Leaving Oxford, reprinted with authors permission:
Leaving Oxford: Christian Fiction~Faith, Humor, Romance, Southern Style
Escaping home to Oxford, Mississippi, seemed like a good idea. Until it wasn’t.
A year after a tragic accident in Los Angeles flipped her world upside down, advertising guru Sarah Beth LeClair is still hiding away in her charming hometown of Oxford, Mississippi. And she may well be stuck there forever. Suffering from panic attacks, she prays for healing. Instead, her answer comes in the form of an arrogant football coach and an ugly puppy.
Former celebrity college quarterback Jess McCoy dreamed of playing pro football. One freak hit destroyed his chances. Although he enjoys his work as the university’s offensive coordinator, his aspirations have shifted to coaching at the highest level. His plans of moving up are finally coming together—until he falls for a woman who won’t leave town.
As the deadline for Jess’s decision on his dream career looms, the bars around Sarah Beth’s heart only grow stronger. But it’s time to make a decision about leaving Oxford.
my point of view:
Ah…this was my very first read of Janet Ferguson’s and it completely made me a fan of her’s for life! I am a huge football enthusiast, and couldn’t be happier to read a story with a college coach. So, check for a football hero…..I enjoy books that are part of a series, another check, books set in the south, check times three! I knew I was going to settle down and dig right into this story!
Sara Beth’s heart breaking past and current struggles are so well written that I felt each touching moment right along with her. I am not giving any spoilers here by mentioning the panic attacks Sara Beth suffers from as it is part of the description above, but if you have never had them it is hard for people to understand. I, too was involved in an accident , back in the year 2000, and to this very day I cannot drive on the Interstate…I literally start to tremble and cannot breathe when I even think about merging….no, sir, not me! It may take me 30 minutes to drive my eight miles to work every day due to back roads and school bus stops, but so be it. I leave early and get there on time without stressing! I completely related to Sara Beth in this regard, and managed to admire and respect her for so many reasons…she has a great sense of humor and compassion for others to a selfless degree. When she prays about being lonely and The Lord drops a puppy at her door, well, I was done – hook, line and sinker!
Next up, enter Coach Jess McCoy, who has a great personality, a little arrogance (ha – find me a football star who isn’t a little over confident), but you can tell from the very first he, too, has a great sense of humor. He also has some interesting friends,who both help and maybe hinder Jess as he needs to find his way in this world, both spiritually and physically. I adored his passion for the outdoors and football!
Taking this journey with Sara Beth, Jess, and their friends was a true delight for me, and as it was my very first book of Janet’s – upon finishing I needed to immediately purchase every other book in the series so I could keep up to date with Sara Beth and Jess and see what would happen with their friends, Nick, Sam, Jill, Dylan, Cole…..ah, yes I love a good series!!
I highly recommend you hurry to get this book while it is still FREE – this special will end soon!
Janet W. Ferguson grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served as a children’s minister and a church youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. She writes humorous inspirational fiction for people with real lives and real problems. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a few cats that allow them to share the space.
Janet Ferguson is a great author. Thank you a wonderful job, Paula!
Hi Alexa! Thank you! You are sweet! I think she did a beautiful review!
Hugs,
Thank you for all your support, Alexa! I agree, I enjoy all if Janet’s books!
Thank you so much for the wonderful and heartfelt review! I am sorry that you can relate to the anxiety, but as you know, I can, as well. It’s miserable at times, but God is with us. I’m so glad you enjoyed the story. Gingie the dog was a fun little twist to write! Love my pets!
Blessings and hugs!
Thank you for sharing that with me, Janet. I firmly believe that God places the right people in our lives just when we need them the most!
This sounds like a great read. Thank you, Paula Marie for telling us about it and about Janet Ferguson. I’m off to check out her book now.
I am so happy you enjoyed, Shirley! The whole series is great!