Queen Bee Goes Home Again--A Novel

September 15, 2014

Real estate agent Linwood Breedlove Scott is doing the drive of shame: back to her hometown, back to her mother's house to lick her wounds and recover from losing her home in a bad economy. She hasn't forgotten that this is the second time she's doing so. She's ready to hunker down until one last favor for a friend culminates in her selling the home next door to the handsome new (divorced!) minister in town. Sparks fly, but Lin's not sure she's minister's wife material. Distracted from romance by family matters and a return to college, Lin finds that it's not until a blast from the past arrives on her doorstep that she really has to evaluate what she wants vs. what she thinks God wants for her. In this perky and fast-paced sequel to Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch, which can be equally enjoyed as a stand-alone novel, Lin's predicaments aren't wholly surprising; however, the ride from beginning to end is enjoyable and charming. Smith's writing is fresh and contemporary yet still true to her faith-based roots. VERDICT A solid recommendation for book groups and fans of women's fiction and romance.--Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
She's ba-ack. Lin Breedlove Scott is once again gracing, though not gracefully, her mother's doorstep in Mimosa Branch, after her latest personal tragedies have left her with nowhere else to turn. All the original characters from Smith's debut (Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch, 2002) are there, too: her strong-willed mother, Mamie; her stronger-willed father; and crazy Uncle Bedford. But now they are 10 years older, though not necessarily wiser. As before, Lin is plagued by a good-looking next-door neighbor, this time charismatic preacher Conrad Allen, who is immediately smitten with the feisty 60-year-old. The feeling, much to Lin's chagrin, is mutual. So what is the problem? With the unsavory reputation she earned on her first return home throwing up roadblocks to any future happiness, Lin does everything she can not to repeat past mistakes. A Christian conservative who conducts numerous, simultaneous mental conversations with herself, God, and her 12-step enablers, Lin somehow manages to turn the interior noise down far enough to find her own true voice.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)