The Good Father-Diane Chamberlain

The Good Father


Diane Chamberlain

Mira, Apr 247 2012, $14.95

ISBN: 9780778313465



In Carolina Beach, North Carolina, twenty-three year old Travis Brown is a single dad raising his four year old daughter Bella alone; as he has since her birth. Desperate to bring in some needed income since the dearth of construction jobs in the area, he takes on a risky illegal job in Raleigh; leaving Bella with thirtyish Erin, whose baby daughter recently died in an accident.



Not far away, Bella’s mother Robin regrets her decision four years ago. She struggles with adapting to being the fiancée of charismatic Dale running for the mayor of Beaufort. Robin, Travis, and Bella each in their own way focus on what they respectively believe is the best for the toddler; not grasping by doing so they feel a bit better about themselves.



Rotating perspective between the three prime adults, The Good Father is an engaging character study as the trio want to do what is best to the child who ties them together. Readers learn the past and present and future hopes of the prime trio (and to a lesser degree game-maker Mike) as each is fully developed with doubts and trepidations but encouraged by Bella to be better than they think they can be. Although the ending is over the top of Mount Mitchell, fans will agree “nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina …” (Carolina In The Morning by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn) with Diane Chamberlain as our hostess.



Harriet Klausner

The Good Father-Diane Chamberlain

The Good Father


Diane Chamberlain

Mira, Apr 247 2012, $14.95

ISBN: 9780778313465



In Carolina Beach, North Carolina, twenty-three year old Travis Brown is a single dad raising his four year old daughter Bella alone; as he has since her birth. Desperate to bring in some needed income since the dearth of construction jobs in the area, he takes on a risky illegal job in Raleigh; leaving Bella with thirtyish Erin, whose baby daughter recently died in an accident.



Not far away, Bella’s mother Robin regrets her decision four years ago. She struggles with adapting to being the fiancée of charismatic Dale running for the mayor of Beaufort. Robin, Travis, and Bella each in their own way focus on what they respectively believe is the best for the toddler; not grasping by doing so they feel a bit better about themselves.



Rotating perspective between the three prime adults, The Good Father is an engaging character study as the trio want to do what is best to the child who ties them together. Readers learn the past and present and future hopes of the prime trio (and to a lesser degree game-maker Mike) as each is fully developed with doubts and trepidations but encouraged by Bella to be better than they think they can be. Although the ending is over the top of Mount Mitchell, fans will agree “nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina …” (Carolina In The Morning by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn) with Diane Chamberlain as our hostess.



Harriet Klausner

I Am An Executioner: Love Stories- Rajesh Parameswaran

I Am An Executioner: Love Stories


Rajesh Parameswaran

Knopf, Apr 10 2012, $24.95

ISBN: 9780307595928



These fascinating nine tales provide wonderful Kafka twists to “Love Stories.” All the entries are well written with intriguing protagonists (not all human as a frustrated in love tiger stars in “The Infamous Bengal Ming” and an elephant writes her autobiography with footnotes in “Elephants in Captivity”) giving readers insight into the foibles of love. In “The Strange Case of Dr. Raju Gopalatahan”, CompUSA fires Gopie who takes out a shingle and becomes Dr. G. In the title story, the executioner pleads with his beloved that he is a bureaucrat doing his job, not a psychopath. Savirtri shows how much she loves her husband Ravi when she prepares for their Thanksgiving weekend with him lying dead on their floor. With the “Narration of Agent 97-1702’ investigating Subject 243-66328 and love in the future “On the banks of Table River (Planet Lucina, Andromeda Galaxy, AD 2319)” fans will appreciate this anthology’s amusing metaphysical satirizing of love.



Harriet Klausner

The Beginner's Goodbye-Anne Tyler

The Beginner's Goodbye


Anne Tyler

Knopf, Apr 3 2012, $24.95

ISBN: 9780307957276



Thirty something Aaron works at the family publishing firm that prints the Beginners self-help series. He is happily mattered to older Dorothy, a doctor whom he met when she was working on a medical book published by his company. Aaron believes life is good in spite of a useless arm and leg until a tree crashes into their home killing Dorothy. The widower struggles with his grief.



