Fairlawn Series - Angela Hunt

I've said before that I'm a book hoarder, right?  I have a habit of picking up a number of books and then putting them on my bookcases for a rainy day.  That's how I came to this next series.  Only I found the first book at my favorite Half Price Books and had to order the following two from Amazon while reading the first because I knew I would drive myself crazy hunting for them around town.

It's an older series, published between 2008 and 2009.  There are three books in the Fairlawn Series, Doesn't She Look Natural, She Always Wore Red and She's in a Better Place.

The series starts with Jennifer Graham who is recently divorced and is living with her mother along with two young sons.  She receives a call from an attorney advising her that she's been named the benefactor of her uncle's funeral home, Fairlawn, in a small town in Florida.  Her intent is to visit for the summer, assess the situation and put it up for sell to generate much needed funds.  Little does she know that she will fall in love with the odd little town and equally odd inhabitants.  Friendships will be developed and Jennifer realizes that there's an entirely different side to life than the busy, non-stop lifestyle she was accustomed to in her previous life.  In the small town, her little family flourishes; not without the expected bumps that come with two young boys growing up into young men, but in time everyone comes around.  Leaving her background of working in Congress, Jennifer feels pulled to pick up where her uncle left off and take on the business of funerals.  She quickly finds that it's got very little to burying the deceased, but rather ministering to their loved ones left behind.  What she once found frightening and unsettling, she learns to approach with a tenderness that is deserved of those whose services are held in their home.

You'd think that being set in a funeral home would set a rather somber backdrop, but it's quite the opposite.  Sure there are tears, but there are more laughable moments throughout the three book series.  These are the first books I've read by Angela Hunt and I'm looking forward to reading others.  I do believe I have several waiting for that rainy day...