USA Today bestselling author Rachael Bloome has once again featured Jacksonville‘s Blessings on State Bed & Breakfast in her new release The Unexpected Inn. Innkeeper Gwenn Eyer says she is “over the moon with the opportunity to have even a tiny influence on this terrific Blessings Bay series.” This book continues the story from Blessings on State Street, and even features one of Gwenn’s signature breakfast recipes.

In the introductory Letter From the Author, Rachael Bloome says, “I also think about my dear friend, Gwenn – the woman who sparked the story behind Blessings On State Street and, honestly, this entire series. She’s once again battling cancer, this time stage four. While my heart grieves with shared sorrow, it’s also greatly encouraged by Gwenn’s luminescent outlook on life.”

The Blessings Bay series is set on the West coast in a town much like Jacksonville. Author Rachael Bloome and readers from seven states gathered in Jacksonville two years ago for a readers retreat celebrating the release of Blessings on State Street. The author writes in the acknowledgments, “So, if you ever read a book set in a town like Blessings Bay, and think, ‘this sort of small town, where the people genuinely love and support one another, doesn’t exist,’ please know that it does. And one such place is Jacksonville, Illinois, where you can stay in the very inn displayed on the cover of this book – Blessings on State Bed & Breakfast – where luxury and leisure meets hometown hospitality.”

Blessings on State Street and The Unexpected Inn are available in both digital and print formats through Rachael Bloome’s website and national retailers. Our Town Books will stock them for the Jacksonville area.