Firefly Hollow Collection – Volume One

The Campbell's family story over generation and the surrounding community in Appalachia. Watch the unexpected to happen. Enjoyed these books and these characters. Good series to settle in and get lost in another world.


Ebook from Netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

A very well-written set of novels, I would say they lean more towards women' fiction than true romance - set in the past, there wasn't a lot of sexual liberation at the time. I enjoyed the first in the series, but the other two not so much. The middle one dealt more with failing relationships, miscarried babies, gender roles... less romantic and more the everyday drag, I found it to be depressing and stopped about 2/3 of the way through... and I honestly didn't make it too far into the third. The writing was excellent though, so I actually recommended it to my Mom, who grew up in that era and would have a lot more interest in it.

This is a culmination of the first three Firefly Hollow books and I loved the way they are told.
Sarah is at college but a family problem brings her home where she meets the reclusive neighbour and the first book is surrounding their story. It isn't the run of the mill paranormal story but it does have shape shifting and some other elements included, I really enjoyed the way these elements were slipped into the love story so seamlessly.I couldn't help feeling that I would love to be a part of the story and to have lived in this idyllic part of the country.
The second and third books are set in the same place and I can't say much without giving the game away. I loved all three parts and will be looking for the other books in the series.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy of the book.

This first installment in the Firefly Hollow series begins in the 1950s when Sarah Browning is a lonely high school student and a target for her older sister Kathy to pick on. The Browning's property borders the Campbell's who live up on the mountain and are rarely seen. It is understood that one does not cross that border and trespass onto the Campbell's land. However Sarah is unable to resist and begins walking there regularly, which is the first time Owen ever lays eyes on her, though she does not know it at the time. A few years later Sarah is called home from college where she is a year shy of graduating and becoming a teacher. A tragedy has befallen her family and again Sarah finds herself drawn to the Campbell's property. Gradually she and Owen find themselves falling in love, but circumstances seem to conspire to keep the young lovers apart and Owen's secrets may be too big to share. This was a story not just of romance, but family relationships, and heartbreaking tragedy.

This has to be one of the best multi generational family sagas I've read in a long long time. Even with the element of the paranormal and magic it's still a story of family. It starts in 1960 with Sarah returning home to the Hollow following a family tragedy. She discovers the feelings she had for neighbor Owen never died. Their story is detailed in book 1 Firefly Hollow. In book 2, Butterfly Lane, their children are grown and oldest son John returns from college to continue his love story with Zanny. Book 3, Dragonfly Creek, has Ben realizing his love for Ainsley has never wavered even though she married another man and moved to Lexington. With Owen a shape shifter and his grandson Noah seeing the family ghosts there is a paranormal twist to all three stories. There are 11 books in the series and I'm ready for all of them. A great series for all readers.

From the start this book held my attention and pulled me along throughout the lives of the main characters and their families. This is a gentle and pensive narrative with a beautiful storyline than allows the reader to fully empathise with the characters. I loved it and read all three in quick succession.

Firefly Hollow Collection Books 1-3 By T.L Haddix

I love the cover art. I would have bought the book based solely on the Title and cover art. It just jumps out at me and says “I'm a great book”. It looks and sounds romantic, in a countryside possibly from a time years ago. And it was.

The book I read contains the first 3 books in the collection. To make it easier on myself, I'll write this as a review on each of the 3 books separately, then combine for final thoughts. So yeah, this will probably be a long review.

FIREFLY HOLLOW (Book 1)

This book starts out in 1954 (and spans about 7 years to the early 1960s) near what sounds like a very small rural town near Hazard, KY. The surrounding countryside is beautifully described by the author. In particular, the woods and pool that Sarah Jane Browning found when she was 15 years old. Never mind the fact that she's trespassing on her neighbor's land. I can see it in my mind and think, gosh, I wish I could go there.

All of the characters are described well and are believable, for the location and era of the book. The story covers the lives of Sarah Jane Browning, her immediate family, Owen Campbell, basic details of his immediate family. The main characters being Sarah and Owen.

When Sarah trespasses onto Owen's family's land and discovers the pool formed by natural boulders, rock ledges and rock shelves – it is the most beautiful and serene place she has ever seen. Through the years Sarah visits the pool regularly. That's not all Sarah found on the mountain though. What she found changes her life forever. (I'm deliberately not including spoilers in my review).

This is an excellent book. I'm glad the copy I have includes the next 2 books in the collection. I recommend this book, even as a stand alone, for ages 14 and up. There IS a bit of “intimate” activity in the book, but, in today's world, children have already been exposed to the facts of life and at least this book makes it beautiful.

…......... on to book #2 Butterfly Lane

BUTTERFLY LANE (Book 2) **

Book 2 picks up after Sarah and Owen are married. She discovered in Book 1, among other things, that Owen is the famous author H.O. McLemore, using his mother's maiden name to ensure anonymity and he's a shape-shifter.

1st thoughts on book 2: Hmmmm, do I like that page 1 tells me right off the bat that Owen and Sarah have 5 children spanning 10 years? Or do I feel like I lost 10 years?
Did the author have to tell me there are other talents and abilities among the children?
I accept that the book would have been too mundane and tedious if she didn't.

I enjoyed that Sarah and Owen were a part of this book also, older but still very much in love. The main characters of this book are their son John and the girl he marries, Zanny. The majority of the book was taken over by John & Zanny's marital problems. The book still portrays the Campbell family as having pretty great morals, while understanding that mistakes happen even in the best families. There was quite a bit of sexual activity in this book – but it was loving and tastefully written. [who doesn't enjoy some steamy content?]
Although the initial marital conflict was very realistic, the separation drug on way too long and was not very realistic.
It was nice to get a break from John & Zanny's prolonged marital problems and have some of the other family members included in the book.