Aaron moves back into the house he grew up in that sister Nandina owns in Baltimore. He begins seeing and hearing Dorothy’s ghost though he knows that is probably a PTSD defense mechanism for him to deny she has moved on; he also realizes his perfect view of their marriage ignored cracks. Burying himself in his work, Aaron realizes the guidebooks on moving on in life are generalities as grief is customized.



This is an engaging character study of a man who struggles with loss until he begins to understand that the whole (of one’s essence) equals the sum of all the parts (including the onetime microscopic). Complex as the audience learns much about Aaron, Dorothy and their marriage, as love does not denote happiness and camaraderie, as it can be destructive as well as constructive. Aaron’s surreal path to enlightenment never quite gels as he seems more childlike rather than a thirty-six year old widower mourning the tragic death of his wife. Still readers will enjoy The Beginner’s Guide to coping with grief.



Harriet Klausner

The Last Romanov-Dora Levy Mossanen

The Last Romanov


Dora Levy Mossanen

Sourcebooks, Apr 3 2012, $14.99

ISBN: 9781402265945



In 1887 she was born an orphan in an ancient forest near the Romanov Palace. Still alive in 1991, Darya Borodina Spiridova has seen so much change in her hundred and four years especially in beloved Russia. She remembers how the Royal family adopted her as one of them and their advisor Rasputin the “Mad Monk” proclaiming she will be the cause of the Romanov downfall due to her paranormal gift granted by the Ancient One. Seeking redemption, Darya believes that can only come if she locates the long lost Last Romanov. On her journey for salvation, she looks deeply into her past focusing on her role when the Revolution and subsequent executions happened.



This is a great tale that provides the audience with a deep look at the end of the Romanovs though the quest of a centenarian as the Soviet Union disintegrates. Engaging from the moment readers meet Darya, Dora Levy Mossanen writes a wonderful mystical historical as the road to redemption has plenty of detours and roadblocks; many of which are created within one’s mind.



Harriet Klausner

The Shoemaker’s Wife-Adriana Trigiani

The Shoemaker’s Wife


Adriana Trigiani

Harper, Apr 3 2012, $26.99

ISBN: 9780061257094



In the Italian Alps, seven years old Ciro Lazzari is numb with denial as his grieving recently widowed mother places him and his older brother Eduardo in a convent before vanishing. At the same time Enza Ravanelli lives nearby while raised in a warm poor family.



As teens, they meet when Ciro digs the grave for Enza’s sister. They are attracted to one another, but he observes scandalous behavior by the priest so the father exiles him and his sibling to Little Italy in New York where Ciro becomes the shoemaker’s apprentice. Soon afterward Enza is also forced to go to America where she finds work in Hoboken. When they meet in Manhattan, they realize they still remain attracted to one another. However, he fails to act on his feelings before being shipped overseas to fight on the western front. While she obtains work as a seamstress at the Metropolitan Opera House a reflective and despondent, Ciro prays he can go home soon to correct his greatest mistake; failing to ask his beloved to marry him.



This is a super historical epic thriller that grips readers with a welcoming of immigrants who have brought so much to this country but also contains a profound message in which living denotes overcoming what you lost. The early twentieth century storyline is brought alive by tidbits like the type of combat in WWI and the power of the Church in Italy (and to a lesser degree in New York and New Jersey. Readers will appreciate the escapades of two immigrants seeking the American dream.



Harriet Klausner

The Wedding Beat-Devan Sipher

The Wedding Beat


Devan Sipher

NAL, Apr 3 2012, $14.00

ISBN: 9780451235794



On New Year’s Day in New York, wedding columnist Gavin attends a party he hates as everyone attending is tied to medicine. The only positive is when he sees her across the crowded room. Escaping to a patio, he is surprised to meet Melinda who asks if he has a bungee cord so that they can flee the lunacy without walking through the gauntlet. As they chat while strolling in the moonlight, New York style, he is attracted to Melinda but fails to get her last name, phone number or email address.



