Where Wild Peaches Grow by Cade Bentley

Where Wild Peaches Grow by Cade Bentley

Release Date August 30, 2022

In a deeply emotional novel of family, cultural heritage, and forgiveness, estranged sisters wrestle with the choices they’ve made and confront circumstances beyond their control.

Nona “Peaches” Davenport, abandoned by the man she loved and betrayed by family, left her Natchez, Mississippi, home fifteen years ago and never looked back. She’s forged a promising future in Chicago as a professor of African American Studies. Nona even finds her once-closed heart persuaded by a new love. But that’s all shaken when her father’s death forces her to return to everything she’s tried to forget.

Julia Curtis hasn’t forgiven her sister for deserting the family. Just like their mother, Nona walked away from Julia when she needed her most. And Julia doesn’t feel guilty for turning to Nona’s old flame, Marcus, for comfort. He helped Julia build a new life. She has a child, a career, and a determination to move on from old family wounds.

Upon Nona’s return to Natchez, a cautious reunion unfolds, and everything Nona and Julia thought they knew—about themselves, each other, and those they loved—will be tested. Unpacking the truth about why Nona left may finally heal their frayed bond—or tear it apart again, forever.

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09PBJDR5G
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lake Union Publishing (August 30, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 30, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 297 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1542031214

MY REVIEW

Nona “Peaches” Davenport is a complex woman. She finds one can never put the past behind them when she travels back to her home in Natchez, Mississippi to bury her father. Peaches relationship with her family, fraught with emotions and misunderstandings, reaches the core of our being as we experience them with her. It touches on the feelings many have experienced in their own lives.

As the story unfolds, it also reveals differences in culture that many of us don’t think about or turn a blind eye to because we don’t want to see, always through the years unspoken but silently simmering.  The characters come to life, working together so the reader can visualize every scenario.

Where Wild Peaches Grow is by far my favorite book by this author. It has heart, it has soul, and is memorable. I would also put it as one of my top favorite books of the year. I highly recommend it.

THE AUTHOR

About Abby L Vandiver/Cade Bentley

Abby Vandiver

WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY, and internationally best-selling author, Abby L. Vandiver, is a hybrid author, being both self and traditionally published. She writes as Abby L. Vandiver/Abby Collette and Cade Bentley. Abby has always enjoyed writing, and combining that with her gift for telling stories and love of mystery, she became an author.

Starting in 2013, and prior to 2018, Abby self-published more than twenty books. Her debut novel, In the Beginning and its sequels, Irrefutable Proof and Incarnate are fact mixed with fiction, mystery/sci-fi novels not written as action packed or fast paced, but as “what-if” alternative history stories. After those books were published, Abby switched to writing cozy mysteries, she has four self-published series so far, Logan Dickerson Cozy Mystery, Normal Junction Cozy Mystery, Tiny House Mysteries and ABC Cozy Mystery Series. Although she writes mostly mystery, Abby has co-written a historical/women’s fiction novel with author and friend, Kathryn Dionne under the pen name Kathryn Longino, In 2017, she contracted with Henery Press for a 3-book deal to pen the series Romaine Wilder Mysteries. After signing with an agent in 2018, she authored two traditionally published cozy mystery series, both pubbed by Penguin Berkley: An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery’s and A Books & Biscuits Mystery. Again switching genres, Abby has penned a women’s fiction book, published by Lake Union, Where Wild Peaches Grow, due out August 30, 2022, which has received a starred review from Booklist. Abby acted as agent and editor for an anthology comprised of twenty authors of color titled, Midnight Hour published by Crooked Lane.

During her non-writing life, Abby obtained a bachelor’s in Economics, a master’s in Public Administration, and a Juris Doctorate. She is a former attorney and Economics professor, but now writes books full-time for the past nine years. As part of her writing journey, Abby teaches writing classes at her local library, Literary Cleveland, and the International Women’s Writing Guild. She will be the Writer in Residence at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Public Library’s William L. Skirball Writer’s Center for 2022-2023.

Abby resides in South Euclid, Ohio, and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, all of whom are her favorite.

Abby’s got many more books to come, so stay tuned!

