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    Salting Roses: A Novel
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    Salting Roses: A Novel
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    Salting Roses: A Novel
    Ebook347 pages5 hours

    Salting Roses: A Novel

    By Lorelle Marinello

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    “A Southern Cinderella story with heart, soul, and humor. As sweet and tart as summer lemonade.”
    —Christie Ridgway, USA Today bestselling author

     

    A delightful new voice in Southern fiction, Lorelle Marinello makes a truly dazzling debut with Salting Roses—a novel that immediately places her in the esteemed company of Elinor Lipman, Loraine Despres, and Stephanie Gayle. In Salting Roses, a young woman abandoned as an infant on an Alabama porch is horrified to discover that she is the missing heiress to a vast Connecticut fortune—a birthright she wants desperately to reject in favor of her Peachtree Lane roots. A modern-day fairy tale with a Southern twist, rich in atmosphere and chock full of unforgettably eccentric characters, Lorelle Marinello’s novel is not to be missed.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateNov 30, 2010
    ISBN9780062030573
    Unavailable
    Salting Roses: A Novel
    Author

    Lorelle Marinello

    Lorelle Marinello is a native of southern California. She makes her home with her husband and three children in an avocado grove in the mountains of San Diego. She received a B.A. in Fine Arts from San Diego State University. When she is not writing, she enjoys landscape gardening and researching her Southern genealogy.

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    Reviews for Salting Roses

    3.5/5

    60 ratings23 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A twisting and turning Southern Cinderella story with a little Yankee thrown in.
    • 3/5
      This review contains spoilers.This book has been in my TBR pile for quite a while. Because of my love for southern fiction, I had to give it a try. It has a promising plot- a n'er do well girl from Alabama abandons her (supposed) love child on the door step of the uncle who raised her and is never seen again. Later, the child is found to be a missing heiress. I guess the story just runs a little too much toward a fairy tale for my tastes. It was certainly sweet- - just not all that believable in some parts. Why would Uncle Ben know Gracie's identity for eight years and keep it a secret? Why did Conrad live so near Gracie and never explain the truth? Would that really happen? And, really, would Rita have abandoned the child like that and never confessed to who she was? Some of the characters were a little flat (Chantel) and some were a little too one-dimensional (Alice). All in all, I'd call this a decent beach read, but don't expect reality and DO expect some things to occur a little too conveniently. Essentially this is a southern fairy tale romance and, if that floats your boat, jump in.Read this book if....*you love southern fiction*you love romance*you love fairy tales
    • 5/5
      This was a wonderful book about a young woman who learns she has grown up with a the wrong identity. She was kidnapped as a baby and raised in a different part of the country. The family who raised her instilled wonderful ideals and traits in her. She learns she is an heiress to a multi-million dollor fortune and must come to grasps with all the challenges her 'new' life throws at her. The author has a great way with putting words on the page. The analogy of 'salting roses' thoughout is exceptional. This is truly a delightful book to read.
    • 4/5
      Consummate small-town southern girl Gracie Calloway celebrates her 25th birthday by discovering that she is the heir to a New England fortune. Her abrupt and controlling grandmother is adamant that Gracie must take her place as the family heiress. Despite the advantages of her New England family's wealth, Gracie is loathe to acquiesce. All Gracie wants is to continue her life as she had known it, but New England grandma is unwilling to allow that. The situation becomes a contest of wills between two powerful women, Gracie and her grandmother. That contest convinces Gracie that perhaps she has more connection with her New England family than she had previously thought. This was generally an engaging read, though I sometimes found it difficult to get my head around Gracie's southern family.
