Nobody does characters like Carolyn Brown! Her characters are a little eccentric, unique and always filled with warmth and love.
In The Banty House there are three elderly sisters, a little moonshine, a little weed, a pregnant teenager aged out of the foster system and an ex-soldier filled with regrets and battling PTSD. Add a little romantic feelings, compassion, family love, wacky encounters and a colorful history and you have a story that won't soon be forgotten.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

My relationship with this author is all over the map. Sometimes she’s like a best friend that I’m so glad to catch up with, sometimes she’s that annoying coworker that I’m trying to sidle away from inconspicuously. This time she’s somewhere in between.

This story started off nicely for me. I enjoyed getting to know the sisters and had no problem picturing their small town and house. After a bit it settled into a relaxing pace. I wasn’t getting anything spectacular from the story, but it was enjoyable and relaxing. Sorry for using so many metaphors today, but I felt like I was kicking back on a breezy porch with a glass of lemonade. Slow and steady. I was engaged but not invested. The story was, at that point, getting a solid 3 stars from me. Comfortable.

And then it went off the rails. Not for a huge portion of the book, just a few pages. But it was enough to tick me off and feel as if the writer was being lazy. Let me be clear, the character I adore the most in this story is Sloan. He’s been through the wringer but is still one of the most kind and patient characters ever. He’s sexy and strong and smart and just an all-around good guy. Because of all of these traits, the way he handles a particular situation irked me. He is way to protective for things to play out as they did and he would NEVER let Ginger stay in a place she may be in danger. It just didn’t make sense. Plus, the transition to this scene was very odd. I actually thought Sloan was dreaming for a bit because it went from one thing to another with no real sense of urgency or realism to the story.

Thankfully, things went back to normal (for this story) after that brief transgression, but it left a sour taste in my mouth. I was no longer trusting the author to finish strong and that made the last bit of this story a little less enjoyable.

I will continue reading this author. Like I said before, I have my ups and downs with her. A adore her Lucky Penny Ranch series and have thoroughly enjoyed the books in her Longhorn Canyon series I’ve read so far. But I cannot, in good conscious give this one a 3-star rating.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author but I’m sure it won't be my last. Amazing storytelling.

It was such a sweet story so refreshing and the best kind of humor, at times it was laugh out loud!!

Sloan Baker and Ginger Andrews were both brought into the fold by Betsy, Connie, and Kate Carson. One broken hero and one broken heroine that were healed by each other along with 3 feisty old women.

And I absolutely loved the epilogue!!

The Banty House is the latest offering by prolific author Carolyn Brown. This endearing and humorous story introduces the three Carson sisters, Kate, Betsy, and Connie. One likes and makes moonshine, one likes and grows marijuana, and one smokes and went to Woodstock. And the three of them were raised in the Banty House, a one time house of ill repute. They are all over 75 and they are very special characters.

Ginger Andrews is 19, alone, pregnant, and trying to make it to Los Angeles, but her money only took her as far as Hondo, Texas. As she rests on a bench in front of a hair salon trying to figure her next move, Ginger is joined by cigarette puffing Connie, and before the afternoon is over she has joined the three sisters at the Banty House as they invoke one of the primary Banty House rules, to help those in need.

Sloan Baker is 26, an Army veteran, and had been a bomb disposal expert until things went horribly wrong, his team was lost, and he was sent home with severe PTSD. Sloan isn’t pleased by the newcomer at the Banty House. He has made it his job to watch over the ladies that have watched over him most of his life and is wary of the stranger.

This is a very sweet story that had me captured from the very beginning. The lovable, interesting characters are soulful, insightful, and witty. The descriptions make you feel as though you are there watching it unfold before you. This is definitely a story I can envision as a movie! I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Very good book about love, family, healing, and acceptance. Three eccentric sisters live in the tiny (population 95) town of Rooster, Texas. They've never married and still live in the house they grew up in. Betsy, Connie, and Kate live their lives according to their mama's rules, the first of which was "Never turn away a stranger."

