Loving Sarah JustRead Tour {book review and giveaway}

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Loving Sarah by Jo Huddleston, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Loving Sarah 
Author: Jo Huddleston 
Publisher:Forget Me Not Romances, a division of Winged Publications 
Release Date: May 12, 2026 
Genre: 1950s sweet small-town romance  

Sarah wears William’s engagement ring. Then, Robert arrives in town. 

In this love-triangle story, Sarah cheerfully manages the candy shop she inherited from her mama. Being engaged to be married to Gatlinburg, Tennessee’s most eligible bachelor, makes her life pretty much perfect. But then she meets Robert and has an unexplainable sense they’ve met before. 

Robert travels from Michigan to operate Gatlinburg’s main-street SkyLift attraction while his dad recovers from a fall. He’s miserable being relocated to this Tennessee mountains hick town. That is, until he meets Sarah and feels an instant attraction to her. He’s unaware that the town’s biggest secret involves him. 

Although she’s engaged to another, Sarah and Robert are mysteriously drawn to each other. This woman and her beloved mountains curb his desire to return to Michigan. Will Sarah give in to her feelings for Robert or be true to the man she’s promised to marry? 

Loving Sarah is steeped in the easygoing culture and traditions of the Smoky Mountains in the 1950s. The story is a sweet, small-town romance with a heart-wrenching battle to make the right choice. This book will keep you turning pages with its mix of loyalty, betrayal, uncertainty, and emotional stakes.  

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

EXCERPT #1

Their plates of the rib dinner special arrived. As soon as the waitress left their table, they both tackled their delicious ribs. No time now for conversation. They quickly made use of the roll of paper towels on a spindle, which stood on the tabletop beside the menu holder and the salt and pepper shakers.

Several times, William reached across the table to dab errant sauce from her cheek, and finally, his gaze remained on her.

“William! You’re staring at me.”

“Sorry,” he automatically said, then backtracked. “No, I’m not sorry. I could drink in your beauty all day and never grow tired of it. And your eyes—the chocolate brown of a Hershey candy bar with those little dancing flecks of golden highlights.

Your eyes could hypnotize me without much effort, and I’d follow you anywhere.”

“Oh, don’t be silly. I could never hypnotize you because you’re too intelligent to succumb to any such outside force. But thanks for the compliment.”

He continued to search her eyes. “I’ve never seen eyes like yours. They’re piercing, but gently so, and I feel you can see into my soul. Can you?”

She swatted at his hand. “If I can, it’s because I’ve known you for most of my life.”

“And I’ve enjoyed every day since we met.”

EXCERPT #2

When the Operator answered and asked if she could help, Sarah gave her the phone number and said, “I’d like to make this call person-to-person with Mr. Robert Clanton, and please reverse the charges to the number I’m calling.”

Sarah listened as the Operator rang the number in Michigan.

When a pleasant female voice answered, the Operator said, “This is a collect call. Will you accept it?”

“Who’s calling, please?” the female voice asked.

Sarah spoke up. “I’m Sarah Cunningham, calling for Mr. Clyde Clanton in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.”

“Do you accept the charges?” the Operator repeated.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“My party would like to speak to Mr. Robert Clanton, please.”

“Please hold.”

The next voice Sarah heard was not a bit pleasant. “Hello!” a male voice barked.

Sarah was not easily intimidated and sat straighter. “Is this Mr. Robert Clanton?”

“Yes! Who are you and why are you calling for my dad?”

Well! Extremely demanding, wasn’t he? “I’m Sarah Cunningham, a friend of your daddy’s. He asked me to call you because he’s in the hospital.”

“In the hospital?” his voice grew even louder. “Well, why didn’t you say so? Is he sick? What's wrong with my dad?”

Not only was he rude, but he sounded so impatient. “Your daddy took a spill yesterday at the SkyLift and broke a bone in his lower leg. He’ll undergo surgery tomorrow morning. He wants you to come to Gatlinburg and take over the operation of the SkyLift while he recuperates.”