    • 3/5
      Salting Roses is the story of Gracie Lynne Calloway, a young woman who began life as a baby left on her uncle's front porch in small town Alabama. Being left behind by her mother defined her childhood even though her Uncle Ben, Aunt Alice, and adopted Uncle Artie gave her all of the love and support she needed. To survive, she built a tough exterior that was enhanced by her athletic prowess, especially on the ball field. At 25, she was content living with her uncles and working at a local store. She may have remained safely tucked away in Shady Grove had there not been a huge bombshell dropped on her. Discovering that she was kidnapped as an infant and was now the heir to a fortune worth over $650,000,000 dollars changed all of that.I liked Gracie's character, knowing that her struggle with the money wasn't about the new found wealth at all. All of the implied changes were what frightened her. I also thought Artie was a touching character, even though he was less complex. Gracie really needed his steady guidance. I do think that he could have somehow been combined with Ben's character. Ben didn't do much more than keep things hidden, but that added tension with Gracie would have given him the depth he needed.I enjoyed Salting Roses overall, but there were some plots lines that felt heavy handed to me. As much as I liked Nick and think his character was necessary, the posthumous manipulation surrounding why he was the one to show up and tell Gracie about her past was a bit much. I can understand how a wealthy and powerful man could and would want to keep control after death, I think there was plenty of puppet strings in play before Gracie's father died to give the novel it's edge and show his love for her.Salting Roses wasn't all that I'd hoped it would be. That being said, it was nice to read a novel where money wasn't valued above everything else. This is one book that had me at the cover. It arrived unexpectedly and I fell in love. You see a young girl in a dress decorated with roses and skulls in a garden. It just seemed like the perfect sentiment.Gracie's story is sweet and charming, making it an enjoyable holiday season read.
    • 4/5
      I loved this story. Gracie Lynne Calloway was abandoned on a front porch as an infant. She is raised by her "uncles" who found her. Artie and Ben raised Gracie along with the help of Alice, Ben's wife who lives next door. Gracie thought she knew exactly who she was until the day Sam Fontana comes to town to tell her she is a missing kidnapped heiress. Gracie has to figure out who she really is and what is the truth about who her parents really are. The story is full of wonderful, well-developed characters. Artie and Ben are very loving and gentle with Gracie. Gracie is a very funny, headstrong gal who I completely adored. Her interactions with Alice cracked me up. Alice is determined to turn Gracie into a lady while Gracie would much rather run around in jeans and a t-shirt. I couldn't help but love the little town of Shady Grove. It had a great small hometown feel to it. It's the kind of place where everyone knows everybody and their business. I loved this book even though it did seem to move a bit slow in parts. Maybe I was just anxious to know how it all would turn out. Get yourself a seat on the front porch, grab a glass of sweet tea and and read this book. It's a lovely Cinderella type story that will leave you feeling good. You won't be disappointed.
    • 1/5
      **This was an advance reader's copy from Library Thing** Salting Roses purports to be a novel brimming with Southern charm. Oh, it's brimming alright. Ridiculously so. Welcome to the land of Southern stereotypes and Bible Belt cliches. This is right up there in Sweet Home Alabama territory and if Reese Witherspoon is looking for another romantic jaunt in a charming make-believe South, here it is. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm not the target audience for this novel, so maybe it's unfair for me to proceed from here. As a baby, Gracie Lynne Calloway was left in a bucket on her uncle's doorstep with a note from her mother asking him to watch her for a spell. A spell soon turned into 25 years and Gracie, now an adult and nursing old emotional wounds for being labeled the town bastard of Shady Grove, Alabama, is in for a shock--she's not who she always thought she was. A stranger (who is literally tall, dark, and handsome, just in case we miss that he's our prospective love interest) brings her the news that she's actually the kidnapped daughter of the wealthy financier Conrad Hammond of Connecticut. She has been named the sole heir of $650 million dollars. What's a simple Southern girl with a love of baseball and a cushy job in the backroom of the local grocery store to do? Why, turn it down, of course! Because if she accepted it, there would be no plot complications and we wouldn't have this trite little