After kicking himself in the butt for being an idiot, Gavin tries to locate Melinda with the information he knows about her. This leads him to other women, but no Melinda. His paper assigns him to cover a wedding in which Melinda is the bride to a groom whom Gavin feels is unworthy of her.



The Wedding Beat is an enjoyable intelligent character study of a romantic seeking a woman he fantasizes over. The support cast is solid as most add sarcastic humor like his dad who has his son divorced even though he never married. Although the final coda weakens the impact of a strong bittersweet love story, readers will enjoy the quest of the wedding reporter who works on a paper filled with Pulitzers.



Harriet Klausner

The Reverend’s Wife-Kimberla Lawson Roby

The Reverend’s Wife


Kimberla Lawson Roby

Grand Central, May 1 2012, $24.99

ISBN 9780446572477



Though he knows he has sinned Reverend Curtis Black has decided to divorce his third wife Charlotte after he learns she has slept with two men in the past year. He will end their relationship once their son Matthew graduates from high school. In the meantime, he behaves friendly towards his spouse in public, attending to his 2000 plus flock, and caring for his three children (married Alicia from his first wife, Matthew from Charlotte, and little Curtina from an affair).



However, he underestimates Charlotte’s resolution to remain married to him. Not only does she try to atone for her transgressions, she makes it clear she will do whatever it takes to remain Mrs. Black even though the Reverend has told her he forgives her sins but cannot forget those affairs. Even more so Charlotte also needs Matthew to forgive her, but the teen cannot. However, another congregational member Sharon Green has plans to become the fourth Mrs. Black and has offered seductive sin to the Reverend as her ticket. The Black marital crisis publicly explodes at a Deliverance Outreach.



The latest Reverend Curtis Black extended family drama continues the difficulties of people of deep faith in God remaining on the righteous path in a world filled with temptations. Character driven, The Reverend’s Wife is an entertaining tale though the see Love, Honor and Betray theme has been done many times over in this series.



Harriet Klausner

Butterfly's Child-Angela Davis-Gardner and Giacomo Puccini

Butterfly's Child


Angela Davis-Gardner and Giacomo Puccini

Dial, Apr 10 2012, $15.00

ISBN: 9780385340953



In 1895, American Lieutenant Benjamin Pinkerton and his new wife Kate travel from Illinois to Nagasaki. There he learns that his geisha Cio-Cio-san committed suicide (see/hear Madame Butterfly by Puccini). Benjamin and Kate takes her three years old son Benji back to the States with them, but hide his heritage by introducing him to their rural neighbors as an orphan they adopted.



Over the years Benji works hard on the farm, but never forgot his samurai roots or his beloved birth mother. He yearns to one day return to Nagasaki where he hopes he will find his kin and they will welcome him home. When his geisha matriarchal background surfaces the townsfolk treats him with scorn. He leaves for the Japanese communities in California before seeking his biological family in Japan.



This terrific historical follows-up what happens to the key surviving protagonists from Madame Butterfly, especially her son. The storyline is character driven by Benji’s search for identity, Kate’s descent into insanity and Benjamin’s inability to cope so turns to alcohol. Puccini would be honored with this deep second act.



Harriet Klausner

True Sisters-Sandra Dallas

True Sisters


Sandra Dallas

St. Martin’s, Apr 24 2012, $24.99

ISBN 9781250005021



In 1856, The Martin Company is the last of the groups equipped by Brigham Young to enable Mormons to come to the promised land of Zion by using two wheel handcarts. A diverse group, many pray dreams of a new spiritually guided life will come true. Jilted Nannie, accompanies her brother and his wife, praying to find a mate of her own. Married to a pompous church patriarch, Louisa believes God tells her what to say to others. Non-believer Anne does not want to go, but her converted spouse left her with no other option. Finally Jessie and her siblings look forward to a farm of their own.



The Martin party leaves Iowa City on their thirteen hundred mile trek to Salt Lake City very late in the season. Additionally, the handcarts are not designed for the wear and tear of the arduous journey. Three companies have completed the trip, but in Wyoming, the band is tested by a blizzard that leaves many dead and others losing extremities to frost bite.



