In the Heart of Valley

When Kallie Henry came back to Valley she was greeted by the news that her beloved Grandmother just died. Another shock came with the reading of the will.  Apparently Grandmother was really well off and she left everything to Kallie - the controlling share of Henry Orchard and Bakery included. But there is one stipulation: she must remain in Valley for a year.  That shouldn’t be too hard. But then an unimaginable series of events take place:  a father she never knew shows up, as does her boyfriend from the city. Then, she has a nearly fatal accident, and oh, there’s this lawyer who used to be her boyfriend back in high school...

With a large cast of characters and a fine storyline, "In the Heart of the Valley" should have been an enjoyable read. However, there are some issues:  First, with the writing. There are a fair number of missing commas and punctuation,and the writing style is  somewhat awkward, making the story stumble a bit at times.  The story itself is engaging, but there are some rather trite plot twists which may detract from the overall enjoyment. The characters also suffer from being two-dimensional, and at times, unlikeable. All in all, this a promising read that would do wonders with a more rounded cast of characters!

Ana Smith