My disappointment in the book Butterfly Lane:
For a book that's supposed to have shape-shifters and other paranormal “abilities” - there wasn't enough of it in the book to even be included in the books description.

I liked book 1 much better. Book 2, while an enjoyable read, was a bit of a disappointment. I can only hope book 3, Dragonfly Creek, will pick up the excitement level or I might not be able to complete the book.

At the moment I feel the need to read a whole different genre before I attempt book 3.

DRAGONFLY CREEK (Book 3) ***

October 1987, the story opens at the funeral service of Geneva Brewer, mother of Ainsley Brewer-Scott.
Ainsley speculates that most of the people who attend the funeral were there due to either curiosity or fear of retaliation.

In this book we learn that Geneva Brewer was a very rich, powerful and also very mean person. Her riches and power derived mostly from blackmail/extortion and corruption. Her worst atrocities were committed against her only child, Ainsely. To simply state that Ainsley's childhood to adulthood were a living hell would be a gross misstatement.

This 3rd book is predominately Ben Campbell and Ainsley Brewer-Scott. It alternates between each of their points of view, of their past to present.

I still love that the story is set in small country town of Hazard, KY. I love the simplicity of the characters, the strong family bond and the moral values of the Campbell's.

The story depicted is a “young love – missed opportunity”. Even though Ben and Ainsley both feel the instant connection with each other when they met shortly after high school the family dynamics with Ainsley's mother prevented them from being together. In an ironic twist, Ainsley's mother, or rather her death, is what brings Ainsley back to Hazard, KY where she runs in to Ben, who has only recently returned himself.
Their first meeting was full of anger and hurt, it didn't end very well.

Ben and Ainsley have a LOT of work ahead to unravel the cruel acts of her mother and circumstances forced upon them if they ever want to clear the past web of lies, hurt and deceit. After 5 years apart, until her mothers death, at last they can start anew to heal the deep hurt both were caused. The evil was unfathomable, the hurt deep but the courage to commit to love and trust can be glorious.

My disappointment in Dragonfly Creek:
From chapter 1 [other than the funeral] through chapter 7 [which is 73% of the book!] , I'm re-reading, almost word for word, book 2. There are a few paragraphs where new material emerges in the form of remembrances.
Chapter 8 > we FINALLY get to the new material and the story developed. This is at location 73%, 3/4ths of the book completed.

Final Impression of all 3 books contained in this ebook:
Book 1 – fabulous, Book 2 – boring, Book 3 – waited until the last 1/4th of the book for the awesome ending.

I received the book free in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinion nor rating of the book. Review to be posted on amazon, netgalley, goodreads and moonshineartspot.blogspot.com

There’s something deeply enjoyable about this series. The Campbell family are a particularly special set of people, and not just because of the paranormal gifts that most of them possess. The Appalachian setting just adds a real sense of place to these wonderful characters and make this entire series a joy to read.

This volume contains the first three books, introducing Owen and Sarah and how they fell in love before moving on to their two sons. The rest of the series not only covers the rest of the Campbell children, but also extends to the next generation beyond that, plus extended family members. So if you love a good family saga, there is much to be enjoyed here.

My personal favourite of the three is the first one. FIREFLY HOLLOW introduces us to this special part of the world as well as opening up Owen Campbell’s secret shifter abilities. It’s not a perfect read (I feel it’s a little overlong and there’s some unnecessary drama towards the end) but I loved reading about Owen and Sarah’s relationship and seeing where this series all began.

BUTTERFLY LANE was probably my least favourite, as it deals with difficulties in John and Zanny’s marriage. It is emotional and heart wrenching, but I also found Zanny’s reasoning baffling at times and infuriating at others. Their marriage is definitely in trouble, but there are times when she seems to drag things out far longer than necessary. Having said that, by the end, the emotional pay out is wonderful.

DRAGONFLY CREEK is an emotional second chance romance with some real dark moments. Ainsley’s strength and the way she manages to open her heart up to Ben again is rather amazing. The Campbell family play a very strong role in bringing about a happy ending, and I loved reading more about them in this story.

In all I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. Not only does it introduce you to the incredible Campbell family, but it also contains three emotional, romantic stories that can all be enjoyed in their own right. This collection is a great way to start the overall saga and I can’t wait to read more.

This collection is 3 books.

All 3 are gentle romances that leave you with a warm feeling inside. I would recommend this collection. 4.5*

I lovely family saga full of romance and magic. Recommended.

3.5-4 stars

I have to point out first that I’ve discovered this series with Kathy (book 10).

It was a book I didn’t expected, a great surprise and I was left wanting to know so much more about this Campbell’s family saga



Those three first books were another great surprise, the perfect mix of love, drama and magic.
The only thing I struggle with – in every book I’ve read of the series – is the 60’s mentality. As a woman I’m so glad I was born later!
But it also helps me to appreciate so much more what our oldest “sisters” had to endure and all the rights we have today, thanks to those women who had to fight and open so many doors for us.

Sarah’s and Owen, Zanny and John, Ainsley’s and Ben, three beautiful love stories to read.

Kathy will always have a very special place for me in the series, but this Volume is a perfect way to dive into this magic and romantic world.

Great writing, emotional and with a touch of magic.

Great series