novel. Gracie has been raised to distrust those born with silver spoon in mouth and fears the money will bring too many problems to her quiet and unexceptional life. Yeah, I'm not buying what they're selling here. $650 million dollars? Who wouldn't accept that? At least one could accept it and proceed to do a lot of philanthropic good (of course, I would just use it to wallow in pure hedonism, but different strokes for different folks). There are several things that ruined the book for me: A) These are all stock Southern characters that are presented as though they are supposed to be quirky. They're not. They don't even dance around the edges of eccentric. We've seen them a thousand times before in literature and in movies. If you're going to play up the quirk factor in Southern literature, go big or go home. B) I'm not a fan of romance novels and had I known this was a romance in Southern fiction clothing, I would have avoided it like the plague. However, even I know that in a good romance novel there has to be some will-they-won't-they tension. There's none here. We know as soon as Sam Fontana walks in the door and Gracie starts having dirty thoughts that he's the man she's been waiting for. And if you're pissed over a plot spoiler, be upset with the novel--it makes no pretense that it will turn out otherwise. There's not even the introduction of another prospective suitor to throw the seasoned romance reader off track. C) Serious crimes against vocabulary in the overuse of the words "sass", "sassy", "Yankee", "princess", and "sugah". Blech. D) A plot that gets more and more ridiculous as it goes on. If this had been reined in a bit and been a realistic portrayal of realistic people then something could have been salvaged. As it is, when I managed to suspend disbelief long enough to wrap my mind around one nugget of ludicrousness, here came a side order of absurdity. I like Southern fiction when it's done well. If you're looking for good Southern/regional chick lit, might I suggest The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani. If you're looking for authentic Southern lit, read Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell, True Grit by Charles Portis, Ava's Man or All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg, or anything Larry Brown. They're all preferable to Gracie and her whining about being a $650 million dollar princess.
    • 4/5
      Cinderella stories aren't usually my cup of tea, I suppose I'm too much of a realist. So in general the whole premise wasn't what I had been hoping for. However, to Marinello's credit, I do love Southern fiction and I loved the voices of Gracie and her family. I also found Salting Roses an easy read. So for general entertainment and feel-goodness I rated this book three and a half stars.
    • 4/5
      This book was so funny, and clever. The dialog was too funny. Gracie, the main character, speaks in a backwoods sort of southern. She's an independent woman, who still seems to need to be taken care of while she takes care of her aunt and uncles. However, being dropped on her aunt and uncle's doorstep had a sad inpact on her life and view of "yankees". She soon finds out that she was kidnapped, and not abandoned as she thought all those years. But she struggles to find a connection to herself that she has always been, and the new much much richer Katherine (her real name). This book keeps you holding on, and is a wonderful read for anytime of the year. Absolutely loved it! I'd love another book to make this a series.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable, easy read.
    • 4/5
      Gracie Lynn Calloway was left on a doorstep in her small Alabama town as a baby. She was raised by her two "uncles", Ben and Artie and by her "aunt" Alice, Ben's wife. Although her upbringing was unusual, she never doubted that she was loved. Now, at 25 years of age, she learns that Ben, Artie and Alice aren't related to her at all. In fact, she is a kidnapped heiress. In addition, she learns that her real father has been watching her over the years and that Ben knew it all along. Now Gracie feels as if she doesn't know herself or those she loves and trusts at all. AND, she has to decide if she wants to accept the millions of dollars that are now hers and all of the hoopla that goes along with it. To add to her confusion, the "messenger" from her New England family is, Sam Fontana, a tall, dark and handsome Yankee who literally takes her breath away everytime his eyes meet hers.Gracie Lynn Calloway is a stong, engaging heroine who is thrust into a situation totally beyond her experience. Her relationship with her uncle Artie is warm and tender and her battles with Aunt Alice are funny and definitely believable. "Salting Roses" will make you laugh, cry and cheer but will also make you think about your own values and foundations and what would happen if that foundation suddenly fell away.
