By The Book

A few weeks ago Rhonda McKnight was a new-to-me author. But with just one book, she is now a must-read writer. Her novel, The Thing About Home, is fantastic — full of heart and soul. I loved the Lowcountry setting with its rich cultural elements (the food in this book had my mouth watering, LOL!), the historical background that spoke of a rich legacy, and the family that embraced a hurting heroine. And did I mention a hunky hero? 😉 This book has it all. Get this book!

Home is not a place—it’s a feeling.

 Casey Black needs an escape. When her picture-perfect vow renewal ceremony ends in her being left at the altar, the former model turned social media influencer has new fame—the kind she never wanted. An embarrassing viral video has cost her millions of followers, and her seven-year marriage is over. With her personal and business lives in shambles, Casey runs from New York City to South Carolina’s Lowcountry hoping to find long-lost family. Family who can give her more answers about her past than her controlling mom-slash-manager has ever been willing to share.

What Casey doesn’t expect is a postcard-worthy property on a three-hundred-acre farm, history, culture, and a love of sweet tea. She spends her days caring for the land and her nights cooking much needed Southern comfort foods. She also meets Nigel, the handsome farm manager whose friendship has become everything she’s never had. And then there are the secrets her mother can no longer hide.

Through the pages of her great-grandmother’s journals, Casey discovers her roots run deeper than the Lowcountry soil. She learns that she has people. A home. A legacy to uphold. And a great new love story—if only she is brave enough to leave her old life behind. 

“. . . a beautifully written story about family, self-discovery, secrets, and forgiveness.” —Kimberla Lawson Roby, New York Times bestselling author.

Rhonda McKnight is the author of twenty-five traditional and indie-published award-winning bestsellers, including An Inconvenient Friend, What Kind of Fool, and Unbreak My Heart. She is a two-time winner of the Emma award in the categories of Inspirational Romance of the Year (2015) and Debut Author (2010). She has been nominated thrice for the African American Literary Award. She writes inspirational book club fiction and Christian romance about complex characters in crisis. Her goal is to touch the heart of women through her stories using the themes of faith, forgiveness, and hope. Originally from a small coastal town in New Jersey, she writes from the comfort of her South Carolina home.

She can be reached at her website at http://www.RhondaMcKnight.com and on social media at http://www.facebook.com/booksbyrhonda, http://www.instagram.com/AuthorRhondaMcKnight, http://www.twitter.com/rhondamcknight and http://www.SistersofFaithBooks.comwhere she has joined with sixteen other authors to introduce her stories to the world.

My Impressions:

Casey B is a woman scorned at the beginning of The Thing About Home. While I sympathized with her situation and even her response to it, I didn’t much like her. Maybe because the model-turned-influencer seemed really shallow. But as the novel progressed I saw behind the mask this main character presented to the world. Talk about character development! Rhonda McKnight puts Casey through the ringer and brings her out stronger and more grounded in faith, family, and future. The Thing About Home explores identity and family legacy. The dual timeline of Odessa’s story adds a wonderful depth to the Black family journey to the present. And the long life lived by Granna, Casey’s grandmother, added a layer of poignancy and wisdom. Both women gave Casey and this reader a perspective on struggles we were unaware of. I really liked that about the book. I learned a thing or two about history and myself. While these things would certainly be enough, the romance that develops between Casey and her very hunky host is certainly swoony! So basically you have a novel with a strong message, brilliant descriptions of culture and history of the Lowcountry, a beautifully crafted style, and a romance to beat all romances. Yes, its got it all. And it gets a highly recommended rating from me!

Highly Recommended!

Audience: Adults.

(I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Tags: contemporary romance fiction, general fiction, Rhonda McKnight, women's fiction