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Lynne Gentry
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Walking Shoes: Small Town Family Saga (Mt. Hope Southern Adventures Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Lynne Gentry (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,970 ratings
See all formats and editions

Leona Harper loves two things: her family and the small-town church her husband has pastored for the last eighteen years. Now that they're both gone, can she learn to love herself?

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Lynne Gentry takes a heartwarming peek at second chances and the well-intentioned folks who inadvertently sabotage them. Come visit the small West Texas town of Mt. Hope for a generous helping of southern humor and hope.

When tragedy strikes Leona Harper, the devastated pastor's wife summons her estranged children home. But parenting young adults in the glass house of the parsonage proves more difficult than reinventing herself.

Determined to give her broken family a shot at a second chance, Leona begins the painful journey of putting one foot in front of the other. Reconciliation and healing won't come easy in this zany, trouble-filled, hilarious walk-through-grief adventure.

Brimming with wit, authenticity, and southern charm, the Mt. Hope Southern Adventure Series explores the inspirational and emotional healing of a family. You’ll have to laugh to keep from crying.

These stories are a touching addition to the small town, generational series of favorite authors like Ann B. Ross, Jan Karon, Philip Gulley, and Fannie Flagg.

“Gentry is one to watch.” ~RT Reviews

“Gentry’s small-town series sparkles with humor, heart, and southern charm.” ~Amazon Reviewer

Read ALL the books in the Mt. Hope Southern Adventures series:

#1 Walking Shoes

#2 Shoes to Fill

#3 Dancing Shoes

#4 Baby Shoes

#5 Santa Shoes

If you loved the folks in the Texas town of Mt. Hope, you've got to meet the quirky women of Fossil Ridge ranch.

#1 Flying Fossils

#2 Finally Free

#3 First Frost

Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 5
    Mt. Hope Southern Adventures
  2. Print length
    331 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    November 10, 2016
  6. File size
    1821 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

Have you met all the Harpers?

second chances starting over family saga parenting small town humor

second chances family saga child parent relationships small town humor church

second chance romance family saga small town humor drama remarriage

second chance romance family saga small town humor drama church medicine

Meet Leona...the perfect pastor's wife

Big steps are hard to take in small towns.

Leona Harper is a woman who is sure of who she is until her husband drops dead in the pulpit. Getting her footing in her new role as a widow will take some courage.

Meet David...the not-so-perfect pastor's son

David Harper is running from two things: the baggage that comes with being the "pastor's son" and his calling to one day fill his father's pulpit.

But when his father dies, David has some big decisions to make.

Meet Leona's second chance love

Leona Harper has embraced the idea of progress...except when it comes to making progress in her own life.

One misstep and she could find herself brokenhearted all over again.

Meet Maddie...the stubborn pastor's daughter

Madison Harper has always had her sights on something bigger and better than a life in Mt. Hope.

But finding her way home will be almost as hard as reaching her dream of becoming a doctor.

second chances small town southern family drama churches pastors grief parsonages ministry

Living in the parsonage is not for sissies!

Let the dry Texas winds blow you into the small town of Mt. Hope, but be warned . . . you'll never want to leave.

Lynne Gentry

Meet Lynne Gentry

Thirty years of living in the "glass house" of ministry blessed my life. It was an honor to serve the Lord with so many different people in so many different places. Some of the stories in this series may or may not have been inspired by the people I came to love as family. I hope you enjoy the fictional town of Mt. Hope and the quirky characters who populate the church pews as much as I enjoyed writing about them.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Gentry always leaves readers wanting more." ~Romantic Times on Return to Exile (4.5 Stars Top Pick) "Gentry made me feel things." -Amazon reviewer
"You will laugh and cry." -Amazon reviewer
"I'm rootingfor you, Leona!" -Amazon reviewer
"Story of family, humor, loss, and strength." -Amazon reviewer

From the Author

Writing the Mt. Hope Southern Adventures series has been a return to my small town/comedy roots. Most of my readers know me as a Historical Sci-Fi author, so dipping my toe back into the wonderful people of my growing up years has been delicious. I hope you'll check out all my books at  lynnegentry.com. I love hearing from readers and try to answer every email. Laughter truly is the best medicine.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N8YMV4H
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Travel Light Press; 2nd edition (November 10, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 10, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1821 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 331 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0998641200
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,970 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Lynne Gentry

Lynne Gentry

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Lynne Gentry!