    • 4/5
      What's the first thing that pops to mind when you say Southern literature? Gone With the Wind and the indomitable Scarlett? Or maybe you think of mansions and mint juleps. Quirky characters and a deep, abiding love of family may also spring to mind. There's just something about a Southern romance that captures the imagination, even if it and the characters populating its pages are just a hair over the top as they are in Marinello's debut novel.Salting Roses doesn't have the mint juleps and colonnaded mansions, more like dungarees and bungalows but it does have a spunky tomboy heroine, Gracie, who is surrounded by some of the most loving and wonderful family a woman could ever hope to be raised by no matter what the reality of blood might say. Because Gracie is not in fact who she thinks she is. On her twenty-fifth birthday, Gracie discovers that she is in fact Katherine Hammond, the kidnapped heiress to a fortune. She had been left on the porch of her Uncle Ben's house and raised by her Aunt Alice, Uncle Ben, and Uncle Artie as if she was the abandonned daughter of their disappeared niece Rita. While she was raised with love and caring, Gracie also never quite overcame the small town stigma of being Rita's illegitimate child. She suffered at the hands of the wealthier kids in town and so it is with this knowledge of money's ability to corrupt people that she is adamant that she not have to inherit her father's appallingly large fortune. But Sam, the man who was sent by her deceased father and still living, rather starchy grandmother to convince her to accept the bequest, will do everything in his power to get her to see that her reservations are without merit and that her character can handle the corrupting influence of so much money. It doesn't hurt that there is an immediate and strong attraction between Sam and Gracie as this very Southern Cinderella tale plays out.This is very definitely a romance with Sam and Gracie's antagonistic attraction being a major plot line in the novel. But there's a strong theme of identity running through the story as well. Gracie is thrown for a loop when she discovers her identity as the kidnapped baby daughter of such a wealthy family. And she fights that knowledge, thinking that it will change who she is entirely without respect to the person her aunt and uncles' loving and caring upbringing helped to create. As she examines what her new fortune means to who she is, she also discovers that the people around her are not necessarily who they have always seemed either, keeping secrets, hiding wells of strength, and remaining the same constant people she needs despite who each of these other characters truly are under their skin.The story reads as light and charming and the tension between Sam and Gracie is well done. There are aspects of the story that are far-fetched but what Cinderella story isn't fanciful? The pacing speeds up a bit towards the end with resolutions coming a bit fast and furiously but most of the resolutions are completely earned and fit with the basic outline of the rags to riches plot line. Over all, this was a quick and delightful read that can be read as superficially frothy or examined on a slightly deeper level for questions of identity, the power of wealth, and the need to be comfortable in your own skin in order to live a happy life.
    • 3/5
      When Gracie finds out she's an heiress, whose father has just died and left her millions, she's ambivalent about what it all means for her future. Unsure whether she wants the money or not, Gracie relies on "Uncle" Artie, Alice and her newly found grandmother's P.I., Sam, to help her figure things out. Along the way, Gracie realizes she's grown into full adulthood, and is a capable of standing on her own, making her own decisions.I liked Salting Roses, but didn't find anything exceptional about it. In fact, the neatly wrapped up ending seems too easy and a bit contrived. I wish Lorelle Marinello had spent more time developing her secondary characters; their emotional whims and actions don't always seem realistic--they're more like cardboard stand-ups than three-dimensional people you can picture interacting with others.It's not an altogether bad reading experience. I appreciated Marinello's deft handling of Gracie's evolving maturity. The underlying story is unique and appealing. But, if you happen to have a lot of books stacked up waiting to read, you could probably skip this one.
