Tea for Two

What do you do when your wife leaves you and the kids? How do you make it as a single parent? How do you deal with your teenage kids, Dylan 17 and Sherry 15? Where does your faith get you when your kids refuse to attend church?

Those are just a sample of questions facing Zack now a single father. His wife, or should we say ex-wife Maya just up and decided one day that she didn't want a family or Zack for that matter. As his kids have grown they are becoming more difficult to manage. First with an emergency call to Zack to come pick his son Dylan up from the police station. He's been picked up for being with two boys that have all skipped school and gone shop lifting. Even though Dylan didn't steal anything, he isn't aware just where he will be headed if he keeps on that path.

His second issue follows on the heels of grounding Dylan for a month, when he receives a phone call from a mom that Sherry is supposed to spending the night at, only Sherry isn't there. Apparently the two girls have told the parents the opposite story about staying the night at one another's house to stay out at a party all night. Now not sure where to turn with both of his kids, Zack turns to Milly.

Milly, is a British woman who runs Milly's tea shop and is also a customer of Zack's to whom he supplies fresh grown produce for. She seems to have a way of helping him sift through life's difficulties with a strong shoulder and a willing ear. Her recommendation is to offer the counseling services of Tina, who spends one day a week at her tea shop working with some women searching for their own version of help over tea.

Knowing his kids may not take to the counseling session, Milly makes arrangements to Tina to pretend that her and Zack already know one another as friends to just casually observe the children and offer Zack advice on his options before anything more serious can happen? Will Tina be able to help Zack or is God working behind the scenes in more mysterious ways?

To find out read the latest novel by Trish Perry, Tea for Two! I received this charming book compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and was hooked from the first page. Being a story I could easily relate to and being a lover of quaint tea shops, this one was perfect for a chilly day of warmth you can feel from the honesty emanating from the characters of Zack and Tina. You can feel their personal struggles with being responsible for leading children in growing up as adults in a challenging world. My favorite part is how God makes His way known in the many "chance" encounters that happen between Zack and Tina. This one will warm your heart and soul and rates 5 out of 5 stars.

This book is available as a paperback or for you eReader as well. Here's even more great information about the book, the author and even a treat at the first chapter.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Tea For Two Harvest House Publishers (April 1, 2011) by Trish Perry
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A word from our Author: I started writing short stories—pretty bad ones. And I started taking creative writing courses to round out my degree. So I was in classes full of people just like me—lousy writers. But we were learning!

Then the Lord led me to a local writers' group, Capital Christian Writers, and the contacts and friends I made through CCW enriched my personal life and my writing life more than I can measure. Through CCW and through reading just about every book and magazine ever published by Writer's Digest, I started catching on. Now I'm writing full time and man oh man do I love it.

Before the writing began, I worked for attorneys in Washington, D. C. I worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission. And I was a stockbroker. A horrible stockbroker. How do people do that? Take responsibility for other people's financial futures? Yikes. I'm perfectly happy to take responsibility for the amount of time any one person wants to spend reading my books. If you enjoy the experience, then know that we both enjoyed it together. I love that about books.

In the midst of all that fretting over other people's money and writing about other people's lives, I racked up a few personal experiences myself. Some good, some bad, but all part of God's plan. Now I'm an empty nester living in Northern Virginia. My brilliantly funny son is in college. I have a savvy, gorgeous grown daughter, a charming son-in-law, and an amazing grandson.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Zack Cooper tries his best to raise his children, but he's losing his grip on them in their teen years. They've both had scrapes with the local law.

Tea Shop owner Milly Jewel has the perfect woman in mind to help Zack. Counselor Tina Milano meets weekly at the tea shop with her women's group. Milly encourages Zack and Tina to work together to draw the teens back before they get in even hotter water. Milly never thought things might heat up between Zack and Tina. Or did she?

Tina's connections with the Middleburg police department prove a mixed blessing for Zack and his kids. Both her best friend and old boyfriend are officers on the force.

And when Tina's women's group gets wind of her personal pursuits and clashes, they want to help. The group's meetings at the tea shop take on a slightly different flavor. Tina wonders who, exactly, is counseling whom.

Although heroine Tina Milano and her women's group are mentioned in The Perfect Blend (the first book in this series), Tea for Two is where we meet her and hero Zack Cooper. I knew I would write this book while I wrote the first, so it was fun to plant a passing mention of Zack and Tina while I wrote Steph's story in The Perfect Blend. By the time I was able to write Tina and Zack's story, I was eager to unfold their lives, conflicts, and love. I hope readers will be eager to experience what happens to them!

If you would like to read the first chapter of , go HERE.