Based on a real tragedy, True Sisters is a fabulous historical fiction tale that tells the story of the catastrophe through the eyes of the four women who bond during the calamity. The storyline starts off by introducing the readers to the prime quartet and their respective family members, but quickly accelerates into a harrowing thriller. Fans will relish this strong story of a sisterhood that comes together as the deadly disaster due to arrogant male disregard for safety leaves all stranded and facing death.



Harriet Klausner

Need You Now-Beth Wiseman

Need You Now


Beth Wiseman

Thomas Nelson, Apr 10 2012, $15.99

ISBN 9781595548870



Fearing for the safety of their children (Chad, Ansley and Grace) housewife Darlene and CPA Brad Henderson relocate the family from Houston for Round Top, Texas where they move onto a family farm. Feeling alone except for a snake invader, Darlene obtains a position working with special-needs children.



Their three kids struggle with adjusting from the big city to a rural environment. Especially troubled is fifteen year old Grace. Brad becomes concerned that Darlene’s first job outside their home is hurting their family and wants her to quit; she refuses. As she feels he is pulling away from her, temptation in the father of a student surfaces has Darlene considering what she never thought of in all her years of marriage.



Need You Now is an engaging timely family drama as the Santorum issue of women in the workplace rather than the hearth is a critical element. The Henderson quintet is fully developed as are a quirky neighbor and the temptation. Chad sums up this well-written warm inspirational when he thanks God for his kissing Skylar.



Harriet Klausner

The Dropper-Ron McLarty

The Dropper


Ron McLarty

Cemetery Dance, Apr 2012, $25.00

ISBN: 9781587672750



In 1922 in Barrow-in-Furness, England, Albert “Shoe” Horn finds himself left as the caregiver to his younger special needs brother Bobby following the death of their mom three years ago. She knows their alcoholic abusive dad could not care less about his offspring especially the retarded one. Shoe insures his sibling is fed, clean and away from their dad’s brutal fists.



He watches out for the welfare of his childish sibling by taking their dad’s fists. Additionally Shoe works as an apprentice to repugnant Lowden the plumber and a boxer whose nose has taken too many hits in bare knuckle bouts. As Shoe cares for his brother, he ignores his odious role models with an obsessive need to never lose his integrity. Friends like McAvey the giant encourage him to be more than his pathetic father, but opportunity in America and his desire for the love of a woman (who would need to care for Bobby too) causes a schism between the best buddy brothers.



This is a super historical family drama that focuses on the emotional costs to the caregiver. The brothers are fully developed so that readers will believe they are on coast of the Irish Sea just after WWII. With a nod to Rain Man, this character driven tale is a super early twentieth century tale that still resonates today.



Harriet Klausner

Letter From A Stranger- Barbara Taylor Bradford

Letter From A Stranger


Barbara Taylor Bradford

St. Martin’s, Mar 27 2012, $27.99

ISBN: 9780312631680



Having completed a film documentary, director Justine Nolan returns to the Connecticut family home. Her mother Deborah, in China working a business deal, directed Justine to open her mail. Justine opens a letter with no return address postmarked Istanbul. Anita Lowe sent a note to Deborah that her mother is heartbroken and needs her to end their estrangement as the woman turns eighty soon. Justine is stunned as her mom said Gran Gaby Hardwick died ten years ago in a plane crash. She and her twin Richard have grieved their loss ever since.



The siblings agree to find Gran though Justine will go initially without her brother who will follow. Justine’s pretense is a documentary on the city. Their neighbor Joanne Brandon arranges for Justine to meet her friend in Turkey, Professor Ifrit Ozgonal. In Istanbul, even with help from Ifrit, Justine cannot find either Gaby or Anita. Ifrit takes Justine on a boat ride on the Bosporus when the American sees her Gran in her camera lens. Justine rushes passed Anita’s grandson security expert Michael Dalton to hug her Gran. Both are ecstatic. Justine tells Gran, Deborah said Gran died. Michael and Justine are attracted to one another as if struck by lightning even as the reunion continues.



