Mosaic Authors. Sounds Like a Plan: Stories of change and the God Who Doesn’t. 2024.

Guide to Categories : Adult Review – review of books for adults – may or may not be appropriate for a school library

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Story Summaries

A Baby in the Mix by Lorna Seilstad

Step into the world of Aimee Winslow, where life is as sweet as the confections in her bustling new shop, Baby Cakes. Marrying Micah Masterson, the bookstore owner next door, before the end of the year will add another delicious layer to the life she loves. She’d promised God to say “yes” to every opportunity He puts in her path, but after she’s approached by the Department of Child and Family Services about temporarily caring for her cousin’s newborn baby, she faces an impossible decision. How can she fit a business, a wedding, and a baby into her life? Then again, how can she say ‘no”?

Not by Chance by Eleanor Bertin

Seems like other people’s needs have always foundered Lily’s plans for her life. Now that she has both money and time, she’s finally free to book that cruise she’s been dreaming of. But a random car crash and a chance friendship could sink her dreams before she ever embarks.

Five Things You Know about Me by Sara Davison

Twelve years ago, the perfect plan that bomb squad technician Andrea Garcia had devised for her life was blasted to pieces.

Now the past has exploded without warning into her present.

If only Andrea could figure out how to use this do-over opportunity to defuse the anger and bitterness she’s carried for so long. Maybe then she will be able to trust that God has a better plan for her life than she could ever ignite on her own. 

Mercy’s Detour by Brenda S. Anderson

An unexpected detour leads to a long-hidden secret

For years Paige Cunningham has dreamed of taking a road trip around the United States, and she’s finally ready. She sells her home and is about to begin her journey when a phone call sends her on a detour before she can pull out of the parking lot. But following this detour could lead to a painful destination Paige hoped she’d never visit.

Piper’s Sweet Dream by Stacy Monson

As her chocolate-making business explodes, Piper Devine is desperate to find the perfect retail spot for Pip’s Divine Chocolates. Finn McNally wandered through his twenties but is now the proud business owner of Chocolate Brews. He also restored the town’s decaying train depot, where Piper’s dream location is the last remaining space. Finn doesn’t want a competitor in the same building as Chocolate Brews. Piper knows their businesses could be complementary. But how can she convince him of that after the Health Department’s surprise visit with bogus claims?

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My Adult Review

I don’t know if the authors of this anthology did it intentionally but in each of these stories a library or a shop that sells books figures into the plot of each of these stories.

In A Baby in the Mix the male main character owns a bookstore. I love how Lorna Seilstad gives readers a lesson on priorities with her story. It is all about saying yes to what God asks of you and adjusting your plans to fit His.

In Not by Chance Lily meets a new friend in a bookstore. Eleanor Bertin also shows readers how one character lives out being open to what God is calling her to.

Sara Davison expands on the story of one of the characters in her Two Sparrows for a Penny series. Five Things You Know About Me is a story of reconnecting with a lost love and repairing broken relationships. One of the settings in the book is a used bookstore. 

Brenda Anderson’s story connection to a bookstore is a little more vague but it is still there. In Mercy’s Detour Paige’s daughter runs a boutique and expands into carrying some books (books by Stacy Monson and Cathe Swanson). This plot is a little harder than others because of the heartache involved but the lesson for readers is one that needs to be heard – telling the truth is best, even when it is hard, and in the long run it is best not to hide a difficult truth.

In Piper’s Sweet Dream the characters meet in a bookstore. Stacy Monson used this novella to introduce readers to characters who will appear in later stories which I am thankful for because they are characters I’d like to know more about. This story is really about facing challenges and looking for a new path when doors close. It is also about trusting our future to God. 

These stories are all enjoyable – great for a lazy afternoon. 

While Sounds Like a Plan is an anthology written for adults, it could find its way into a K-12 Christian school library. It is appropriate for high school students. 

I received a complimentary copy of Sounds Like a Plan. This is my honest review.

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