Recent empty-nesters Audrey and Grant Whitman have just remodeled their Missouri family home into a Bed and Breakfast --- something Audrey has always dreamed of doing. Now that the Inn is ready for business, the whole family is coming home for the weekend to support this new venture and celebrate the grand opening. Well, everyone except their daughter Landyn. A mere six months into married life and living in New York with her husband, Chase, Landyn told her parents she just couldn’t get away. When she shows up unexpectedly, Audrey and Grant are pleasantly surprised. And then they notice the U-Haul trailer she’s pulling behind her car, and the questions begin.

Landyn has left Chase for what she feels is a good reason. A starving artist, her dreamer husband went off and made a life-changing decision without discussing it with her first. To say Landyn is ticked off and hurt is an understatement. So she packed her things and headed home. Unfortunately, it’s anything but the home she remembers. Now she can’t help feeling a little displaced among her married siblings and obviously disappointed parents. She is also trying to stay strong while working through her myriad of emotions regarding the trust that’s been broken by the man she loves. Adding to her stress is the fact that she hasn’t yet told Chase that she’s pregnant. They had agreed to wait a few years before having kids --- at least until they could make ends meet themselves before adding another mouth to feed (and clothe and diaper).

"A character-driven novel, HOME TO CHICORY LANE is a story about marriage, family, and learning to trust God in the midst of whatever circumstances life throws at you.... an endearing and heartfelt book that offers some wonderfully reflective quotes...:

Back in New York, Chase is missing Landyn like crazy. He doesn’t get why his wife is so bent out of shape about his decision to sublet their apartment on the Upper West Side and rent a studio apartment in Brooklyn. He had wanted to discuss it with Landyn first but couldn’t reach her at work, and the apartment manager needed to know his decision that day. Chase had even prayed about it and felt God really wanted him to take this opportunity. The move would put them closer to the art gallery he felt confident would jumpstart his career as an artist. Why couldn’t Landyn understand he’d done it for them, for their future?

A character-driven novel, HOME TO CHICORY LANE is a story about marriage, family, and learning to trust God in the midst of whatever circumstances life throws at you. It also takes a look at the choices we make and how they affect the people we love. Finally, this story demonstrates both the challenges and benefits of following the dreams God has dropped into your heart. In Landyn and Chase’s case, Chase’s motivations were pure, and he truly felt he was doing God’s will when he made the decision to move without consulting Landyn first. But he needed to realize that perhaps he went about it the wrong way and understand why his actions may have broken his wife’s trust. Landyn is a strong and sometimes self-centered character who had to grow up and learn how to forgive, as well as be a little more sensitive and supportive of her husband’s dreams. Audrey and Grant are loving and well-meaning parents, trying to encourage and empathize with their daughter without interfering too much in the marriage itself --- something they felt Landyn and Chase need to work out on their own.

Author Deborah Raney is known for her easy and down-to-earth style. HOME TO CHICORY LANE is an endearing and heartfelt book that offers some wonderfully reflective quotes, such as this one, from Landyn’s grandmother: “Quit beating yourself up over this. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that God rarely works in ways that make sense to us while they're happening. All too often, it's only after we look back, sometimes many years later --- often, truth be told, peering over heaven's balcony --- that we can make sense of the way He was working.”

TWO ROADS HOME, the second book in the Chicory Inn series, releases in June 2015.