Do dandelion wishes actually come true?

Book I (Love Blossoms in Oregon series)

"Katherine's soft exhale sent the dandelion fluff dancing on the current of air, but it didn't bring the anticipated relief.
. . . Seeds-that's all they were. Seeds that brought unwanted weeds when they matured. Just like her life.
Unwanted. Unwelcome. Unsung.
At least by the one person who mattered the most while she was growing up.
. . . It was time to put the past behind her. . .and somehow Katherine had to survive."
Katherine Galloway is working hard to care for her two daughters and a boarding house after her husband's death, when life goes from tough to hopelessly unbearable for the single Mom in 1860's Oregon.
The very last thing Katherine needs or wants is a visit from her overbearing, authoritarian mother but not only does her mother visit-she decides to move in. Katherine has felt she never lived up to her mother's expectations and the constant nitpicking seems to just further drive the point home.
Micah Jacobs, a widower, recently moved to Baker City, Oregon. He started a livery business in hopes of getting his teenage son, Zachary, away from books and into a trade. After all, at 15, Zachary should know books were not the answer; besides, their family had a history of working with their hands not their minds.
Both main characters have to deal with seemingly insurmountable odds but face similar situations in very different ways; one turning to God for hope and consolation, the other turning from God with animosity and resentment.
Miralee Ferrell does a masterful job of showing life from both sides of the coin as daughter and mother struggle to understand each other, father and son pursue different paths in life and boarders come to the realization of God's love. She skillfully weaves an emotional story with romance in Blowing on Dandelions, book one in the Love Blossoms in Oregon series.
"Dandelions" is an enlightening and encouraging book for anyone who has struggled with an overbearing person(s) in their lives.
The author includes a chat, discussion questions and historical notes at the end of the book. She also includes a first chapter teaser of the series second book, Wishing on Buttercups.
A copy of this book was provided by bookfun.org in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and no compensation was given. ( )

Blowing on Dandelions, set in Baker City, Oregon in 1880, is the first book in Miralee Ferrell's Love Blossoms in Oregon series. Like other books I've read of Miralee's, this story deals with life/family issues - namely, long-running conflict between a mother and daughter. Both narrative and plot are strong, and we are introduced to some very interesting characters.

Katherine is a character I sympathized with and admired from the beginning - a daughter who felt unwanted, unable to measure up to her domineering mother's expectations. "Always her memory returned to those times when the dandelion fluff had carried her away to a place where mothers were loving and kind, and little girls didn't need to be afraid of cutting words or sharp voices." The quiet, rugged strength of Micah Jacobs is exactly what Katherine needs, and while the mother/daughter conflict takes center stage, their romance is sweet and enjoyable.

Miralee very effectively uses the vehicle of a boardinghouse to place an unusual assortment of characters in close vicinity, and even more conflict is introduced with the arrival of guest Wilma Roberts, who I grew to love. Wilma is an imposing and proud woman, yet she senses that Katherine's mother is lonely and determines to become her friend. And then there's the mysterious Jeffery Tucker, who I suspect we will see much more of.

Katherine's mother, Frances, is an extremely abrasive character who made me even more thankful than I already am for the wonderful mother I was blessed with. Anyone who has experienced family conflict can relate to this story and be inspired by the hope that it offers. I like the slow, but steady spiritual growth that several characters experience.

One of the best things about a series is getting to continue on with certain characters, and I look forward to what Miralee has in store for us in Wishing on Buttercups, which releases on February 1, 2014. Recommended to those who enjoy historical romance and relationship drama. ( )

Blowing on Dandelions.... an in depth look at the relationships between mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, widowhood, with such realistic people it will surprise you to learn that this is a novel. Even those daughters who have a fantastic relationship with their parents, will find this book hard to put down. I have read other books of Miralee's and found this one to be just as intriguing as the others. And though it deals primarily with how mothers and daughters relate to each other, it has enough drama, action and turmoil to keep the reader going until it is finished, and then wish for more. Luckily for us, there are two more books coming in the series according to the publisher.
Miralee is a great writer, and the images she creates are so vivid you can feel the panic when you hear the bell chime at night, see the characters expressions as they react to circumstances, taste the cooking in the boarding house. I want to visit the Baker City of 1880 to see Katherine Galloway's establishment for myself, though I would know it when I got there because of the description!
Great novel...you do not want to miss it! ( )

Title: Blowing on Dandelions (Love Blossoms in Oregon Series Book 1)
Author: Miralee Ferrell
Pages: 400
Year: 2013
Publisher: David C Cook
Note: I received a complimentary copy for an honest review of this book from www.bookfun.org
Katherine is the one of the main female characters in a story that spotlights the relationship between a mother and daughter. There is also an older woman who comes to the boardinghouse that Katherine owns with her two daughters and with her niece. Beth is a quiet young lady who caves under the authority of her aunt; she is a very soft spoken woman. Micah is a widower who is struggling to run a livery as well as raise a teenage son without help.
Many adventures await the characters in this work of fiction that is sure to keep readers from putting the novel down until it is finished. There are themes such as romance, forgiveness, choices and actions that can easily be misunderstood depending on the heart of the one observing. Katherine’s mother has always been a woman who not only speaks her mind, but demeans as well as demoralizes her daughter with every opportunity she gets.
Blowing on Dandelions is the first of three novels that will published as the Love Blossoms in Oregon series. Before reading this particular novel, I hadn’t read anything written by this author, but I can tell you I will be watching for her future writings. Some women have wonderful relationships with their mothers and even mother-in-law. Then, there are others who either haven’t had good relationships or even know of a relationship of this type.
As the novel progresses, see that God is able to change a bitter woman’s heart if she chooses to allow Him to work. I could also pick up that some women who have had less than stellar models growing up or people who have hurt them can cause some women to be less able to love or be loved. In the book, a woman closer to Katherine’s mother’s age befriends her and leans on God to help her love on this woman even if all she gets back is hate. Above all, like the fictional characters, we too can still choose to love regardless of how it is received. We must always stay connected to the Vine so we aren’t doing the work in the flesh, but in the Spirit. I cannot wait for book number two due out in 2014.
My rating is 5 stars!
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. Other reviews can be read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/. Also follow me on Twitter @lcjohnson1988, FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/lisa.johnson.75457 ( )