“There’s no time,” Colin said. “You have to go. Find me, call me . . .”
Jacey and Colin shared the three most intense days of their lives together, waiting for help as Mississippi floodwaters surrounded them. Jacey knew Colin was the love of her life—until her rescue boat went under water, along with Colin’s last name and pieces of Jacey’s memory.
The last thing she remembered was being submerged in water. Again.
As Jacey walks down the aisle as the maid of honor in her friend’s wedding a year later, the last person she expects to see is Colin. The biggest surprise, though, is that the man of her dreams is not wearing jeans and flip-flops as he did when he held her through those long nights of the flood. He’s the preacher.
As Jacey’s memories come flooding back, it’s almost more than she can take. The fate of the young family trapped with them haunts her. The unwavering honesty—and support—of her best friend Georgia forces her to take a fresh look at herself. She’s spent her life afraid of love. But this flood is opening Jacey’s heart in the most unexpected ways.
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Summary
From: Rebecca Maney
Book Title: The Sweet Smell of Magnolias and Memories Book Author: Celeste Fletcher McHale What do you like about this book:
"She was holding on to a magnolia limb, full of blooms, sweet and fragrant, while the water swept her away."
Jacey Lang relives fragments of a horrifying memory; being swept down a river of raging flood waters; near drowning over and over and over again. A Hurricane Katrina survivor, she spent three terrifying days and nights on the top of a roof, with a young mother, four children, and a stranger named Colin; but after a rescue attempt turns tragic, Jacey and Colin are separated, spending a year searching for one another, to no avail. Remarkably, Jacey walks down the aisle at a best friend's wedding and recognizes the minister; it's none other than Colin Jennings.
Colin can scarcely believe his good fortune. The last person he expected to see again was Jacey Lang, looking as beautiful as he remembered her to be. Desperate to reignite their unique connection, Colin instinctively recognizes that Jacey carries a wounded spirit. Deciding to tidy up some family matters, he gives her some space, never intending to create an even bigger divide. What will it take for Colin and Jacey to inhale the sweet fragrance of magnolias once again?
Portions of this story were very good, others invaded by an almost "Pollyanna" approach to traumatic circumstances. Undeniably, McHale has written about two characters who dig deep to survive, while learning the value of honesty and forgiveness along the way.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.
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