This is a fabulous family epic due to deep insight into the beleaguered in Berlin during WWII and a wonderful tour of modern day Istanbul. The ensemble cast is fully developed with the romance supporting the prime relationship between Justine and Gran. Although conflict is limited to the bigoted mom as everyone else gets on too well in the present and in the 1940s, fans will enjoy learning Gran’s Final Solution that turned Deborah against her.



Harriet Klausner

Leaving Sophie Dean-Alexandra Whitaker

Leaving Sophie Dean


Alexandra Whitaker

Grand Central/5 Spot, Mar 26 2012, $13.99

ISBN 9780446583947



At the Boston Back Bay café, Agatha Weatherby challenges her friend Valerie Hughes to give her married lover Adam Dean an ultimatum. She says he should be forced to choose between Valerie and his wife (and two very young kids (Matthew and Hugo)). Having no doubt that Adam wants her, Valerie accepts the dare. Just before a business trip, she informs her paramour he has forty-eight hours to decide who he wants.



Taken aback by the ultimatum and peeved with his wife, Adam informs Sophie he is leaving her for an older woman. Sophie, who is in the midst of a mid-life crisis, accepts his pronouncement but raises him two when she says she is leaving him and his mistress with their suburban house and the other two occupants. She moves into an apartment where her children visit after school and alternating weekends. Adam and Valerie are stunned by their respective new roles as the primary caretaker to his children as he never had that role before and she expected him to escort her in Bostonian high society instead of having a five years old lecturing her to quit smoking as that is unhealthy.



Leaving Sophie Dean is an intriguing family drama at a time when a marriage crumbles. The lead triangle and the key support cast (her BFF and the kids) are fully developed so that the audience knows what motivates each of them. However that also is two-edged weapon as readers will feel antipathy for the three prime adults for acting extremely selfish with no thoughts for the impact of their actions on the children.



Harriet Klausner

Schmidt Steps Back-Louis Begley

Schmidt Steps Back


Louis Begley

Knopf, Mar 13 2012, $25.95

ISBN: 9780307700650



On New Year’s Eve 2008, septuagenarian retired lawyer Albert Schmidt feels like a randy teenager as his late partner’s wife Alice Verplanck is arriving from Paris to see him in the Hamptons. He thinks back to 1995 when her spouse mysteriously died and they began an affair that he destroyed with his accusations of betrayal. Although Alice has doubts about Schmidt, she agreed to see him if he steps back to evaluate his life.



Meanwhile Schmidt's dysfunctional relationship with his daughter Charlotte had turned worse when she married a pathetic man whose mother is a modern day Machiavelli shrink. The psychiatrist mother-in-law subtly worked a campaign that insured Schmidt became unacceptable to his daughter. Pregnant and with one child already, Charlotte offers her dad a reconciliation, which he accepts though that means dealing with a weak son-in-law and the man’s mother from hell masquerading as a psychiatrist trying to widen the Schmidt chasm.



The third Schmidt character study (see About Schmidt and Schmidt Delivered) is a fascinating very dry humorous comedy of manners. The title character is terrific as he regrets some of his choices and fears he will rue his choice to reconcile with his daughter and meet his grandchild. Droll and witty, fans of the Schmidt saga will enjoy what symbolizes a senior citizen as the hero recognizes only he and two friends are still upright; while wondering who will be the last one standing at their funerals.



Harriet Klausner

Just Down The Road-Jodi Thomas

Just Down The Road


Jodi Thomas

Berkley, Apr 3 2012, $7.99

ISBN: 9780425246924



Tinch Turner knows his life ended when his wife Lori Anne died. Now the widower rancher prefers booze and brawls. At the Harmony County Hospital ER after his latest barroom fight, he meets Dr. Addison Spencer who is town for a few months until her troubles end.



Sheriff Alexandra Matheson and Deputy Sheriff Phil Gentry investigate gun firing. Inside they find young Jamie Noble and his overdosed dead mom. Jamie’s aunt was Lori Anne so his only known relative is his Uncle Tinch. Addison offers to help Tinch care for his grieving nephew.



Grieving the death of her beloved “Uncle” Jeremiah, Reagan Truman is the sole proprietor of Truman Apple Orchard. Firefighter Brandon Biggs and others offer her comfort as she mourns her loss while her beloved rodeo performer Noah MacAllen hides his feelings. Countering death is the birth of a baby at the Wright Funeral Home where Tyler Wright prays for the safe return of his beloved deployed Major Kate Cummings.



