Synopses & Reviews
FIRST IN A NEW SERIES!
Tucked away in the rolling Tennessee countryside is the charming community of Watervalley, whose inhabitants are quirky and captivating and more surprising than you might expect
As an ambitious young doctor with a penchant for research, Luke Bradford never wanted to set up practice in a remote rural town. But to pay back his student loans and to fulfill a promise from his past, he heads for Watervalley, Tennesseeand immediately stumbles into one disaster after another. Will he be labeled the town idiot before hes even introduced as the new doctor?
Very quickly he faces some big challengesfrom resuscitating a three-hundred-pound farmer who goes into cardiac arrest to not getting shot by a local misanthrope for trespassing. He expects the people of Watervalley to be simple, but finds his relationships with them are complicated, whether hes interacting with his bossy but devout housekeeper, the attractive schoolteacher he consistently alienates, or the mysterious kid next door who climbs trees while wearing a bike helmet.
When a baffling flu epidemic hits Watervalley, Luke faces his ultimate test. Whether the community embraces him or not, its his responsibility to save them. And hell soon discover that while living in a small town may not be what he wants, it may be just what he needs
READERS GUIDE INCLUDED
For stories, recipes, and anecdotes from your favorite Watervalley characters, visit watervalleybooks.com.
Review
Praise for Each Shining Hour
“Heart-warming, refreshing, and often amusing, this touching novel about a likable yet conflicted new doctor sent to a rural Tennessee town is a rare gem.”—New York Times bestselling author Karen White
“A young doctor, marking time until he can leave a somnolent farm town for the bustle of a big city, finds more excitement in Watervalley than he bargained for…Each Shining Hour kept me reading far into the night hours!”—New York Times bestselling author Ann B. Ross
“Heartwarming and tender, Each Shining Hour is a bright and lovely story.”—Lynne Branard, author of The Art of Arranging Flowers
Praise for More Things in Heaven and Earth, the first Watervalley novel
“[Jeff Highs] love of his native Tennessee and the human race shines from every page.” —Patrick Taylor, MD, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Irish Country Novels
“The best of small-town Americana…this story warmed me, made me laugh, and then kept a smile on my face.” —Charles Martin, New York Times Bestselling Author of Unwritten and When Crickets Cry
“One of the best books Ive read in years…High has a gift for capturing the humor of small town life… [of] the joy and richness of living where your family has sunk roots deep into the soil. As I read this novel, I fell in love with Watervalley and its citizens.” —Southern Literary Review
Review
“Told through the eyes of Dr. Luke Bradford, a newly minted MD, the story of the little town of Watervalley, Tennessee, and its inhabitants comes vividly to life. Jeff High's medical background gives him that cutting edge in the technical details of his tale and his love of his native Tennessee and the human race shines from every page. Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly is delighted to welcome Luke, a TransAtlantic colleague to be fiercely proud of.” —Patrick Taylor, MD,
New York Times bestselling author of the Irish Country Doctor novels.
“The best of small-town Americana and the eccentrics who live there are brought to life in More Things in Heaven and Earth. This story warmed me, made me laugh and then kept a smile on my face. Its delightful, compassionate, humorous, tightly woven. If youre looking for a feel-good read, spend an afternoon with Jeff Highs novel.” —Charles Martin, New York Times bestselling author of Unwritten and When Crickets Cry
“A well-spun story of the mystery and microcosm that is small-town America. Jeff High skillfully captures the healing places, the hurting places, and the places where we so often find out who we are truly meant to be.” —Lisa Wingate, National Bestselling Author of Tending Roses and The Prayer Box
“One of the best books Ive read in years. Really. And I read a bunch of books. This is the book you should give to your mother and your best friend at Christmas. After you read it yourself, of course…High has a gift for capturing the humor of small town life…The novel sparkles with one-liners…. I fell in love with Watervalley and its citizens.” —Southern Literary Review
Review
Praise for the Novels of Watervalley: “[Jeff Highs] love of his native Tennessee and the human race shines from very page.”—Patrick Taylor, MD, New York Times bestselling author of the Irish Country novels
"Kept me reading far into the night hours!”—Ann B. Ross, New York Times bestselling author of the Miss Julia Series
“Heart-warming, refreshing, and often amusing.”—Karen White, New York Times bestselling author of A Long Time Gone
“I fell in love with Watervalley and its citizens.”—Southern Literary Review
Review
“Told through the eyes of Dr. Luke Bradford, a newly minted MD, the story of the little town of Watervalley, Tennessee, and its inhabitants comes vividly to life. Jeff High's medical background gives him that cutting edge in the technical details of his tale and his love of his native Tennessee and the human race shines from every page. Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly is delighted to welcome Luke, a TransAtlantic colleague to be fiercely proud of.” —Patrick Taylor, MD,
New York Times bestselling author of the Irish Country Doctor novels.
