About the Book

Book: Shilo: A Sweet, Quirky, Romantic Muddle (The Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue: Book 7)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Cary

Genre: Sweet Romantic Comedy

Release Date: May 1, 2025

From Breck Girl to Hippie to Jesus People…

…It’s been a long journey back home

But can her heart truly find peace where it all began?

When free-spirit Shilo Anderson inherits two million dollars with an unexpected condition—marriage—she refuses to be bound by her grandfather’s will. Until her beloved aunt faces cancer with no insurance to cover chemotherapy.

She won’t marry for money for herself, but to save her aunt’s life? She’ll make that sacrifice in a heartbeat.

Maybe.

Jesse Franklin never forgot his first love. When her grandfather’s will brings Shilo back to their hometown, he discovers his love for her has only deepened with time. Offering to marry her to help save her aunt, no problem.

Keeping it a marriage of convenience, that might be a problem. More like impossible.

As their feelings grow stronger, Shilo faces her greatest fear: revealing the truth about her past decade. Can she make Jesse see she doesn’t belong on anyone’s pedestal?

Return to 1973 Kokomo, Indiana, where faith shapes the journey and the legend of the cardinal in the sycamore still proves true love endures all seasons.

You will enjoy this sweet, quirky tale of second chances, because sometimes the rough patches prepare us for the wildly wonderful.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Historical Christian Romance author and three-time Selah Award nominee, Jennifer Lynn Cary, likes to say you can take the girl out of Indiana, but you can’t take the Hoosier out of the girl. Now transplanted to the Arizona desert, this direct descendant of Davy Crockett and her husband of forty-plus years enjoy time with family where she shares tales of her small-town heritage and family legacies with their grandchildren. She is the author of The Crockett Chronicles series, The Relentless series, and The Weather Girls trilogy, as well as the stand-alone novel, Cheryl’s Going Home, her novella Tales of the Hob Nob Annex Café, and her split-time novels The Traveling Prayer Shawland The Forgotten Gratitude Journal. Her current spin-off series, The Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue, contains standalones with a common thread.

More from Jennifer

The story for Shilo has been fermenting in my brain for a long time. I had always loved Neil Diamond’s song of the same title and could see his characters playing out their parts and thought what would happen if the girl came back after ten years?

However, what I didn’t catch was that Shilo in the song was a boy, an imaginary boy who’d been a friend to a lonely boy.

In my brain, I missed the importance of him turning to his only friend in his mind.

Instead, I had a little girl moving in next door—she was Shilo—and they went from being friends to first loves, but something called her away and though he understood, he called her name like before hoping she’d return.

Okay, so not what Neil Diamond had in mind, but it became Jesse’s back story.

Then I had to ask, what was so important that she had to leave? That’s when I remembered Breck Girls. Do you remember them?

There was a time as a child that I thought one of the Breck Girls on the back of a magazine was so beautiful, I said, “She’s prettier than Mom.”

I was quickly (verbally) chastised by my dad who made sure to inform me that no one was prettier than my mom. I never thought of it as an insult. My mom was the high standard for beauty, and for someone to be even prettier, they were definitely a looker. However, I learned to keep those types of opinions to myself if my Dad was around. Mom understood and didn’t take offense—in fact, as I meant it, she thought it was a compliment that I found her so pretty.

All that to say that Breck Girls were a part of my growing up years, into the seventies. I wondered how Breck Girls were chosen, and if Shilo could/should be one. I learned there’s even an exhibit at the Smithsonian dedicated to Breck Girls and those lovely pastel portraits.

So, when (my) Shilo told Jesse she had to go before he could tell her that he loved her, it was because she’d been chosen to be a Breck Girl. Now I had a framework to start building the story.

I hope that when you read Shilo: A Sweet, Quirky, Romantic Muddle, you will be transported back to 1973 with many of your own memories.

Abundant blessings,

Jenny

My Impressions

“A legend’s been handed down for many generations, some believe all the way from the Native American days, concerning the sycamore tree in our backyard and a cardinal. They say if a couple kisses beneath its branches, and a cardinal lights above them, then theirs is a true love destined for a long and happy marriage.”

Kokomo, here we come again! Shiloh by Jennifer Lynn Cary is the 7th book in the loosely connected series, The Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue series. This series is a hoot! After this many books, how Cary keeps coming up with fresh 70s references that delight me and cause me to remember things like Kreske’s, is beyond me. The many time-related references kept me eagerly reading the story, just as the storyline did.

Two former childhood friends, Shilo and Jesse, separated by 10 years of silence, are suddenly thrust back together by a will. Shiloh has returned to small-town Kokomo from California, to find her former dear friend much more serious, competitive, and spineless than ever. On the outside, Jesse is doing well, a successful lawyer at his grandfather’s firm. However, Jesse’s biggest fault may be that he no longer ventures out like when he followed adventurous Shilo, but rather kowtows to his totally overbearing, demanding grandfather.

Shilo is everything that Jesse remembers. Beautiful, compassionate, and unafraid. Except… she now has joined the Jesus people and has a real relationship with Him, living her life differently because of her beliefs.

Shiloh’s compassion leads to a marriage of convenience. While this marriage has benefits for both, both hold secrets that could destroy any renewed relationship Shilo and Jesse are attempting. As Shilo worries and informs Jesse, “‘if you put me on a pedestal, I’m going to disappoint you…you have to see me as I really am.’ ‘And what’s that?’ ‘A messed-up chick who God chased down and dragged out of a never-ending spiral.’”

This is one of those stories when I wanted to shout at the characters, “Communicate!” But how many times do doubts or fears of what others might think of us hold us back from saying things we know need to be said? These two are blessed to have forces like Aunt Sarah (“Just talk to each other. Always. It’ll make the difference, or at least be one thing that will.” ) and Viv in their lives. Maybe less blessed to have Grandfather and Eli!

One quote that I loved, because it illustrates how quickly Shilo turns her problems to God. “‘What haven’t you told me, Jesse? Something I should know?’ Dread tasted like bile in her throat. Oh, she needed to get somewhere where she could pray and talk with Jesus.” THIS!! Because Shiloh’s first panic reaction is prayer!! How many times do we first attempt to reason things out, complain, discuss them with others, then finally turn to prayer as a last resort?

A sweet little 5-year-old recovering in the hospital is my third choice after Aunt Sarah and Viv for fave secondary characters.

Next up in the series is Bernadette, which I am more than eager to read. These Kokomo 70s faith-filled romances are quite addicting!!

I received a copy of the novel from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy of the book. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“Their marriage wouldn’t be genuine until he saw her, the imperfect but redeemed ragamuffin, now a daughter of the King.” -(Shilo)

“Believing something doesn’t make it true. It’s true whether anyone believes it or not. Nothing changes the truth.” – Shilo

“God remained here with her. Even if Jesse let go of her hand, He never would.”

– (Shilo)

“And when one gives up their backbone at an early age to please the one in power, it’s mighty difficult to grow another.” – (Jesse)

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Magnificent! These characters are becoming so real with each successive book, you may find me searching Kokomo on my next visit for the Weather Girls Wedding Shoppe and Venue!