FAITH… FAMILY… FRENZY!Life in a rural small town can dull the senses. A trio of gal pals—mired in middle age, middle America, and other people’s problems—long to escape.When Bonnie wins the Boffo Lotto, her circle of friends urge her to lawyer up, invest, and sequester herself.But secrets are inconceivable in small towns, so Bonnie and Carl invite close friends to witness their Vegas wedding and … their Vegas wedding and honeymoon in Hawaii with endless vagabond beyond. The sky’s the limit.
The allure of travel is fun for a while—hilarious, in fact. But when the husbands are jailed, wanderlust is no longer a romp, and things get complicated when you’re halfway round the world, untethered from all you know and love.
Life has its consequences… and there’s no place like home.
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The good storyline and the well defined characters made this book a very enjoyable read! I look forward to reading more from this author!
Bonnie has won the lotto, and she wants nothing more than to head to Vegas to marry Carl and take her best friend (and sister-in-law) Jackie and her husband Steve with her. After the wedding, the foursome will be jetting off to Australia for an extended vacation of a lifetime. Of course, there are technicalities they need to take care of. They need to make sure the farm is going to be in good hands with their son, and they’re all trying to keep the town from finding out that Bonnie is the winner, which they have Fran working hard to keep that in check. Once they make it to Australia, they’re on an adventure meeting quirky people who make the experience that much more. Of course, sometimes having that kind of money can change people.
I hadn’t read the first two books in the series, and while I felt the book jumped right into the characters without backstory, it was easy enough to catch on. This was a unique read, the gals are religious, and their faith is spread throughout the book, being grounded helps them out in their decisions. The setting of the Midwest is rich and detailed. The theme of friendship is prevalent, with a bit of quirkiness and humor thrown in as well.
“The Winners Circle” by PJ Colander is book three in the “Faith, Family, Frenzy” series. Fran, Bonnie, and Jackie, familiar characters from the first two books, are still laughing it up on each page, and new readers will laugh right along with them. Any needed background information is incorporated in the natural narrative of this book. Readers new and old alike shake their heads and ask themselves “Why are some people devoted to chaos and determined to live in turmoil?” Regular readers will also be glad to know that scones reside in the freezer right next to that secret stash of marijuana-laced treats.
It all begins with a late night phone call. Of course, even answering phone calls for these friends is an entertaining task. The ringtone blares “Amazing Grace,” and the only appropriate answer is, of course, “How sweet the sound.” This time Bonnie replies that the next sound will be “cha-ching” because she has just bought a lottery ticket. Bonnie has the winning numbers, and all that money might change everything. Actually, things remain the same, just the geography changes. They still worry about their family and friends, and readers will laugh as they try to keep the money secret (like that will happen) and keep everyone out of trouble. Through it all, they are friends helping friends.
Colander paints a vivid picture of life in the Midwest. The dialogue brings the characters to life, and readers get to know people through the “down-home” descriptions. They are our parents, our grandparents, our children; we are these people.
“Bonnie flicked her hair like a pony who’d won a blue ribbon at the rodeo.”
“Jackie guessed if you were born and raised in Michigan like her and Steve, you basically breathed your own breath nine months a year, mouth wrapped in a scarf during cold weather outdoors”
“Carl had wedged himself into everyone’s hearts with the force of the freight trains that hurried Midwestern grains to food preparation plants.”
“Shut the front door! Is he all right? Let me talk to him.”
The action unfolds as the two couples replace their farm routines with Australian adventures paid for by lotto winnings. They meet some odd and unusual characters along the way.
“The man lizard-eyed the ladies. His sliver of red licorice mustache didn’t move, though his orangutan red hair was fully askew. An odd juxtaposition, as if he was half-liberal, half-conservative, half-unhinged, with the other half enslaved by the law.”
In alternating in chapters, readers also look in on those at home. Social media reports the actions of the adventurers, and back-home friends see things they wish they could un-see.”
“The Winners Circle” is about tight-knit group of friends who survive life’s uplifts, down drafts, and everything in between. To them, faith, family, and friends matter the most; all they need is hope and each other. I received a review copy of “The Winner’s Circle” from PJ Colander, Acorn Publishing, and NetGalley. It is filled with escapades and adventure but mostly with laughs and fun.
A heartwarming story that takes you on a whirlwind journey with three friends, from a small town in Indiana. Jackie is married to Steve, a dairy farmer. Bonnie is engaged to Carl, Steve’s brother. Fran has recently retired and newly married to a Pastor. All three women are at milestones in their lives.
When Bonnie wins the Boffo Lotto, she invites Jackie and Steve to travel with her and Carl to Las Vegas, where they will be married and vacation with them in California and Australia. Everything is perfect, or is it?
A great read!