    • 4/5
      Gracie Lynne Calloway has lived in Southern Alabama since the day, as a newborn infant, she was deposited on her uncle's front step in a coal bucket. Though her mother never came back for her, Gracie found all the love and support she needed from her uncles Ben and Artie and her aunt Alice. Gracie has grown into a tomboy with a strong work ethic and little time for the softer emotions, and is constantly thwarting her aunt's efforts to entice her to settle down and raise a family. On Gracie's 25th birthday, a stranger named Sam arrives in town and delivers some shocking news. It turns out that Gracie isn't Gracie at all, but the kidnapped daughter of a millionaire, and since her father has recently passed away, Gracie is set to inherit $650 million. Although the money seems like a blessing, Gracie wants nothing to do with it and Sam has his work cut out for him. When Gracie's forgotten family gets news that she's alive and set to inherit her father's empire, things go from bad to worse. Now Sam has to figure out a way to make Gracie accept her new position and fortune despite her reluctance, and also find a way to ease his troubled heart that beats stronger every time Gracie is in the room. In this rags-to-riches Cinderella story, Marinello shares the story of one very stubborn protagonist who wishes to stay buried in obscurity when the unexpected knocks on her door.I'm not sure this story worked for me. While I do love a good rags-to-riches tale with a southern feel, there were a few things that just rubbed me the wrong way. I did enjoy parts of the book and it would be misleading to say I didn't enjoy the story as a whole, but some things I discovered as I read were not all that pleasing nor rewarding for me.While the story had a rich and evocative feel, I just couldn't get over Gracie's stubbornness. I frequently felt she was being contrary just for the sake of being contrary. Maybe the problem is I can't imagine a person wanting to turn down that kind of money. To me, it didn't feel realistic. On one hand, I understood that Gracie wanted to keep her past life intact and didn't want the complications that all this money would bring; but on the other, her family had need of the money and her hard-headed attempts to reject it didn't strike me as a particularly strong character decision. I also felt that Gracie was generally a very antagonistic person. She was always bucking the system and came off as very hard-boiled. She did adopt a softer attitude toward the latter sections of the book, but overall, I just didn't like her very much. She was a spitfire for sure, but I think I would have been more satisfied if she had been a little more emotionally available and gentle.One thing I particularly liked was the strong family bonds and attachments that the characters had towards one another. There was a sort of cohesiveness to Gracie's second family that I felt was very genuine and touching. Though at times they hid the harsher facts of their lives from her, they seemed to do this for her peace of mind and to protect her from some of the unpleasantness of life. Though theirs was a strange arrangement, it worked for Gracie and it was easy to see why she had such strong ties to them. I liked that they were careful in the way they handled her and I felt their actions bespoke a great love for this orphaned child that they came to care for.The relationship that began between Sam and Gracie was not hard to spot coming out of the gate, but I actually liked that aspect of the book. Sam was the impetus for change in Gracie and he taught her to be more genteel and soft, putting her rough exterior behind her. Though theirs was a relationship that began with a lot of lust, Marinello toned it down nicely in the middle of the book and it was easy to see why they were drawn to each other and fit together so nicely. Sam tempered something in Gracie, and though she tried to buck away from him, he was tenacious and persistent, ultimately forcing her to reveal a side of herself that was previously unseen.I guess the main thing that bothered me was the implausibility of it all. Who in their right mind would turn down a fortune that was left to them? Why was everyone so bent on treating a twenty-five year old woman like a child, and why was Gracie such an unbelievable sourpuss all the time? While I was reading, I asked myself if these were realistic situations or was all this fabricated to make for a rollicking story, and I had to conclude that there was something over the top about all of it. It was interesting to see what would happen with it all but somehow the unrealistic aspects of the story made me hold the characters and their plights at arm's length.Though there was a lot I enjoyed about this book, there were also things I felt were a bit overdone. Where I think Marinello succeeds is on her strong family creation and her ability to fashion a love story using some very headstrong characters. I would recommend this book to those looking for a fairy tale like story, and must conclude that there are readers out there who are a lot less picky than I am who would enjoy it. An interesting, if uneven tale.
