High Cotton (2018) by Debby Mayne is the first book in her Bucklin Family Reunion series. High Cotton recently released on March 13, 2018 through Gilead Publishing. This book comes in all forms including eBook, and is 304 pages in length. With a full-time job and a busy, busy five-year old at home, this story took me three days to read. I received a review copy of this novel in paperback form from Gilead Publishing. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. I give High Cotton 4.5 STARS. This novel is a Contemporary Christian Romance.

About the Book

Some families are filled with so much love they can’t help but drive each other crazy! 

Shay Henke has mixed feelings about going to her family’s next reunion. On the one hand, she’ll get to see everyone in her mama’s family—folks she loves unconditionally. On the other hand, she knows there’ll be more drama than you can shake a stick at.

The days leading up to the event bring one surprise after another. First Shay must deal with her sister-in-law’s deep, dark secret. Then she has to contend with the childish ways of her business-mogul twin cousins. And when her high school crush wants to be her date to the reunion . . . well, it may have been a dream come true for Shay’s teen self, but the woman she’s become doesn’t know what to make of this.

Shay’s contentment is challenged, and she’s determined to shake things up a bit. But will she find the excitement she’s looking for, or will Shay realize she prefers her quiet and predictable life? One thing is certain: Life in the Bucklin family is never boring.

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About the Author

Debby Mayne has published more than 30 books and novellas, 400 print short stories and articles, more than 1,000 web articles, and a slew of devotions for women. She has also worked as managing editor of a national health magazine, product information writer for HSN, a creative writing instructor for Long Ridge Writers Group, and a copy editor and proofreader for several book publishers. For the past eight years, she has judged the Writers Digest Annual Competition, Short-Short Contest, and Self-Published Book Competition. Three of Debby’s books have been top ten favorites by the Heartsong Presents book club. Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida received 4-1/2 stars from Romantic Times Magazine, and was named a Top Pick for the month of July 2009.

My Thoughts

High Cotton is a well-written, lighthearted, quick and easy read that follows four women as they prepare for a family reunion. This is my first read of Debby Mayne’s work, but it definitely won’t be my last. I very much enjoyed the way the four main characters interacted with one another, with their respective immediate families, and with their VERY large extended family.

I dislike family reunions. I know this is not cool to admit, but they make me SO uncomfortable. Part of it is because I’m one of the biggest introverts God has ever created. The idea of living as a hermit sometimes sounds like a great idea to me. But another part is that I’ve always been the black sheep of my family, and I’m definitely the odd one out in my husband’s family. Being the black sheep combined with my introverted personality means gatherings — family or other — cause me severe struggle. BUT, you do for family. And, that is the main point of this book. Family is messy. Family is judgmental. Family is hard. But, family is also there for you when you need them most. Family is a support system that you should be able to lean on in times of struggle. In this day and age where the notion of family seems to be changing at alarming rates, it is exceptionally refreshing to read a story that shows family as it should be: loud, messy, frustrating, nosy, caring, and loving!

The four main characters include Shay, Puddin, Sally, and Missy. Each woman is unique in her own right, but I love Shay the best as she is the character I can relate to the most. Shay has an insecurity that keeps her from living life to its fullest. Somewhere along the way, probably at one of her many family reunions where someone said an unkind and/or judgmental thing to her, she got it into her head that she is less than everyone else, which is exactly the opposite of reality. In reality, she is responsible and dependable. She is the person everyone turns to when they need help. Shay has a well-paying, stable job and she owns her own home. But, none of this matters because running on loop in her brain is this message that she isn’t what she should be. This leads to major doubt when Elliot enters her life. Elliot is a handsome man who sees Shay’s value as a woman, but Shay struggles to believe him when he says things like, “You are an amazing woman,” or “You are so beautiful.” She just can’t believe Elliot because his words go against the message she’s believed about herself for so long. Shay’s character is a good reminder to us women. It is so easy for the devil to whisper into our ears all the ways we are unworthy or less than. Once those words are in, we start to think they are our truth. I can’t fathom how many things I may have missed out on because of the lies I felt about myself. We need to, instead, remember that God made us exactly as He deemed perfect. We need to kick the devil’s silver-tongued words out of our heads and replace them with the loving Words of our Father. His opinion of us is the only opinion that truly matters!

High Cotton is an engaging novel that I definitely recommend. If you are looking for a fast-paced, fun, sweet story that has some really timely themes for today, then this book is for you!

Giveaway

I am giving away ONE (1) paperback copy of High Cotton by Debby Mayne. The giveaway begins today, 4-7-18 at 5:00 AM (PST) and ends on Wednesday, 4-11-18 at 12:00 pm (PST). To enter, click on the Rafflecopter link below. Good luck!

Congrats to Linda L.!

You have won this giveaway. Thank you for your participation. It is greatly appreciated.

***Please Note: Open to Continental U.S. mailing addresses only.***  Winner will be notified via email at the end of the giveaway, and will be announced here on this page.