Nineteen-year-old Ginger arrived in Rooster with no money left and nowhere to go. She's eight months pregnant and trying to escape the bad memories she left behind in Kentucky. A chance encounter with Connie gives her a roof over her head and a chance to get back on her feet.

Sloan is the sisters' handyman. Twenty-four years old, Sloan returned home from the army, discharged with PTSD, and wracked with guilt over the death of his team. He's protective of the sisters, but they are the only ones he's allowed himself to get close to.

I loved the three sisters. They are feisty, independent, loving, and loyal. Each of them has a fascinating past that has made them who they are today. I certainly did not expect to find that Kate makes her own moonshine, bartering it for goods and services the sisters wanted. Betsy does the cooking for the family and grows a little weed on the side, also trading it with friends and neighbors. Connie is in charge of the house, a cleaning whirlwind. They bicker like sisters do, but their support of each other is as solid as the foundation of their home. I laughed out loud as they told Ginger of the house's history as a brothel and their interactions with some of the more judgmental townspeople. The scene with Edith when she disrespected the sisters' mother was a riot. Something about Ginger spoke to their hearts, and it wasn't long before they made her part of the family. It was also fun to see their machinations as they pushed Ginger and Sloan together whenever they could.

Ginger made my heart ache for her. Raised from birth in the foster care system, she had little experience with what family really meant. Her search for love and belonging ended up with her being pregnant and alone. She didn't know quite what to make of the Carson sisters and their open-hearted acceptance of her. She didn't intend to stay in Rooster, but the longer she waited, the harder it became to think about leaving. She was afraid to believe it would last, but couldn't deny the hope that grew daily as she worked with the sisters.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Ginger and Sloan. It got off to a bit of a rocky start, as Sloan was suspicious of Ginger. He feared that she was running some sort of scam that would hurt the sisters. Ginger sensed his distrust and tried not to let it bother her. With the sisters' help, it didn't take long for the distrust to evaporate. I liked seeing the friendship between them develop first. Ginger's resilience and ability to overcome her painful past impressed Sloan. He quickly found himself feeling as protective of her as he was of the sisters. He also discovered that she was easy to talk to and shared the events that haunt him with her. Ginger's past made it easy for her to connect with Sloan. I loved seeing her help him face his past. In doing so, he learned some things that completely changed his outlook. Ginger had no experience with a man as good as Sloan, and it took some time for her to believe that he meant the things he said. The love between them grew slowly, and it took a while for them to recognize their feelings, even though others saw it clearly. I loved how they came together at the end. The epilogue was fantastic.

Small town romances make me so happy! I love contemporary romance as well as romantic suspense stories, but I also have such feels about small town romance. Rooster, Texas is where the Banty House resides, and where we meet three aging spinsters who are a hoot. Ginger comes into their lives, 8 months pregnant and homeless. The sisters take Ginger in, and a wonderful story develops from there. This was such a joy to read, and even though I have read other books by Carolyn Brown, I truly believe this is one of her best.

EXCERPT: Change is a good thing.

Kate Carson wished she had the person who had first said that by the throat. She'd choke them until their face turned blue and then slap them for being that colour. She didn't like change.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: In the fading town of Rooster, Texas, all that’s really left is a service station, a church…and the Banty House, a long-ago Depression-era brothel. For more than seventy-five years, Betsy, Connie, and Kate Carson have called their mama’s house a home. The three eccentric sisters get by just fine with their homemade jams and jellies, a little moonshine on the side, and big hearts always open to strangers. Like Ginger Andrews.

An abandoned teen with a baby on the way and nowhere to go, she’s given a room to call her own for as long as she wants. The kind invitation is made all the sweeter when Ginger meets the sisters’ young handyman, Sloan Baker. But with a past as broken as Ginger’s, he’s vowed never to get close to anyone again. As a season of change unfolds, Ginger and Sloan might discover a warm haven to heal in the Banty House, a place to finally belong, where hope and dreams never fade.