    • 3/5
      I've only recently (as in this year) become a fan of "Southern" fiction, books set in the south and ranging from Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind to Kathryn Stockett's The Help to more modern stories such as Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. I've been incredibly lucky to have read some fantastic titles, but also have read some.. not so fantastic ones.So when I saw the description for Salting Roses I jumped at the opportunity to read it. A sort of "Cinderella/Coming-of-Age" story? Yes please! I was so excited and dove right in.. and I was hooked, until things went even a little too overboard for me.There is a lot of potential story in this book, and perhaps others will not have as much difficulty as I had, but there are so many "secondary" characters that I felt the story sort of.. got lost. And then Gracie Lynn kind of got lost in it, and then I was confused as to what exactly the story was supposed to be.I loved the start of the book, loved it. I was a little perturbed by how outlandish the sum of money was that Gracie inherited, but I accepted that that's a pet peeve of mine and got over it quickly. I loved Ben and Artie and Alice, I loved the foundation being set for who Gracie Lynn was. But then.. things drifted.I think the problem with this book is that Ms. Marinello tried to get too much put into the story in too little pages. I don't think the book should have been longer though, just.. less conflict, less romance, less.. .something. Just one of those ingredients left out and I think it would have been better. But instead, she seemed to go to extremes, starting with that pet peeve of mine - the huge amount of money. Then instead of one mean person, there's two. Instead of one uncle, there's an uncle and aunt... I could go on with a few more, but I think you understand what I'm talking about here.The lesson in all of this is moderation. With just a little bit less of everything, I think the story would have fit together more easily and been less confusing and more enjoyable. I don't think the book was bad, I was just disappointed at how quickly everything had to move and everyone had to change to get to the ending.
    • 3/5
      Something I love about living in the South is the difference in propriety. There are things about Southern charm that aren’t quite so charming. Rather, they can be downright disarming when it boils right down to it. Southerners often say exactly what is on their mind and don’t exactly care for the same things that Northerners do. In Salting Roses by Lorelle Marinello, the differences in socioeconomic status, customs, and even speaking style are brought to the forefront in a novel that brings to life the what-ifs from childhood. What if our parents aren’t really our parents but some celebrity or rich person that gave us up? Or, in Gracie Calloway’s case, what if she were really a kidnapped heiress instead of a bastard child that was found on a stoop in a coal bucket? What would happen if someone who never had money and was biased against it suddenly had more than she could handle? What if that money was brought to her by a shy, handsome Yankee?Gracie’s character is full of moxie and the handful of characters that surround her in her stereotypical Southern town, which is nothing like any Southern town I’ve experienced, are almost cartoonish in their portrayal. The plot was easy to guess in advance, so there wasn’t any real mystery as to how things would go. Katherine Hammond, Gracie’s paternal grandmother is perhaps the most compelling portrayal in the novel as both a mother who has lost her child and grandchild and yet is still to stilted as a character to really come together and show any emotion.While Salting Roses isn’t the most compelling thing I’ve ever read, and it did take me several hours to get into it, it was funny, interesting and, ultimately, a good story. It reminds me of a beach read and while the author is releasing it in paperback this month, this book is the book I’d read when I needed a distraction. In other words, take it to the beach, while recovering from surgery or while enjoying your Winter Break.
    • 4/5
      A charming book. I enjoyed following the adventure of Gracie Lynne Calloway's life. The book offers insight into how wealth plays a role in our society. It also shows us what family really means. Gracie learns much about the lessons of life. An enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      I found it hard to get through this book. Too many inconsistancies in the story.I know fiction is fiction but the basic story line of a parent knowing where their missing child is and never going to recover that child just didn't set right with me.I had too hard a time suspending belief to really enjoy this book.
    • 4/5
      As a lover of Southern literature, this book was a delight to read. The story was predictable but the characters were well defined and most were endearing. Shady Grove, Alabama, the location of the novel is a small town where everyone knows your name and your business and you are either a have or have not.Gracie, the novel's protagonist, discovers at age twenty-five that her entire life is a lie. She believed that her mother gave her up to be raised by her Uncle Ben, Aunt Alice and Ben's best friend Artie. Gracie's dreams all her young life was to be reunited with her mother, Rita but on her 25th birthday Gracie finds that she is actually the kidnapped daughter of a multi-millionaire. Upon this discovery mixed emotions of living a lie and finally knowing who were her real parents and heritage haunt her.For so many years, Gracie prayed that her mother would return to guide her into adulthood but as the adage says, "You better watch out what you wish for...you might just get your wish." Her real mother, Lillian is after her money...over 65 million dollar worth. Gracie may gladly give her mother the money she inherited upon her real father's death. Gracie's love for the three people who raised is all that is important to her; especially Artie who is her father of another color.If you love the writings of Fannie Flagg, do read this new all-American read.
