The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek

January 30, 2012
Readers looking for a gentle, funny, romantic, and honest new series will find it in this latest effort by Perrine (Second Chance Bride). The veteran author and ordained minister has a sure eye for smalltown church drama, as well as the dynamics of life in a town where everyone knows your business. Rookie minister Adam Jordan shows up in Butternut Creek, Tex., with no furniture and no wife, but Miss Birdie aims to fix both problems. “The Pillar,” as Adam calls her, directs all within her purview with love and an iron will, though her matchmaking attempts for Adam fail. Romance is in the air, however, for Marine veteran Sam Peterson, who struggles to face his feelings about his life-changing injury, physical therapist Willow Thomas, and his father. Perrine does a fine job blending small and large story lines, portraying details and dilemmas of regular folks, and offering spiritual messages from real life. This is a delightful first volume in what promises to be a wonderful series. Agent: Pam Strickler.

March 15, 2012

Seminary teaches many things, but it can never prepare a young pastor for someone like Miss Birdie. The "pillar" of the Butternut Creek Christian Church is convinced that Adam Jordan cannot be taken seriously unless he cuts his hair, gains some weight, and finds himself a wife. Perrine, an ordained minister, convincingly takes readers through the social and spiritual challenges that Jordan faces when he is confronted by the "The Widows," a group of church ladies led by Miss Birdie, and when he tries to reach the unreachable, like disabled veteran Sam Peterson. VERDICT Despite a bit of a slow start, this first entry in a new series about a small, somewhat idyllic Texas town and its quirky residents will definitely appeal to fans of Jan Karon's "Mitford" series and other readers who enjoy homespun fiction about small-town life.--Amber Woodard, Cumberland Univ. Lib., Lebanon, TN

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