I'm excited to participate in the WOW! Women on Writing reader review event for Vacancy by Jann Alexander.
About the Book:
Helen is childless and widowed after a long marriage and gets a second chance with a long-lost love. But she's grieving her hidden regrets. She bonds with her quiet kindergarten student and doubts the girl's struggling single mother, Charlene, is fit to parent.
Charlene's hiding a secret of her own, and she resents Helen's interference. She's determined to make a better life for her young daughter, the teenage boy her ex left behind, and the baby on the way when a scarred veteran offers to lend a hand.
A tragedy no one sees coming forces the two women to unite, as small-town bias threatens to destroy innocent lives. But first, Helen and Charlene must confront the vacancy in their hearts. As they do, can they find new strength, acceptance, and a second chance at love?
Publisher: Black Rose Writing (September 2026)
ISBN-13: 978-1685137984
ASIN: B0H7XL45TB
Print length: 320 pages
Vacancy is available in print and as an ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org. You can also add it to your Goodreads list.
About the Author, Jann Alexander
Jann Alexander is an author, photographer, and public speaker. Her characters face down their fears in novels that are as close to true as fiction can get. As a central Texas resident for over two decades, she created the Vanishing Austin photography series and speaks on all things Texas to groups and book clubs. Jann’s lifelong storytelling habit and her passion for Texas history merged to become The Dust Series, comprising the historical novel Unspoken and the fictionalized true-crime novel Vacancy. She holds a B.S. from the University of Maryland. When Jann is not reading, writing, or creating, she bikes, hikes, skis, and kayaks. Jann always brakes for historical markers.
You can find her online at:
Her website: https://www.jannalexander.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jannalextx/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jannalextx/
-- 4.5 Star Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
★★★★½ —
An emotionally rich and resonant small-town drama, Jann Alexander’s Vacancy is a deeply moving, beautifully paced exploration of grief, motherhood, and unexpected second chances. Set in an unforgiving Texas town where the heat and dust practically seep off the page, the novel follows two very different women—a grieving widow named Helen and a struggling single mother named Charlene—whose lives become tangled through a quiet kindergarten student.
What makes this book shine is how effectively the physical setting mirrors the emotional interiority of the characters. Alexander handles multiple points of view with skill, keeping the pacing sharp through short, engaging chapters that make it hard to put down. The emotional evolution feels hard-earned rather than rushed, refusing to tie up every wound with a neat bow; instead, it honors the reality that recovery includes anger, boundaries, and lingering scars but ultimately recovery IS possible!
The sheer strength of the character of both main characters will leave you thinking about Vacancy long after closing the back cover. It's such a hopeful read! Highly recommended for book clubs and fans of intense emotional fiction.
***** BOOK & GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY *****
Enter to win Vacancy by Jann Alexander and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Fill out the form below for a chance to win. The giveaway ends September 20th at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day and follow up via email. Good luck!
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