an artist and makes handcrafted items from objects she collects on the beach. She hasn’t spoken in over forty years, but with handwritten notes she communicates just fine. Violet promised their mother she’d always protect Trudy and gives up her future dreams to do so. Violet loves to bird watch and volunteers to do daily bird surveys for the Audubon Society after retiring as a teacher.

The past comes forward to haunt the Figgs when Violet begins frequently seeing a large brown pelican and finding fish bone skeletons everywhere she goes. Eerily, they remind her of Trudy’s husband’s cuff links which disappeared with him in 1982. This story is told in flashbacks to the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, to current time. Sometimes, I had to stop reading and figure out if it was past or present time.

I really was immersed in the story and the characters lives while I read this book. Violet, Trudy, Maya—a young woman they took under their wings, Frank, Frank’s nephew, Justin, and all the other supporting characters who played important roles in fleshing out the beginnings of this compelling mystery through it’s gritty conclusion had my full attention. At the end, it seems everyone found their place to land. I highly recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a great read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Place to Land
by Lauren K. Denton
Pub Date: October 4, 2022
Harper Muse
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. USA TODAY bestselling author Lauren K. Denton delivers another distinctly Southern story that shimmers with beauty and possibility.

“Denton is a masterful storyteller who makes magic on every perfect page.” —Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Veil
Full-length Southern women’s fiction
Stand-alone novel
Book length: approximately 82,000 words
Includes discussion questions for book clubs
I did not like this one as much as I have other books by this author. I will not be purchasing this one for our library. It was good but not great. Slow burn.

Lauren Denton has prepared A Place to Land for two sisters in Sugar Bend, Alabama, coming out October 4. Violet and Trudy Figg experienced something 40 years ago that robbed Trudy of her voice and double-downed on Violet’s promise to her mother to take care of Trudy.

Together the sixty-something sisters run an art shop that displays Trudy’s art using found items, most gathered from the river. She communicates with people through notes.

Violet’s interest lies with the birds of the area, which she monitors, and teaches others how to track the bird population as well. Keeping her sister safe after the event 40 years ago pushes Violet to cast aside her own chance for a loving relationship with a local policeman.

Enter Maya, an 18-year-old graduate of foster care just looking for a place to land. A flyer about an art festival that she sees in a gas station draws her to Sugar Bend, and she soon becomes part of the sisters’ lives as she works with Trudy on art to sell in their store, Two Sisters.

Everything seems to be going swimmingly until an old boat surfaces one night in the Little River, and as the past starts to unravel into the present, old secrets are slipping out. What happened 40 years ago that is tied to the mystery of the boat and its owner?

Laura Denton centers her books in her home state of Alabama. She usually writes stories about women’s journeys toward “truth and love, hope, and healing,” and this time she adds a mystery into the mix. She lives with her husband and two daughters near Birmingham, Alabama.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting August 30, 2022.

I would like to thank Harper Muse and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Two sisters have a small shop; one enjoys birdwatching and records sightings and the other sister is mute but creates art at the small shop.

BuzzBooks had a preview of several books and this was one that I wanted to listen to further.

I enjoyed A Place to Land, a little different and covered some topics that I am not all that familiar (bird watching in particular). Some different family dynamics between the two sisters.

Thank you to NetGalley for introducing me to an author that has published several books and I was not previously familiar. I would definitely read another book by Lauren K. Denton. Also many thanks to the publisher is HarperMuse. Publication Date is Oct 4, 2022.