Amazon Link

Visit her: www.authorabby.com

Email her: abbylvandiver@aol.com

Follow her: www.twitter.com/AbbyVandiver

www.instagram.com/abbylvandiver

www.facebook.com/authorabbyl.vandiver

Keep up with new releases: www.bookbub.com/authors/abby-l-vandiver

Meet Author Abby Collette

Abby Collette is one of the pen names for Author Abby Vandiver. I recently had the privilege of interviewing Abby on my YouTube channel, The Pink Percolator. I hope you take the time to meet Abby too.

A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette

  • First In Series. An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery
  • Publisher : Berkley (May 12, 2020)
  • Publication date : May 12, 2020
  • Print length : 383 pages

Recent MBA grad Bronwyn Crewse has just taken over her family’s ice cream shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and she’s going back to basics. Win is renovating Crewse Creamery to restore its former glory, and filling the menu with delicious, homemade ice cream flavors—many from her grandmother’s original recipes. But unexpected construction delays mean she misses the summer season, and the shop has a literal cold opening: the day she opens her doors an early first snow descends on the village and keeps the customers away.

To make matters worse, that evening, Win finds a body in the snow, and it turns out the dead man was a grifter with an old feud with the Crewse family. Soon, Win’s father is implicated in his death. It’s not easy to juggle a new-to-her business while solving a crime, but Win is determined to do it. With the help of her quirky best friends and her tight-knit family, she’ll catch the ice cold killer before she has a meltdown…

My Review

A Deadly Inside Scoop

Within the first few chapters of this book, I craved ice cream, not just any ice cream but ice cream from Crewse Creamery in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Popcorn Ice Cream, Cherry Amaretto Chocolate Chunk, and ice cream made from snow made my lips tingle with anticipation. Bronwyn Crewse was home and bringing her family’s ice cream shop back to life

Author Abby Vandiver writes under the pen name Abby Collette for her Ice Cream Parlor Mysteries. This was the first in this series that I’ve read but knowing her talent from her previous works, I had no doubt this one would hold my attention and bring me a few hours of reading pleasure. I was right.

Immediately we are drawn into the murder with a wide variety of suspects, some in Bronwyn’s own family, and since she was the unfortunate person to find the body, they include her in the group of suspects. Her family comprises unique personalities that enhance the mystery, along with quirky friends who add moments of fun.

One trait of this mystery I liked was the closeness of family. They still have dinners together. There is something about a family dinner that brings us close and bonds family members, but in this book, it also bonds us to the family.

This is an excellent read by a talented author. I highly recommend it. And if you’re like me, craving ice cream after reading this book, Grandma Kay’s Snow Ice Cream recipe in the back of the book might be one you want to try along with the others. Happy reading.

About The Author

WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY, and internationally best selling author, Abby L. Vandiver, also writing as Abby Collette, has always enjoyed writing, combining that with her gift for telling stories and love of mystery, she became an author.

Abby’s an hybrid author. Her debut novel, In the Beginning and its sequels, Irrefutable Proof and Incarnate are fact mixed with fiction, mystery/sci-fi novels not written as action packed or fast paced, but as “what-if” alternative history stories. After those books were published, Abby switched to writing cozy mysteries. Finding much success, she has three series so far, Logan Dickerson Cozy Mystery, Normal Junction Cozy Mystery and Tiny House Mysteries, all self-published. In 2017, she contracted with Henery Press for a 3-book deal to pen the series Romaine Wilder Mysteries. Her new #ownvoice cozy mystery series, An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery by Berkley Penguin will debut in May 2020. The first book in the series is A Deadly Inside Scoop. Abby is represented by Rachel M. Brooks at Bookends Literary Agency.

Although she writes mostly mystery, Abby has co-written a historical/women’s fiction novel with author and friend, Kathryn Dionne under the pen name Kathryn Longino, and a Kindle World, historical/sci-fi fiction book, Countdown to Atlantis. That book was inspired by the A.G. Riddle’s book, The Atlantis Gene.

Abby, a former lawyer and college professor, has a bachelor’s degree in Economics, a master’s in Public Administration, and a Juris Doctor. A lifetime resident of Cleveland, Ohio, Abby spends all of her time writing and enjoying her wonderful grandchildren.

Abby’s got many more books to come, so stay tuned!

Visit her: www.abbyvandiver.com
Email her: abbylvandiver@aol.com
Follow her: @AbbyVandiver
Keep up with new releases: www.bookbub.com/authors/abby-l-vandiver