MY THOUGHTS: WARNING: if you are on a diet, DO NOT read this book.

The Banty House is full of comfort food; hot, buttery croissants, muffins, bacon, homemade jams and jellies....
need I go on?

This whole read is just like comfort food. It made me laugh out loud, it choked me up, and left me feeling all warm and fuzzy and with a wide smile on my face and a twinkle in my eyes. Reading The Banty House (how it got its name is a story on its own) is as comforting as a hot bath on a cold winter's night, and as tasty as the first bite into one of those hot buttery croissants Betsy has just placed a plate of onto the breakfast table along with a fresh pot of coffee.

I just loved these three elderly, unconventional women who go to the hairdresser and return with a 19 year old, homeless, pregnant, woman named Ginger. Betsy, Kate and Connie may never have married, may have always lived in the same house, and what a history that house has, in the same town, but they definitely have lived. As I said, unconventional. We learn their interesting back stories during the course of the novel. These women are feisty, sassy and warm hearted with cores of steel. But don't ever get on the wrong side of them. Just wait til you read what they do to Edith!

I loved The Banty House by Carolyn Brown, my first book by this author. It definitely won't be my last.

❤❤❤❤.5

#TheBantyHouse #NetGalley

'...it's just money. That ain't nothing but dirty paper with dead presidents on it.'

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Hi! I'm twenty five years old and movie star gorgeous. The camera added thirty plus years and a few wrinkles. Can't trust those cameras or mirrors either. Along with bathroom scales they are notorious liars! Honestly, I am the mother of three fantastic grown children who've made me laugh and given me more story ideas than I could ever write. My husband, Charles, is my strongest supporter and my best friend. He's even willing to eat fast food and help with the laundry while I finish one more chapter! Life is good and I am blessed!

Reading has been a passion since I was five years old and figured out those were words on book pages. As soon as my chubby little fingers found they could put words on a Big Chief tablet with a fat pencil, I was on my way. Writing joined reading in my list of passions. I will read anything from the back of the Cheerio's box to Faulkner and love every bit of it. In addition to reading I enjoy cooking, my family and the ocean. I love the Florida beaches. Listening to the ocean waves puts my writing brain into high gear.

I love writing romance because it's about emotions and relationships. Human nature hasn't changed a bit since Eve coveted the fruit in the Garden of Eden. Settings change. Plots change. Names change. Times change. But love is love and men and women have been falling in and out of it forever. Romance is about emotions: love, hate, anger, laughter... all of it. If I can make you laugh until your sides ache or grab a tissue then I've touched your emotions and accomplished what every writer sets out to do.

I got serious about writing when my third child was born and had her days and nights mixed up. I had to stay up all night anyway and it was very quiet so I invested in a spiral back notebook and sharpened a few pencils. The story that emerged has never sold but it's brought in enough rejection slips to put the Redwood Forest on the endangered list.

Folks ask me where I get my ideas. Three kids, fifteen grandchildren, two great grandchildren. Note: I was a very young grandmother! Life is a zoo around here when they all come home. In one Sunday afternoon there's enough ideas to keep me writing for years and years. Seriously, ideas pop up at the craziest times. When one sinks its roots into my mind, I have no choice but to write the story. And while I'm writing the characters peek over my shoulder and make sure I'm telling it right and not exaggerating too much. Pesky little devils, they are!

DISCLOSURE: A huge thank you to Montlake Romance via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Banty House by Carolyn Brown for review and for introducing me to this amazing author. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Loved it! Grab a box of tissues and enjoy. Tears of joy, sorrow, and laughter. The characters are a delight. The back stories are heart-breaking and heart-warming.

This is a hopeful, uplifting, satisfying story and I highly recommend it.

The book takes place in the small town of Rooster, Texas and centers mostly around the Banty House. The Banty House is still notorious in the town and surrounding areas because it was operated as a bawdy house in the 1930's. The main characters are the sisters Kate, Connie and Betsy (the youngest is 75) who live in the Banty House, their handyman Sloan, and Ginger, a young woman the sisters happened to meet and persuaded to come home with them to help them out. Sloan also has a great dog named Tinker.