The latest tender Harmony small-town drama (The Comforts of Home, Welcome to Harmony and Somewhere Along the Way) continues the escapades of the residents with much more than just the above. The subplots are all entertaining and blend well together with the Turner second chance at love tale bringing freshness to the mix of mostly seeing what has happened to recurring characters; which in turn behooves newcomers to read the previous visits to Harmony.



Harriet Klausner

Just Down The Road-Jodi Thomas

Just Down The Road


Jodi Thomas

Berkley, Apr 3 2012, $7.99

ISBN: 9780425246924



Tinch Turner knows his life ended when his wife Lori Anne died. Now the widower rancher prefers booze and brawls. At the Harmony County Hospital ER after his latest barroom fight, he meets Dr. Addison Spencer who is town for a few months until her troubles end.



Sheriff Alexandra Matheson and Deputy Sheriff Phil Gentry investigate gun firing. Inside they find young Jamie Noble and his overdosed dead mom. Jamie’s aunt was Lori Anne so his only known relative is his Uncle Tinch. Addison offers to help Tinch care for his grieving nephew.



Grieving the death of her beloved “Uncle” Jeremiah, Reagan Truman is the sole proprietor of Truman Apple Orchard. Firefighter Brandon Biggs and others offer her comfort as she mourns her loss while her beloved rodeo performer Noah MacAllen hides his feelings. Countering death is the birth of a baby at the Wright Funeral Home where Tyler Wright prays for the safe return of his beloved deployed Major Kate Cummings.



The latest tender Harmony small-town drama (The Comforts of Home, Welcome to Harmony and Somewhere Along the Way) continues the escapades of the residents with much more than just the above. The subplots are all entertaining and blend well together with the Turner second chance at love tale bringing freshness to the mix of mostly seeing what has happened to recurring characters; which in turn behooves newcomers to read the previous visits to Harmony.



Harriet Klausner

Voyagers of the Titanic: Passengers, Sailors, Shipbuilders, Aristocrats, and the Worlds They Came From-Richard Davenport-Hines

Voyagers of the Titanic: Passengers, Sailors, Shipbuilders, Aristocrats, and the Worlds They Came From


Richard Davenport-Hines

Morrow, Mar 6 2012, $26.99

ISBN: 9780061876844



This is a refreshing different spin to the Titanic tragedy as Richard Davenport-Hines provides an insightful look at the motives of the various classes on board with an emphasis on why they were on the vessel. The author divides the nonfiction into three parts: “On Land”, “At Sea” and “Life and death”. Inside each part, Mr. Hines further divides into chapters with an emphasis on five categories: sailors, crew and passengers (further divided into first, second and third class) though there is also insight into ship-owners and builders as part of the pre-sailing “On Land”. Thus readers obtain a wonderful series of biographies on not just the rich and famous on board, but on those like chattel in steerage, the crew working in unbearable heat, and the shipbuilder Lord Pirrie and owner Pierpont Morgan. The Edwardian values led men to choose honorable death so that their women can live; but ironically the women unused to going alone were too afraid to leave without their men; thus unfilled lifeboats deployed leaving many unnecessarily to die. The doomed voyage symbolizes wake of Edwardian society (with WWI being the burial).



Harriet Klausner

The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul-Deborah Rodriguez

The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul


Deborah Rodriguez

Ballantine, Mar 20 2012, $15.00

ISBN: 9780345514769



Thirty-eight-year-old Alabama expatriate Sunny Tedder runs the Kabul Coffee House while her boyfriend Tommy works as a mercenary. Sunny expected her customers to be Westerners. However, she offers a job and a room to pregnant widow Yazmina, whose uncle sold her to pay off a debt; they dumped her when they realized she was pregnant. Her landlady profanity spouting widow Halajan cuts her hair short, wears jean skirts, and carries love letters while using the traditional burqa as a disguise; while the woman’s son Ahmet is angry at his mom for her relationship with Rashif the tailor.



