This book came with a surprise second story, which I actually liked much more than the first story in the book.

The first story featured Mercy and Hunter's story, and it was disappointing. Christians are characterized as prudish and judgmental. Mercy is a firecracker who's been dominated by her Christian roommate and friend and is now (mercifully) breaking free of her. But her temper leaves her snotty and obnoxious whenever she feels the need to assert herself. I just didn't get the point of the whole story.

The second one was not mentioned in the write-up for the book, but it featured Flint's discovery of the Promised Land (Ranch). I enjoyed this story much more. It was a standalone (unrelated to the first story in the book) and just had better-rounded characters in it.

Thank you to Carolyn Brown, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Stars: 2

Narrator: Abigail Reno

Thank you Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to read and review On the Way to Us on NetGalley.

Extremely disappointing. The missionary work and Christian services fueled the insult. Two Christian women talking and one unmarried happily explains that she hasn't been a virgin for a very long time to an unhappy married missionary not liking marriage or sex.. The entire setting was ridiculous. I thought at one point Brown was writing satire. There are these situational pods throughout that parallel one another in ridiculousness. I'm just not listing them all.

I forced myself to finish what at best I would describe as a thoughtless and unedited creative writing high school assignment.

Just as quickly as I sighed with relief when the story ended, another story began. I tried and I'm not wasting any more time on what didn't work. I signed up for one and I read one.

The narrator was okay. She did make the reading better.

A Texas man is the way to my heart, especially a grumpy one! This story flowed quickly and was easy to follow. A cute romance between two unlikely characters. This one wasn’t anything g super special but a nice story nonetheless.

🌀Synopsis
Mercy, who is staying in Texas, is immediately bothered by the cantina next door. When she goes over to ask them to keep it down she finds the barkeep, Hunter, there. Hunter is smitten with Mercy but gives her his grumpy standoffish side.
After realizing there might be more there he now has to fight to get her to pay attention to him. She tries to deny any sort of feelings but can’t stay away from him for long.

On the Way to Us was a great read by Carolyn Brown. Mercy Spenser promised her roomate and friend that she would spend her vacation in Texas for a charitable misson. She never agreed to the oppressive heat, massive spiders, and the rowdy cantina next door. She clashes with the man who runs the place with her red hot temper. Hunter Wilson refused to turn down his jukebox and invited her to leave his cantina alone. But he cant get the gospel singer out of his mind. He needs to convince her that he's interested and this could be a problem. I enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to read more by the author.

On the Way to Us is an anthology made up of two novellas and a preview to another book. Carolyn Brown writes clean, wholesome, Christian romance and although I didn't realize this wasn't a novel, or that both the stories had been published before, I really enjoyed this one. The first story is On the Way to Us. It was originally published as For The Love of Mercy back in 1999, and Love Struck Cafe was published in 2022. I did not read the excerpt, as I get frustrated if I can't my hands on a book once I have started reading it. The title story introduces us to Mercy Spenser, a young lady that has gone to a small Mexican town as a missionary for a week. She is a Christian, but doesn't want to be a missionary, only going because her boss and roommate asked her to. While there she goes next door to the cantina to ask them to turn down the music and runs into ruggedly handsome Hunter Wilson. Having a brief altercation, there are sparks and chemistry. When their time is up, Mercy and the rest of them return to Oklahoma never expecting to see Hunter again, but when she runs into him, literally at a little restaurant, Hunter is prepared to court her. This was a fun story. I loved seeing Hunter and Mercy develop a relationship. It wasn't without it's angst, and Mercy has problems with her roommate, but it was a fun courtship and I was thrilled with the ending. Love Struck Cafe was a shorter story, but it was just as good. Flint Walker is putting as much distance between himself and his conniving cousins, when a stray dog almost causes an accident. He heads into the Chicken Fried Café and meets Jasmine, the owner. He offers to work for her while he sorts out what he will do next. He is told about a ranch that is for sale and if her stays, will he and Jasmine have the chance to see if they can be more than friends or employer/employee? Both of these stories have strong female characters who stand up for themselves and think they know what they want from a relationship. There are some "mean girls" who get their comeuppance as well, which was fun. As usual, there is humor, sass, fun banter and of course HEAs for all. I listened to this one and enjoyed the narration by Abigail Reno. This is the first time I have listened to a book she narrates and thought she did a wonderful job with the voices, expression and storytelling.