    • 4/5
      Gracie Calloway is a 25 year old woman who works in a grocery store and has a mean fastball. She was found on a doorstep by a couple as an infant and was raised by them and a family friend in Shady Grove, Alabama. All is pretty OK in Gracie's world until Sam Fontana shows up on her doorstep . . . .to tell her that she is really Katherine Hammond. Katherine Hammon was kidnapped as a baby and is now the heir to a 250 million dollar fortune.The rest of the book follows Gracie's struggle to decide what to do with the money and a new found identity. She must contend with the family who raised her and her new family, who mostly want money. She also has to fight off reporters and deal with how the people in her small town now think about her and act toward her. And she has to work through how she now thinks and feels about herself. And then there is that sexy Sam to think about as well . . . If there is a theme here it is that money definitely changes everything.I really ended up liking this book, although I wasn't so sure about it in the beginning. It starts out a bit choppy and I questioned how realistic some of Gracie's initial reactions were, but as the tale continues the characters came much more alive and grew on me until I started to care about them and care about what would happen in the rest of the book. The story is unique enough that it's not entirely predictable (except for the romance of course, but it does do a nice, smoldering, slow burn that is fun to watch unfold). Gracie is an endearing and engaging character and Sam is a good guy. All of the characters are flawed, which I liked because that's the way it is in real life.This is a book that's not great literature, but was a very fine weekend read. I do recommend it!
    • 3/5
      Wellll... I didn't hate it! But I didn't love it either.There were parts that I thought were very good, but there many parts that got real boring to me. And I also thought she kept repeating the same lines over and over. I got tired of it.I didn't really bond with any of the characters. i thought Gracie was OK, Sam was Ok, everyone else was just kind of there. I guess I felt the characters were not very believable. They were too storybook-ish.I did like the ending, the last 1/4 of the book was better than the first 3/4 but again, even the ending was just not very believable to me.
    • 5/5
      I so enjoyed this book I read it in a day. This is the story of Gracie Calloway who was found on a doorstep in Alabama and raised with love by the people she was left with who thought she was their niece. They didn't have much money and Gracie was treated pretty badly as a child by other children whose families looked down on her. (No Spoilers it’s on the back of the book) Gracie is now 25 and happy with her life and family when she finds out she was kidnapped and is the heiress to a fortune.This book is about making choices and what it really means to be family. I loved all the characters in this book with Artie being my favorite. There is a little romance, which I thought was a cute love story. But it is mostly about discovering who you are versus who you were meant to be. How would you deal with these life-changing events if you were in Gracie’s shoes? Gracie is a strong stubborn woman set in her ways taking care of everyone around her but not thinking much about herself. I liked that she was a tomboy and played baseball, she has flaws and low self esteem and you will cheer for her to find her true self.I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy southern fiction and great characters.Thank you so much Library Thing Early Reviewers for the chance to read this book!
    • 3/5
      I’ve always been a fan of southern fiction so when I received Salting Roses by Lorelle Marinello as an Early Reviewer copy, I was excited. The story starts of with baby Gracie Lynne Calloway being dropped off in a coal bucket on a porch in Alabama. Fast forward to her adult life and we quickly find out that she is really an heiress to a multi-million dollar fortune. The person delivering the good news is handsome and single. The story takes off from there.I found the plot to be rather predictable and the writing a little bit too folksy for my taste. I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters. All of the characters seemed very superficial to me. All in all, I guess it was a readable story if you are looking for a beach novel kind of book.