While Bashir Hadi the street corner philosopher manages the coffee house, others join the group. BBC journalist Isabel reports on the poppy fields’ addicted female workers arrested for "moral crimes" and Candace in town to raise funds for a school, but thinks her boyfriend has other motives. Then there is married Jack the contractor.



This is a deep tale that puts mostly female faces to Afghanistan. When the focus is inside the heads of the women, the audience obtains a profound look at the cross cultural interests of people who bring to life an attempt at normalcy in Kabul during a horrific conflict. When the men take the lead, some of the insightfulness dissipates. Still this is an engaging glimpse into Kabul, a remarkable place considering its history.



Harriet Klausner

Woodrose Mountain-RaeAnne Thayne

Woodrose Mountain


RaeAnne Thayne

Harlequin HQN, Mar 27 2012, $7.99

ISBN: 9780373776375



In Hope's Crossing, Colorado, intoxicated teens crash while fleeing a police siren; Layla Parker dies and Taryn Thorn suffers brain injuries. Months later, the Birch Glen rehab facility informs Taryn’s father realtor Brodie not to bring his ill-tempered daughter any more as they cannot work with her since she refuses to cooperate. Desperate he pleads with former Los Angeles physical therapist Eveline Blanchard to provide Taryn with home therapy.



Evie reluctantly agrees to help for a few weeks as she still grieves the death of Cassie. Rather than her former occupation, she prefers being left alone beading at the String Fever bead shop or mountain climbing with Jacques the dog. As she works with the teen, Taryn and Brodie begin to fall in love; a feeling neither wants.



The latest Hope’s Crossing contemporary drama (see Blackberry Summer) is an engaging tale that continues look deeply at the impact of the car accident on all the townsfolk as for instance Brodie and others blame the driver Charlie who agrees with their condemnation of him. The romance is low keyed and more of a supporting subplot to the prime tale of rehabilitation (and not just Taryn). Readers will appreciate this warm story.



Harriet Klausner

Barefoot Season-Susan Mallery

Barefoot Season


Susan Mallery

Mira, Mar 27 2012, $14.95

ISBN: 9780778313380



A decade ago, Michelle Sanderson fled in anger from her family inn on Blackberry Island in Puget Sound to enlist in the Army. She spent multiple deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, but has recently left the service due to a badly injured hip.



When her mother died, Michelle former high school BFF Carly Williams manages Blackberry Island Inn. Single mom Carly feels this is only appropriate as she seeks redemption for betraying her friends like Michelle by sleeping with their boyfriends. Michelle returns home suffering from PTSD. She wants to fire the woman she loathes, but has no choice except to work with Carly to stave off the bank foreclosing on the inn.



This is a great character driven drama as readers observe what happened to the best buddies in the past, which has left both emotionally traumatized as each grieves the death of their friendship and much more; and what is occurring in the present. Filled with two wonderful estranged friends, a strong support cast and plenty of angst while keeping the romance as a secondary subplot, fans will appreciate the first visit to Blackberry Island.



Harriet Klausner

The Dogwalker-Corwyn Alvarez

The Dogwalker


Corwyn Alvarez

Bell Bridge, Feb 15 2012, $14.95

ISBN: 9781611940961



In Mayfield, Maryland, mentally challenged Benny drops out of high school. His mom is upset with him and he expects an extended silent treatment. She demands to know what he plans to do with his life. Benny, whose first word was doggy, says he will become a dog walker as he has a natural affinity with canines.



At the pound benny meets death row inmate Noodles. With forged documents from his friend Zach and his mom’s approval, Benny rescues Noodles. They become BFFs. As his new business is a success, his brother Jerome at Boston Medical School causes tsuris for their beleaguered mom. Meanwhile through Zach’s prepayment, Benny meets and is attracted to Chloe. No human or dog is immune to kindhearted Benny’s caring honest nature.



This is an engaging character study of a mentally challenged person escorting dogs (and readers) around his hometown. The protagonist’s independent behavior indicates he is intelligent but wired differently. Fans will enjoy his naïve maturing as he changes his life and that of others in his expanding circle.



Harriet Klausner