Review of Deborah Raney's "Home to Chicory Lane" by S. A. Black

“Home to Chicory Lane”, written by Deborah Raney, is the first in her series of Chicory Inn novels. With the last of Audrey Whitman’s five children leaving the nest, her eight month plan of transforming their “stately” home into a fifty five hundred square foot place called Chicory Inn was nearing completion. This was her dream come true. Grant, her husband, supported her not only with his strength but financially with his 401K retirement funds. Chicory Inn was to provide Langhorne, Missouri with a new elegant cozy bed and breakfast renovated from her grandparent’s picturesque home located on fifty wooded acres hosting a clear water creek running through it. Opening day was fast approaching along with the Whitman family reunion celebration following afterwards. Everything just had to be perfect. All her children and friends had been invited for the weekend celebration. Only Landyn, her youngest daughter and newlywed, and her husband Chase indicate they could not come. 

Opening Day arrives and many friends and family pitch in to tour visitors through the remodeled home. Everything was going good until, Landyn arrives unexpectantly without her husband, and is towing a trailer behind her Honda. Both Audrey and Grant suspect something just isn’t right.

Chicory Inn becomes the backdrop for the real story of Landyn Whitman Spencer and Chase Spencer. Having married six months prior to the opening of Chicory Inn, Landyn and Chase are still adjusting to their lives together and are struggling to keep their marriage together. Many times I have heard that one of the main problems that can occur in a marriage is due to a lack of communication and so it happens in this story. Deborah Raney does a good job developing believable characters as well as a good story plot. It sort of reminds me of an O’Henry short story. I look forward to the next book in her Chicory Inn series.