“The best of small-town Americana and the eccentrics who live there are brought to life in More Things in Heaven and Earth. This story warmed me, made me laugh and then kept a smile on my face. Its delightful, compassionate, humorous, tightly woven. If youre looking for a feel-good read, spend an afternoon with Jeff Highs novel.” —Charles Martin, New York Times bestselling author of Unwritten and When Crickets Cry
“A well-spun story of the mystery and microcosm that is small-town America. Jeff High skillfully captures the healing places, the hurting places, and the places where we so often find out who we are truly meant to be.” —Lisa Wingate, National Bestselling Author of Tending Roses and The Prayer Box
Synopsis
Welcome to the timeless charms of small-town Watervalley, Tennesseewhere young Dr. Luke Bradford is beginning to feel at home
When he comes to the aid of a woman at the grocery store, Luke is fascinated to learn she is Estelle Pillow, the cheery sister to his prickly housekeeper, Connie. Estelle wants to open a bakery in townand Connies disapproval of the venture stirs up a whirlwind of emotions between the siblings. But Lukes attention is soon diverted when he learns about a long-ago double murder.
During World War II, an unknown traveler arrived in town, and before the day was over, he and the local baker lay dead near the bandstand at the local lake. The incident has since been exaggerated into Watervalley lorewith the newcomer rumored to have been a German spy. As Luke pieces together exactly what happened, he realizes that the consequences of this event have rippled painfully into the lives of townsfolk he has come to know.
As winter gives way to spring, Luke keeps busy at the medical clinic and enters a tentative, exhilarating romance. And when his support of Estelles bakery collides with new revelations about the old murder, Luke witnesses the true power of reconciliation working in the hearts of those he holds deara revelation that will change his life.
READERS GUIDE INCLUDED
Synopsis
Bestselling author Ann B. Ross cooks up a batch of fun in this latest novel in her popular series With a crisp bite in the air, Miss Julia is enjoying a well-earned respite by her new fireplace. But autumn leaves aren’t the only things falling: James, Hazel Marie’s housekeeper, has had a nasty tumble down some stairs. How can Hazel Marie feed and take care of him—not to mention a husband and two babies—when she barely knows how to boil water?
Miss Julia jumps in to help by convincing the ladies of Abbotsville to put on their aprons and give cooking lessons. With success so close she can taste it, Miss Julia isn’t thrilled when an unexpected visitor shows up. Brother Vern Puckett, Hazel Marie’s no-good uncle, started life on the wrong foot and stayed there. What could he possibly want from his frazzled niece this time?
With a delightful helping of madcap antics, Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble is a perfect next course in this charming series.
Synopsis
Readers of Jan Karons Mitford series and Patrick Taylors Irish Country series will fall in love with Jeff Highs funny, heartfelt Watervalley series. The pastoral charm of small-town Watervalley, Tenneesse, can be deceptive, as young Dr. Luke Bradford discovers when hes caught in the fallout of a decades-old conflict
After a rocky start as Watervalleys only doctor, Luke Bradford has decided to stay in town, honoring the three-year commitment he made to pay off his medical school debts. But even as his friendships with the quirky townsfolk deepen, and he pursues a romance with lovely schoolteacher Christine Chambers, several military veterans emotional wounds trigger anger and unrest in Watervalley.
At the center of the clash is the curmudgeonly publisher of the local newspaper, Luther Whitmore. Luther grew up in Watervalley, but he returned from combat in Vietnam a changed man. He fenced in beautiful Moon Lake, posting Keep Out” notices at the beloved spot, and provokes the townspeople with his incendiary newspaper.
As Luke struggles to understand Luthers past, and restore harmony in Watervalley, an unforeseen crisis shatters a relationship he values dearly. Suddenly Luke must answer lifes toughest questions about service, courage, love, and sacrifice.
CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED
About the Author
After growing up on a farm in rural Tennessee,
Jeff High attained degrees in literature and nursing. He is the three-time winner, in fiction and poetry, of an annual writing contest held by Vanderbilt Medical Center. He lived in Nashville for many years, and throughout the country as a travel nurse, before returning to his original hometown, near where he now works as an operating room RN in open-heart surgery. He is the author of the Watervalley novels, including
More Things in Heaven and Earth and
Each Shining Hour.