Sloan was discharged from the military due to PTSD. Ginger is heavily pregnant, broke and has no family or friends to call for help. She literally has nowhere to go when she meets Betsy at the bus stop. There is a very slow developing love story between Sloan and Ginger that is not the focus of the book. Rather, the focus is how these five people make a family and it is lovely to read.

The sisters really make the story as they are a hoot. Being sisters, they still squabble but are intensely loyal to each other, and you do not want to get on their bad side. Connie's passion is cleanliness and she keeps the place spotless, Kate makes some very popular moonshine including some unlikely ingredients like strawberries, and Betsy makes and sells jams and jellies. They have some unexpected stories - Betsy, for example, went to Woodstock. The sisters discover that despite living together their entire lives, they still have more to discover about each other. This is a book I won't forget.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Three sisters, lifetime residents of the small Texas town of Rooster, a pregnant teenager without family and a history of life in the foster care system, and a retired veteran caught between depression and guilt. You’d be more than correct in thinking that this premise doesn’t scream heartwarming, funny uplifting read. But you haven’t accounted or the pen and skills of Carolyn Brown.

In her hands, the sisters are eccentric, childish, generous, open and loving women: each one hiding secrets and longings for years, but determined to see that the child they’ve taken into their home stays, and will go to great lengths to ensure it. From giving Grace the experience of family, to pushing her together with Sloan, grandson of a friend and their ‘employee’ for weekly chores like washing their classic car, helping to plant the corn one sister needs for her moonshine, mowing the lawn, even hiding the decorated Easter eggs for their own annual hunt. Yes, the sisters are eccentric, perhaps even caught in past lessons from their mother, and wholly open to opening their home and family to more people.

And laugh, sigh and smile is what you will do while reading. From the teenage-themed spats between the elderly sisters, to Grace’s revealing her own story to them and to Sloan, and the gentle confidence that Grace shows to Sloan, making him face and understand his own guilt and grief. From dust-ups with other residents, to the never-ending small town gossip, and realizing that family isn’t always ‘blood’ but does always expand to include ‘heart’, Sweet and gentle, the story is the perfect antidote to the frustration, fears and cabin fever in these times, and will have you redefining (and perhaps realigning) your own sense of ‘family of heart’, as you get to know the folks in Rooster.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aId/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Three elderly sisters help a homeless, pregnant teenager and in the process they, and their handyman, prove that family isn't just about blood. This book was wonderful. I loved the banter between the sisters. And I loved watching the relationship between Ginger (the pregnant teenager) and Sloane. I loved everything about this book!

The basic plot: Ginger, a young pregnant woman passing through a small Texas town is taken in by three older women, sisters, and they develop a strong bond while taking care of Ginger. At the same time, she also starts taking care of them. The sisters reveal long-held secrets and are brought even closer together. In the meantime, a local young man also takes an interest in Ginger and they develop a friendship. I really enjoyed the characters in this book - the sisters are a HOOT, and are what make this book a bit different. It is a fun book about this unusual family, though there are some more weighty topics that are dealt with.

I couldn’t get enough of these characters and enjoyed every minute of the book! 5 stars!

I was provided a free copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a solid read - it just wasn't a good fit for me. I always see Carolyn Brown's books on the bestseller lists, so it seemed like the right time to check one out. The writing itself is strong, the characters are interesting, and there are little bits of humor thrown into the story. But it was just too sweet and laidback for me, so I got bored with all of the heartwarming moments and slightly preachy tone. There's definitely an audience for it - I just don't think I'm the intended reader.

The story follows Ginger, a young woman who finds herself pregnant and homeless. She's taken in by three elderly ladies who have interesting personalities and a penchant for taking in strays. The ladies have also taken former soldier Sloan under their wing, and it's through them that the two meet. Sloan suffers from PTSD and still battles his own demons, but he finds a connection to Ginger right away. As old wounds are healed and new bonds are made, this unique family comes together.