EXCERPT: 'I'm never coming back here again,' Mercy said as they walked out of the one-room hut that was furnished with only the barest of necessities. Two cots, a broken mirror above an old table with a washbowl and pitcher, and a bathroom with a toilet and a makeshift shower.
Before they were halfway to the church, sweat was dripping off Mercy's face and running all the way down Mercy's neck to puddle up at the band of her bra. She pulled a paper towel from the pocket of her denim shorts and tried to stop the moisture at her forehead and upper lips, but it did very little good.
She waded through dust tornadoes that boiled up almost to her knees and vowed that she would never come back to this place.

ABOUT 'ON THE WAY TO US': He's a tempting heap of Texas trouble… Mercy Spenser promised her friend and roommate she'd spend her vacation in west Texas for a charitable mission―she didn't agree to the oppressive heat, massive spiders, or the rowdy cantina next door drowning out her gospel singing. She's not the type to sit idly by, so when she clashes with the sexy-as-hell man who runs the place, her temper is hot enough to nearly burn down the entire town. Despite refusing to turn down his jukebox and inviting Miss Mercy to leave his cantina alone, Hunter Wilson can't get that gospel singer with the ice-blue eyes out of his mind. Finding her again in their tiny town isn't the problem. Convincing her that he's interested―well, that's another story. But if Mercy will give Hunter one more chance to show his true feelings, they just might find the love of a lifetime.

MY THOUGHTS: Be still my beating heart! Not one, but two tall handsome cowboys to fall in love with! For there's not one, but two tempting novellas contained in On The Way To Us by Carolyn Brown. There is the title story as outlined above, PLUS Love Struck Cafe which I enjoyed even more than the title story. PLUS (but wait there's more!) the Kindle edition contains a 3-chapter teaser from The Sisters' Cafe. Sorry, but it's not included in the audio version.

Now before I start telling y'all how much I loved these stories, there is something just a little strange going on here. Because I had both the audio and Kindle versions I was swapping back and forth and in Love Struck Cafe, Flint (don't you just love that name!) is Flint Jackson in the Kindle edition and Flint Walker in the audiobook. 🤷‍♀️I'm not sure why this is so but, take it from me, it is. Moving on . . .

Both novellas have characters that are easy to love. Mercy can be little quick to fire up, but underneath her redheaded temper there is a warm and loving nature. And Hunter? Well, he is a strong man, but one who has had his heart broken more than once. Mercy is battling with her friends and family, all of whom want to marry her off to dull men. Her mother is the only person who seems to understand, and she takes matters into her own hands. I loved Mercy's mother!

In Love Struck Cafe, Flint Walker is putting as much distance between himself and his conniving cousins as he can, when a stray dog almost causes an accident, and he meets Jasmine - owner of the Chicken Fried Cafe. They are thrown together by circumstance, but will they stay together?

I really enjoyed both these romances. I loved the characters and found myself hoping for HEA endings. There's always a lot of humor in Carolyn Brown's writing, and the bathroom scene in On the Way to Us had me laughing with glee. Mercy sure doesn't show any mercy in her dealings with dishonest women.

One thing I really loved about these novellas was the way the author emphasized the importance of liking your partner as well as loving them - the need to be great friends as well as lovers.

Carolyn Brown is an autoread author for me, and I read everything of hers that I can get my hands on. If you like romances with feisty, strong women, this is a great read. Abigail Reno does a superb job of the narration of these novellas.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.4

#OntheWaytoUsCarolynBrown #NetGalley

I: @carolynbrownbooks @sourcebookscasa

T: @thecarolynbrown #sourcebookscasablanca

THE AUTHOR: Hi! I'm twenty five years old and movie star gorgeous. The camera added thirty plus years and a few wrinkles. Can't trust those cameras or mirrors either. Along with bathroom scales they are notorious liars! Honestly, I am the mother of three fantastic grown children who've made me laugh and given me more story ideas than I could ever write. My husband, Charles, is my strongest supporter and my best friend. He's even willing to eat fast food and help with the laundry while I finish one more chapter! Life is good and I am blessed!

Reading has been a passion since I was five years old and figured out those were words on book pages. As soon as my chubby little fingers found they could put words on a Big Chief tablet with a fat pencil, I was on my way. Writing joined reading in my list of passions. I will read anything from the back of the Cheerio's box to Faulkner and love every bit of it. In addition to reading I enjoy cooking, my family and the ocean. I love the Florida beaches. Listening to the ocean waves puts my writing brain into high gear.

I love writing romance because it's about emotions and relationships. Human nature hasn't changed a bit since Eve coveted the fruit in the Garden of Eden. Settings change. Plots change. Names change. Times change. But love is love and men and women have been falling in and out of it forever. Romance is about emotions: love, hate, anger, laughter... all of it. If I can make you laugh until your sides ache or grab a tissue then I've touched your emotions and accomplished what every writer sets out to do.

