Still House Pond by Jan Watson

Lilly Gray Corbett loves living on Troublesome Creek, but she would much rather play with her best friend than watch her little brother and the twins. Her mama, Copper, is often gone helping to birth babies, and Lilly has to stay home. When Aunt Alice sends a note inviting her to visit in the city, Lilly is excited to go, and Copper reluctantly agrees to let her. Later, when they hear the news that the train crashed, Copper and her husband, John, rush to find out if their daughter is injured . . . or even alive.

Jan Watson won the 2004 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest for her first novel, Troublesome Creek. Her other awards include a nomination for the Kentucky Literary Award in 2006 and second place in the 2006 Inspirational Readers Choice Contest sponsored by the Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Willow Springs and Torrent Falls are the sequels to Troublesome Creek. Jan was a registered nurse for 25 years at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. She incorporated her nursing experience in the hospital's mother/baby unit into her novels. Jan resides in Kentucky.

Heidi Says . . . When I ordered this book for review, I thought it was a stand-alone novel.  It wasn’t until I was about 1/2 way through the book and read the author information at the back of the book, that I realized that this book is part of a series called the Troublesome Creek series.  Still House Pond is actually the 5th book in this series, which also consists of Troublesome Creek, Willow Springs, Torrent Falls, and Sweetwater Run.   Though this book worked fine as a stand-alone novel and I had no problem with getting to know the characters, I am a bit anal and would have preferred to read the other 4 books first. 

That being said, I really enjoyed Still House Pond.  I could relate to Copper’s overprotectiveness of Lilly.  Having a 16-year-old daughter who is (almost) ready to set out in this world on her own, I really felt Copper’s anxiety about putting Lilly on a train to  visit her aunt.  I also enjoyed the character of Lilly and many of the supporting characters in the book.

Though I’d recommend Still House Pond, I might suggest reading the other books in the series first. 

NOTE: I received a free copy of this book from the Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for sharing my honest review. No other compensation was received.