I love small towns and people watching. Observing body language. Catching the twitch of an eyebrow, the flicker of discomfort in a gaze, or the shifting of nervous feet.

As a professional acting coach-theater director turned fiction author, I love using my crazy imagination to entertain you with my books. My works range from the highly-rated science fiction time travel series (Carthage Chronicles), medical thrillers (GHOST HEART), to small town southern romantic comedy series (the Mt. Hope Southern Adventures and the Women of Fossil Ridge). Readers are cheering this return to my small town roots. You'll laugh and cry as these heartwarming adventures drop you in the middle of small-town Texas life.

I love spending time with my family or working the hospital oncology wards with my medical therapy dog.

Contact me via my website: www.lynnegentry.com. Be sure and sign up for free content @ https://www.lynnegentry.com/landing-1/.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,970 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Cindy Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Being perfect and over caring about what people think can lead to grief.
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
This first book of Mt. Hope series is so good that I could not put it down. JD and Leona have made Mt. Hope church their home, and the people part of their family. Leona proves to be a strong Christian woman when tragedy strikes. She is separated from her children not only by miles, but by trying to create the perfect family in the glass house the rectory has been for 18 years. Her wealthy mother sees nothing good in Leona's life, and is no help. The characters in this book are priceless, and I can't wait to get into the other books in this series.
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SCBooklover
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read.
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2017
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There is a lot that I really like about this book and only a few things not so much.
Positives: I absolutely love the story. Personally I have never read one with the plot. The characters are all great. Ms. Gentry has added a lot of life and personality to them. It is a story that is about love and life and yet the.loss of love and life. Dealing with change and and finding one's self.
Negatives:. All the errors about drove me crazy. I have the Kindle edition and I constantly saw the #2 throughout and in the middle of words and would read wo2rd. It made no sense. Plus other grammatical errors. The book ran a bit ling to have such a cut off ending. This is a series and I would say stand alone except for the ending.
This book popped up on my favorite book site and I downloaded it after reviewing. However it sat for a few days before I got to it. Once I started reading o went back to review what the book was about and noticed it was a series. Upon completion I skipped book 2 and went for book 3. So I do recommend this book. Download set back and enjoy. Learn something about what your pastor and his wife and family deal with that you may not be aware of. Having served in ministry with my spouse there is a lot of accuracy in this book. Lol moments as well as tear jerking moments. It covers the whole spectrum of emotions.
2 people found this helpful
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Camellia Sellers
5.0 out of 5 stars Walking Shoes by Lynne Gentry
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2023
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This book held my interest. It was spiritual, funny, serious about God’s grace. It was a family with a dad that was a pastor, his wife and grown children. It held just enough calamity that it was also comical. I recommend this book.
One person found this helpful
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Cyferguson
5.0 out of 5 stars Family, faith and foregiveness.
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
"Walking Shoes" by Lynne Gentry is a charming and uplifting novel that explores themes of family, faith, and forgiveness.

Overall, "Walking Shoes" is a heartwarming and engaging novel that will appeal to anyone who has ever struggled to find their place in the world or to connect with their loved ones. With its well-crafted characters, poignant themes, and uplifting message, it is a book that will leave readers feeling inspired and uplifted. Highly recommended.
One person found this helpful
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Ingdur
3.0 out of 5 stars baptist family in distress
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2018
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This book is funny because it describes small town baptist churches.... if you like that, this book is for you. Very intent on sin and guilt, and must be placed a while back in time, because I do not know of any poor preacher. The ones I know drive Lexus or other expensive cars. But the way baptists think is given very well. Luckily a few people in the book are a bit more down to earth. I lost my husband some time ago and can relate a bit to the devastation of suddenly being alone. But I was not brainwashed in sin and doom thinking, so fared a bit easier than this preacher 's wife....
6 people found this helpful
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Rusti
5.0 out of 5 stars i Cried, then I laughed, fun small town read!
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
I cried, then I laughed, this small town story is filled wit characters you want to get to know, and some you’d never want to meet. It fills the range of emotion and best of all you find courage and family love.
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CameraCourt
4.0 out of 5 stars A contemporary story of family, humor, loss, and the strength of the body of Christ.
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
Walking Shoes is a refreshed story from Lynne’s heart drawn from her own experiences as a pastor’s wife.