Only silence on the telephone line answered her.

“Hello?” Sarah asked for a response.

“Yes, yes, I’m here. What kind of stupid thing was Dad doing to have such a bad fall? Surely, he has enough sense not to climb high to work on the cables of the lift.”

“No, he wasn’t doing anything like that. He was helping customers get into their chairs for the ride up the mountain when he became distracted and…he fell. I happened to be looking out the window of my candy store next door. It was all a freak accident with a bad ending.”

“You own a…a candy store? For real?”

How dare he question her having a business! “Yes, sir, I do. Do you have a problem with that?”

He hesitated, but finally answered, “No, of course not. No problem. But Dad sure picked a bad time to break his leg. I’m covered with work here, and I can’t be in two places at once.”

Now, Sarah was losing patience with him, and she raised her voice. “Mr. Clanton, your daddy didn’t choose this time to break his leg. In fact, he didn’t choose to break his leg at all. So, shall I tell him you’re coming down here or not?”

He sputtered and grumbled but said nothing she could decipher. Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke. “Yes, you can tell him I’ll get on the first plane coming your way.”

EXCERPT #3

Having grown up in these parts, Sarah knew many local people, but she wondered about this handsome stranger. He appeared extremely familiar, but she couldn’t put a name to him or remember where she might have met him. She didn’t want to be caught staring at him, but she continued to cautiously study him. Maybe it would come to her where she had seen him before.

Being engaged to William didn’t stop her from taking notice of a good-looking man near her age. It was like her frequent window shopping—she looked but didn’t choose to buy anything. After all, he didn’t wear a wedding ring.

His dark auburn hair held just enough curl to flip up in the back over the top of his white shirt collar. Many women in Detroit probably yearned to run their fingers through those curls, so unlike the shorter haircuts of the local men. The stranger didn’t appear to be from around here, with his expensive-looking suit, his shiny leather dress shoes, and the standoffish way he carried himself.

He unnerved her slightly by being near him. Alone in the waiting room, they were seated a respectable distance apart. Nevertheless, something like electricity buzzed between them in the small room. The sensation was like a magnet pulling them together. Once, he took a sideways glance at her. Did he feel the vibrations as well?

His leather shoe tapped the floor continuously.

My Thoughts

Loving Sarah is the first book I've read by Jo Huddleston, and I found it an enjoyable read. 

It's set in Gatlinburg, one of my favorite places in the world. One element of the story involves the SkyLift, which is an actual attraction in Gatlinburg. 

Even though Sarah is engaged to William, she feels drawn to Robert, and feels like they've known each other in the past. The prologue of the story gives us a clue why she and Robert feel a strange connection. How will they feel when they finally find out the reason for that sense of connection?

If you enjoy a sweet, Southern, small town story, with a touch of mystery, I recommend Loving Sarah for your TBR list.

I received a complimentary copy. These opinions are my own.

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About the Author

Jo Huddleston writes sweet Southern romances set in the 1950s, where you can escape into wholesome, faith-based love stories of deep commitment, hope, and happily-ever-after endings. Readers describe Jo as a wonderful storyteller whose books are sure to inspire and entertain you. Reviewers say her books should be Hallmark movies.

She likes to laugh with people, but not at people. The beach is her favorite vacation spot. She’s a spectator fan of several sports, with tennis being her favorite. She doesn’t enjoy being in the dark and is fearful of snakes! 

Jo holds a BA degree with honors from Lincoln Memorial University (TN), where she is a member of their Literary Hall of Fame. She earned the MEd degree from Mississippi State University. 

Please visit Jo's website and get a free book when you sign up for her newsletter.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card + eBook of Loving Sarah!

(2) winners will each receive the eBook of Loving Sarah!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight May 12, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on May 19, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. No delivery restrictions. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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