I got serious about writing when my third child was born and had her days and nights mixed up. I had to stay up all night anyway and it was very quiet so I invested in a spiral back notebook and sharpened a few pencils. The story that emerged has never sold but it's brought in enough rejection slips to put the Redwood Forest on the endangered list.

Folks ask me where I get my ideas. Three kids, fifteen grandchildren, two great grandchildren. Note: I was a very young grandmother! Life is a zoo around here when they all come home. In one Sunday afternoon there's enough ideas to keep me writing for years and years. Seriously, ideas pop up at the craziest times. When one sinks its roots into my mind, I have no choice but to write the story. And while I'm writing the characters peek over my shoulder and make sure I'm telling it right and not exaggerating too much. Pesky little devils, they are!

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Dreamscape Media via Netgalley for providing both a digital and an audio ARC of On the Way to Us by Carolyn Brown for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

I absolutely love Carolyn Brown and her books! I have read many of her books and she never seems to disappoint me! This book is a loving romance where there is tension between two people who end up coming together despite everyone telling them not to.

📖: One The Way To Us
✍️: Carolyn Brown
📅: Dec 12, 2023
⭐️: 3 of 5
🎧: 5 of 5
🌶: Closed Door


Troupes & Themes:
- Cowboy
- Small Town
- Enemies to Lovers

Thoughts:
I appreciated Mercy not liking guys shorter than her and it being a turn-off. As a tall girl myself, same girl, same. Jenny was a toxic friend, and I did not like her. She was self-righteous and, quite frankly, a you know what. The miscommunication between Mercy and Hunter was annoying. They "broke up" after 2 dates and didn't even try to understand one another or communicate at all about the "incidents," which were pretty serious accusations. It was a bit too insta love but also cheesy at the same time, so it was tolerable. There were time jumps throughout the story, but there was no real context of time, and you wouldn't know how much time had passed except for when it came up in conversations. I felt like the pacing was rushed, and it had an abrupt ending.
This book did have regilous aspects mentioned, including praying, going to church, singing in the choir, but having no faith elements or mention of God or Jesus. I would not consider this a Christian Romance. This was a closed door romance with 1 mention of wanting to and then having sex between MFC & MMC as well as a conversation between Jenny and Mercy about making sex pleasing. Both conversations were not descriptive. The act was not described but implied. The narration was great, and the performance was easy to listen to.
Thank you, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen and review this advanced copy.

This is a duo of two sweet romances in one book. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobooks where Abigail Reno did a perfect narration. I will look into Carolyn Brown's past and future books. Thank you #Netgalley and #dreamscapemedia for this audio ARC.

This is a Romance. I have read many of Carolyn Brown, and I enjoyed most of them. I loved the characters in this book. The plot in this book I found simple, but it was well written. The characters shine in this book. I love all the listening to the mad girls talking in the bathroom, and the other cute funny times in this book. I really enjoyed this book, and after reading a lot of Dark Romance just was the easy fun read I needed. I listened to this book's audiobook, and I liked the narrator. The audiobook was clear and easy to listen to. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

This was a GREAT story to listen to! AWESOME narration! Great main characters. The plot was easy to find. The story was engaging and easy to follow. Will be purchasing this book. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this story.

4 STARS!

On the Way to Us and Love Struck Cafe, by Carolyn Brown, are sweet, southern, comfort reads set in west Texas. These Christian romances are quick reads with unique characters and distinctive plots. The quirky storylines, humor, touching moments, and easy prose make these engaging, feel-good novellas with spot-on narration that really bring the stories alive.

Book Title: On the Way to Us
Author: Carolyn Brown
Narrator: Abigale Reno
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Christian Romance
Audiobook Pub Date December 12, 2023
My Rating: 3.3 Stars
Pages: 432

Mercy Spenser, her best friend and roommate Jenny Mattison and their boss Dentist Doctor, Nelson are doing a charitable mission in west Texas by provide much needed dental work as well as doing Missionary assistance at a local small church.

Mercy is not a fan of the heat or the loud jukebox from the cantina right next door to the little church Mercy cannot do much about the heat but has had enough of the noise and storms next door and demand that the music from the jukebox be turned down.
Hunter Wilson.is helping Jasmine a friend who is struggling to keep her little café open, He is helping by tending to the cantina as she is so short staffed. When Mercy dropped in with her demand, he has no desire to listen to or comply with Mercy’s complaint.

Later when Mercy is back in Oklahoma her hometown, Hunter spots her which is a surprise.

I read a lot of thrillers – I am not a big romance fan but sometimes a nice sweet story and knowing something is going to get better; is always a treat to look forward to.