I really, really liked this story! It was a great combination of funny and serious. Before I talk about the lovable characters, I want to address the way grief is exposed in this story. There were moments delicately handled with humor that otherwise could have been a little “dark” or sad due to the story circumstances. I personally identified with the situation and characters because I have had a similar unexpected loss in my family. I believe the way Lynne Gentry recognizes the grief process in a gentle and understanding way, shading it with humor, speaks of her personal experiences as well as her ability to relate to the reader through story. It exposes how everyone deals with grief or shock differently while emphasizing that it’s perfectly OK to be different. To say the least, it was a little therapeutic for my own heart to read Leona’s story.

The “friends” and supporting characters of this story are endearing, to say the least. Some fiercely in Leona’s corner, some more antagonistic, all of them work to steer the story and reveal how God takes care of people in unexpected ways. Sometimes through an angry grandmother. Sometimes through a janitor. And sometimes through a gruff neighbor. All of them combine to display the blessing and care of a church family. A “home”, of sorts, with mismatched loved ones.

Within the story, sometimes the point of view changes from Leona to that of her son or daughter, David and Maddie. Their experience and secondary storylines all mesh to paint a bigger picture of what’s going on and how each person deals with the complexity of the situation, giving the reader a new perspective of empathy and understanding. For all POVs, the third person narrative sometimes switches to first within the same paragraph in an internal dialogue sort of way. This technique expertly works for the story’s humor and timing as well as revealing the heart of Leona, David, and Maddie at key points.

Ok, now it’s time to talk about the humor! Lynne’s “southern humor” hit the mark with me! Especially with a few little sayings and witty pop culture references I’ve come to appreciate from Lynne. (If you’re an old soul, you’ll really love them, too! Especially ones referring to Robert Redford or something that’s “slicker than snot”! Ha!) The quirky supporting characters fittingly remind me of some people in my own church and circle of friends. If any of ya’ll read this and are curious, just ask. I’d be happy to point out which of you is a Bertie or Roxie!

To me, this story is a reminder that God’s all-knowing plan is always there, intended for your good and His glory, even through seasons of pain and uncertainty. Leona’s journey comes full circle to a place of hope and second chances. Leona Harper and her family experience many emotions and twists, from shock to pain to a determination to live to the fullest. Ultimately, they learn to embrace any second chances they have to mend relationships and make new memories. The Harpers are not quite done with finding their purpose, though, just like us. (Yay for more books to come!). Personally, I’m glad He’s not quite finished with my story, either.

Thank you to the publisher, Travel Light Press, for the complimentary review copy. This is my honest review.
25 people found this helpful
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CJR
5.0 out of 5 stars Walking Shoes
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2023
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This was a totally delightful and engaging book. It was also a very believable book! Anybody who has ever attended any church regularly would know every church has at least one of these characters in their own church. Well written.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

DonnaMaynes
4.0 out of 5 stars interesting
Reviewed in Canada on August 16, 2019
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Reading
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Walking shoes : unbelievable, unexpected but awesome
Reviewed in India on November 14, 2019
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Nice book and nice story I liked this story that's why i have given this rating and I'll recommend to all 👌👌
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Chatsi
5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
If you would like to read something different and yet with faith, then this book is for you. As a daughter of the manse, this resonated with me so much - the different characters, their approach to church and faith, and the feelings of the pastor's family. Well worth reading and i am definitely reading the next in the series!
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D.L.R
5.0 out of 5 stars Walking Shoes: Triumph over Tragedy
Reviewed in Australia on May 31, 2018
Verified Purchase
Leona and Pastor J.D. have lived in a small community of Hope Springs for a very long time. They have two grown children Madison, David. Both in school. Mardi is studying to be a Doctor and David is studying to be a lawyer.

Its before thanksgiving and the pastor and his wife walk over to the church and settled in as J.D opens his bible and starts the service he drops dead.

Bertie is Leona’s mum and arrived a few hours later this woman is a dragon lady mean as ever, the kids come home to bid farewell to their beloved father.

This story was touching, you heard the struggles this family has gone through you feel for them and hope they can make it through this challenge God has given them.

I highly recommend this book to everyone.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on December 15, 2017
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Very good
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