Alice J. Wisler
A Wedding Invitation, Alice's fourth novel, arrived on bookshelves on October 1, 2011!
"I'm giving A Wedding Invitation five out of five bookmarks and voting it "Best Southern Contemporary Fiction of 2011"... I think she's tied with Denise Hildreth Jones as my favorite Southern author... and that's saying something!" ~ Deena Peterson, A Peek at My Bookshelf
From the Library Journal Review, September 15, 2011:
Samantha Bravencourt has just returned home to Virginia after teaching English at a refugee camp in the Philippines. When she travels to North Carolina to attend the wedding of an old college friend, Samantha runs into an old flame, Carson, who broke her heart. She also meets a young refugee, Lien, who asks for Samantha and Carson’s help in locating her mother. The search reveals long-buried secrets that cause Samantha to examine her own past so she can move forward. VERDICT Romance and drama meet in this latest by Wisler (Hatteras Girl), who does a wonderful job conveying Southern charm. Readers who enjoy the works of Susan May Warren and Tamara Leigh will also appreciate this.
From Booklist, October 15, 2011:
When Samantha Bravencourt accidentally attends the wedding of a stranger, her whole life begins to change. She meets a handsome man, Taylor, who takes an interest in her. She runs into one of the Vietnamese refugees she had taught eight years earlier, in the mid 1980s, in the Philippines. Samantha splits her time between the D.C. area, where she lives and works at the boutique her mother owns, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she often visits her Aunt Dovie. Carson, fellow teacher and former love interest, also lives in North Carolina. He and Samantha reconnect, forcing her to reevaluate their past and examine her heart. With Taylor in D.C. and Carson in Winston-Salem, Samantha wavers between the promise of the future and the hope of repairing the past. Wisler grants her characters the chance to fix their mistakes, and as each succeeds, readers will enjoy a story of hope, love, and grace.
— Carolyn Richard
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About the novel from the publisher, Bethany House:
It's hard to concentrate when the past keeps shoving its way into your thoughts...
After returning home from teaching in a refugee camp in the Philippines, Samantha Bravencourt enjoys her quiet life working at her mother's clothing boutique near Washington, D.C. When she receives an invitation to her friend's wedding in Winston-Salem, NC, she's excited to reconnect with her college pals.
But the wedding turns out quite differently than Sam expects. A chance encounter leads to a reunion with Carson Brylie, a fellow teacher and the man who once broke her heart, and Lien, a young Amerasian girl who desperately needs Sam and Carson's help.
But working with Carson might put Sam's tender heart at risk once again. Is she willing to forgive the past and take another chance on love?