Author Carolyn Brown is new to me; so I decided to read her profile;
Hi! I'm twenty five years old and movie star gorgeous. The camera added thirty plus years and a few wrinkles; “Can't trust those cameras or mirrors either. Along with bathroom scales they are notorious liars!”
Honestly, I am the mother of three fantastic grown children who've made me laugh and given me more story ideas than I could ever write. My husband, Charles, is my strongest supporter and my best friend. He's even willing to eat fast food and help with the laundry while I finish one more chapter! Life is good and I am blessed!

After reading this I knew she was an author I was going to like!

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC..
Publishing Release Date scheduled for December 12 2023.

I enjoyed the audiobook version of this story. Mercy has come to a point in her life where she is going to have to make some changes. Her best friend, Jenny, is getting married and moving out, so Mercy has to move. Also, she and Jenny have been fighting recently. And her job is about to disappear. Meanwhile, she is stuck in a desert town trying to lead church singing over the sound of the jukebox next door. It's too much, and she decides to give the bartender a piece of her mind. It doesn't go as she hoped, but Hunter can't forget about Mercy. He tracks her down and convinces her to go out with him. But there is another woman who is scheming to marry Hunter, and she has no plans to let Mercy have him. Fortunately, Mercy's mother knows exactly when to meddle, and she sets the couple on the right path. Everything works out beautifully in the end. The narrator did a good job with all the voices.
This is a truly Southern story. Church and God are a part of about everything we do down here. Some reviewers seemed shocked by that, but I thought it was very relatable. There are some people like Jenny, but there are many more people like Mercy and her parents and just about all the other characters in here -- nice, regular church folks who aren't too hung up on judging but are trying to do right. This is not Christian fiction; this is fiction set around people who are Christians.
I glanced at some other reviews that seem awfully hung up on Jenny. She isn't in the story much after the first couple of chapters, and she does apologize for her behavior. Actually, I thought her character was very realistic: young, too idealistic, and not sure how daily life and those ideals line up. They take the confusion out on other people until they grow up. Don't skip the whole story over that. Focus on Mercy and how she figures out what she wants and goes for it.

I am very sorry to say, that I was very disappointed in this book. I have read numerous amounts of Carolyn Brown books, and loved them. However, this one I just couldn’t get into. I didn't like how religious characters were so self righteous and judgmental. And I also did not like the characters.
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this audio ARC, for an honest review.

Carolyn Brown definitely hit the mark with this charming, sweet, romance that proves you can find love just about anywhere.
Mercy Spencer and Hunter Wilson are opposites. Mercy does not want to spend her vacation in Texas with her friend and roomate Jenny. Hunter is looking over a cantina for a friend and refuses to give into Mercys attitude and demands. The two do not have the best first meeting, but Mercy finds herself thinking about this tall, handsome man more than she expected or even wanted to.
I listened to this as an audiobook and was not disappointed. It was a fast paced, endearing little listen. Clean fun, Christian romance.

I just read that this two novella book is a re-release of Brown's early work and it all makes sense now. They are simple cowboy romances. I have come to expect more depth in Brown's more current works. The stories were good romances. Entertaining, sweet clean read.

I listened to the audio version of this book, narrated by Abigail Reno. The narration was very good.


Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the gifted audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

On the Way to Us starts out as if it's a Christian novel. But as the story progresses, we find out that Mercy's best friend and roommate is on the way to a life as a missionary and she is very pious. Mercy isn't quite so pious and she finds herself attracted to a man behind the bar at a cantina, even though they have a rough introduction. A twist of fate brings Mercy and Hunter back together and they find that they have more in common than they'd thought and that includes mutual attraction. However Mercy's relationship with her friend get difficult.

I listened to the audio version and that included another novella about fresh starts. A 40ish man is on his way north to find a ranch after his cousins outvoted him on keeping the ranch that they'd inherited. He meets a woman at a small cafe, which he stopped at when he almost collided with a dog. This is a sweet romance about mid-life people examining what they really want and considering other options and what will really make them happy.

The narrator was great. Loved the different voices and accents for the characters. Overall a very enjoyable pair of stories.

This was painful. Jenny, the religious zealot, made this near impossible to read. I hated her, but I also hated the fact that Mercy kept trying with their friendship. It ruined the entire book for me. I've read books by [author:Carolyn Brown|13554] before, and there is typically some religion, but this was too much.

Abigail Reno narrates the audiobook. I have no comment regarding the narration because I didn't even notice it really. I disliked the book that much.

I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the advanced listen of On the Way to Us by Carolyn Brown in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I could not get past the narrator's southern drawl and found my mind drifting. If I were asked what I just listened to, I could not even tell you. I listened to less than 10% of the book, and I know this audiobook is not my cup of tea. The actual book could possibly be better.