It's got a nice small town feel and a very descriptive, serious tone with as much focus on family as there is on the romance. Though Ginger and Sloan's relationship is central throughout the book, it's not developed as well as it would be in a more romance-focused novel. And though there are references to a few adult themes and some potentially triggering content, it's a clean romance with just a few kisses. There is a focus on religion and a few references to race that I didn't love but, again, I'm probably not the intended reader for this. All in all, it's certainly not a bad read, but I was definitely bored and skimming at times, so I can't say that it was a total win for me either. I received an ARC via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review of this heartwarming book.

I've become a fan of Carolyn Brown's small town romances and The Banty House is no exception. If, during these troubled times of self-isolation, you're looking for a feel-good read, look no further, because this novel is it, and it gets 5 stars from this reader.

As the novel opens we meet 3 of the most charming, funny, quirky, octagenarian, never-been married sisters, Kate, Betsy and Connie Carson, as they're driving their vintage 1958 Lincoln the 3 miles from their hometown of Rooster, Texas to the next town, Hondo, for their standing Thursday hair appointment at the Cut and Curl. In a scene oddly reminiscent of Steel Magnolias, not long after the sisters arrive in Hondo, 19-year-old and 8 months' pregnant, Ginger Andrews, steps off the bus and parks herself on a bench just outside the salon. Hondo was as far as all the money she had in the world would take her.

When Connie steps outside the salon for a cigarette, she sits down next to Ginger and starts a conversation. In a town as small as Rooster, Texas, population 95, strangers are a welcome diversion, and when she learns Ginger's situation--the fact that her baby's abusive father is dead and Ginger is penniless, Connie brings her inside the salon to meet Kate and Betsy, who are firm believers in and followers of their mother's many rules. Rule number one was quite familiar to me in a slightly different form--I've even done it in counted cross-stitch, "Be ever careful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware."

Naturally, the 3 sisters offer Ginger a room for a night or two, which turns into a week, then a month, as they can't possibly turn away someone in such dire need of a roof over her head, especially since their mother's favorite holiday, Easter, is just around the corner, and a special day for the sisters, who have no problem pretty much adopting Ginger, who they learn had no one else. Since the sisters were never married and never had children of their own, they treat Ginger like the granddaughter they never had.

Ginger's mother was in prison when she gave birth to Ginger, and her father was both a drug addict and dealer, so Ginger spent her life in the foster care system, being moved from foster home to foster home, never staying in any one of them for more than a year. She likes the quirky sisters and the way they treat her, and learns that she's not the only person they've "sort of" added to their family.

Sloan Baker has only been back in Rooster for two years, having been medically but honorably discharged from the military after his entire unit of bomb experts was blown to pieces when he wasn't with them on a particular mission, and his guilt over their untimely deaths and the resulting PTSD are what got him discharged and have left him with horrific nightmares. He had wanted the military to be his life, but when that became impossible, he moved back to his hometown in Rooster, and the 3 Carson sisters, kept him occupied with chores they could no longer do, like maintaining and keeping that vintage Lincoln spotless and in good repair, mowing their lawn, caring for their flower beds and more. Since I'm a huge fan of novels featuring wounded warriors, it was hard not to fall in l0ve with Sloan, and he was certainly attracted to Ginger as soon as he met her.

Kate, Betsy and Connie are some of the quirkiest old gals I've ever come across--Connie is the sworn enemy of dust, and is constantly cleaning everything. Betsy is the cook in the family, and likes a little bit of the marijuana she grows in her flower bed out back before bedtime. She even bakes it into some of her brownies. She earns a bit of extra money from the jams and jellies she makes and either sells or barters for, and Kate has a still in the basement, making moonshine in interesting flavors like Apple Pie, which she also barters with among the residents in their small town, and even in nearby Hondo. To add more quirkiness and charm to this already charming story, we also learn that the Banty house was once a brothel, that the sisters were of mixed race, and they don't shy away from a fistfight when some of the snooty town ladies make disparaging remarks about their house, their mama, and their upbringing.

