About the Book
Book: Treasure Atop the Mountain
Author: Tonya L. Matthews
Genre: Faith-based Christian Fiction
Release date: August, 2019
Broken by the unfathomable. Frightened of the future. And unaware of God’s hand at work. Gracie grew up working in her grandfather’s ice cream shop in the small Kentucky town of Ridgewood. Ridgewood is a quiet town known for little but a 20-year-old rumor that treasures are hidden somewhere in its hills. But when misfortune strikes, Gracie is faced with challenges no 11-year-old should have to bear. She has to learn to continue to live now that nearly everything about her life has changed. The losses are so devastating that still years later she fights the nightmares. Yet folks in the town in their own unique way watch out for their little girl as she matures into a young woman. This is a story about Gracie Howard and how she finally found healing in a message that her grandfather shared with her as a little girl and from a town with hidden treasure.
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About the Author
Tonya grew up on a family farm in Riverside, Kentucky. Her father recognized early on that hoeing tobacco and running hogs weren’t in her skill set. He opted to send her to college. Graduating from Western Kentucky University with honors, Tonya went on to support the business community for two decades as an executive for the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce where she served a primary role in the organization’s multiple national honors.
Tonya has found writing to be a healthy escape and effective therapy in tough seasons throughout her life. Tonya began writing Treasure atop the Mountain 15 years ago when she and her husband were trying to start their family and encountered multiple disappointments. Ultimately, they signed up to be foster parents and adopted.
Tonya’s been married to Todd Matthews for 25 years. They have two grown daughters. In August 2019, she published Treasure atop the Mountain—a fiction novel based on real-life emotions that can be related to by many. Tonya’s second novel in the TREASURE series, Roxie Applesauce, released in August 2021. She’s currently writing the series’ third book, Get Will. Additionally, in 2022, she will debut the first two books in her children’s book series.
More from Tonya
Treasure atop the Mountain provided for me a glimpse of hope that I needed at the time I wrote it. In the book, Gracie experiences misfortune no young girl should have to bear. Yet, in the end, she witnesses all the broken pieces come together and is overwhelmed by God’s hand in it.
When Todd and I got married in 1996, we didn’t try starting our family right away, and when we decided that we were ready, it didn’t come easy. We struggled for several years through disappointment after disappointment. I’d get home from work at the end of a long day and lean against the kitchen door facing, drop to the floor and breathe for what felt like the first time that. I was hurting and doing my best to hide it.
My sister and my two sisters-in-law were pregnant, and I was covering three positions at work for people on maternity leaves. I really needed an escape because there was not a conversation I could have with family, friends at church, or at work that didn’t involve their lives moving forward when mine wasn’t in that area. I literally just sat down in the back room of our house with our computer on a card table and just started writing. I ran the emotions I was dealing with through the characters and wrote the book that I needed to read. Eventually, we adopted two girls from foster care and with our careers, life was busy, but I never let go of the book. Over the years friends and family read rough drafts and provided feedback.
The first thing that struck me about the contemporary fiction Treasure Atop the Mountain was the unique characters. Tonya Matthews did a wonderful job of showing a community of people with their own quirks, personalities, and idiosyncrasies. No cookie-cutter townsfolk for this author. Main character Gracie Howard lives with her grandfather and helps with their ice cream parlor after her family is killed in a housefire—the same fire that took her right hand. Benjamin Kage, a young drifter who arrives in town, has spent his life in an orphanage and has nowhere to call home.
This is a romance, so we already know that Gracie and Benjamin (or Kage as he’s called) will be together in the end. It wouldn’t be a romance otherwise. Ms. Matthews does a beautiful job at walking the reader through the beginning of their relationship and their growing attraction to each other.
I did struggle with some aspects of this novel. First off, I was more than halfway through before I had a clue that it took place in 1966. Because it was in a small mountain town, I just assumed everyone was a little behind the times. The setting should have been evident from the beginning. Although the side characters were interesting in their unique qualities, there were so many different points of view, the story came across as choppy and underdeveloped.
I also struggled with the lack of show. Lots of telling. It’s hard to connect with the characters when they come across as two-dimensional. Parts of the story dragged and then the end felt rushed and somewhat out of sync. All the “mysteries” were quickly wrapped up which felt unsatisfactory.
However, readers who enjoy unique characters will want to read this book.
Three out of five stars.
I was given a copy of this book by Celebrate Lit Publishing for reviewing purposes, but the opinions are my own.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 9
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 10
Texas Book-aholic, February 11
Mary Hake, February 11
Inklings and notions, February 12
For Him and My Family, February 13
deb’s Book Review, February 14
Locks, Hooks and Books, February 15
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 16
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 17
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 18 (Spotlight)
Pause for Tales, February 18
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, February 19
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 20
Where Crisis & Christ Collide, February 21
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 22
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Tonya is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Comments 8
Treasure Atop the Mountain sounds like an excellent read for me and I am looking forward to reading it! Thanks for sharing it with me! Thanks, Jennifer, for sharing your thoughts! Have an awesome week!
Thank you so much for sharing. It sounds like a fabulous book. God bless you.
Looks like an interesting book.
Thanks for the contest.
Thanks for sharing, the book sounds great
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing about the book and your opinion.
Thank you for sharing your honest thoughts.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this book, it sounds like a good story and I will take your comments into consideration while reading