There was so much to love about this novel and its characters that I could ramble on about it endlessly, but I'd hate to spoil it for you. If stories like Steel Magnolias and Fried Green Tomatoes are among your favorites, I can practically guarantee that you'll fall in love with the town of Rooster, Texas, Ginger, Sloan, and the Carson sisters, the way I did. At its heart, The Banty House is a novel about friendship, love, honesty, caring, the value of family--blood relations or not, kindness and generosity of spirit. Personally, I wouldn't change a word of it if I could, and I think you'll feel the same way I did--that even when it's hard to see goodness in our crazy world, it still exists in a small town in Rooster, Texas. I so hope that Ms. Brown returns to Rooster sometime in the future. I'll be first in line to grab a copy.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.

I love books with a good solid romance in them. The romance in this one is not the center of the story, it's a happily ever after at the end. Before you give that big sigh at the end, you'll meet three sisters who live together in a small town, emphasis on small. They live an eccentric lifestyle, causing no harm to anyone and well known for giving of themselves to anyone in need. They take a young woman, pregnant and alone, under their wings and into their hearts and home. And, in order to have a romance, there is a young man who has adopted the seniors as his family too. A seriously good story on how to grow a family in a community that has used up all of it's goodwill. Great read!!! Now you can sigh!

3.5 Stars
Carolyn Brown has taken generational looks at three women and how they all interact and help each other. This is handled in the professional way of Brown's books.

Thank you Montlake and Netgalley for access to this arc.

I had never read a Carolyn Brown book but after checking out reviews of her other ones, I see that she has a formula and appears to stick to it. Her legions of fans attest to the fact that they love it. This book, however, did not work for me. It was like reading a Hallmark movie. I do not disparage Hallmark movies - they are very popular and deliver what the viewer is expecting. But this isn't enough to keep me interested.

The story is fairly wholesome, with 3 older sisters whose marijuana use and moonshining is passed off as harmless; a homeless, pregnant woman who is overjoyed to find refuge with them; and a wounded, PTSD veteran who treats them as beloved aunts - all of whom come together to be healed. There is little external conflict and a whole lot of telling - of every little detail of their days. In a bare month, it's all done.

I'm just learning more about this author, Carolyn Brown. This is the third book I have read by her and I am enjoying reading her books. In this book, Ginger is a homeless young girl who finds herself in the town of Rooster, Texas. Rooster is a small town with not much left in it but the people. Connie, Kate & Betsy are three older and eccentric sisters who live together and make a living selling their jelly, jam & moonshine. They have a handyman, Sloan, who helps them keep up with their house and land. Ginger finds herself pregnant and alone in the town of Rooster & the sisters take her in on a whim to stay a short time with them. The short-time ends up being long-term and as their hearts begin to heal from past hurts, Ginger and Sloan begin to fall in love.

This is a pretty-heart warming story and I enjoyed reading it. I felt like I knew the characters.

I appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy from Montlake Publishers and Net Galley. This is my honest an unbiased opinion.

Need or want a feel good book? Try this one! Set in a small Texas town, it's the tale of how family is what you make and it's full of hope. Mature (ahem) sisters Betsy, Connie, and Kate live together - and they're a hoot. When Ginger, a pregnant 19 year old, shows up, they take her in and thus begins a wonderful tale. The sisters also have their arms around Sloan, a 24 year old veteran with PTSD. Ginger, who had a hard childhood, wants something better for her unborn baby but she needs to move past her own issues. Her relationship with Sloan warms slowly but you know there's going to be a good result - there has to be. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good characters and storytelling as well as a plot that will make you smile makes this a good read, especially in dark times.

I just really enjoyed this book. It was just really easy to get lost in this book. I will definitely be reading more by this author.