We turn to books for so many reasons, and sometimes that includes the desire to forget, if only for a while, about reality. That’s been my experience this past month (as I know it’s been for others), and I found mixed success in my title choices. Darn those talented writers who keep us reading/listening through their skillful wordcraft and then break our hearts with their actual stories. I’ll save those jaw-gritting titles for the end of this piece and start with the uplifting titles.
Three fabulous, best-selling authors have had new releases this spring, and all have been celebrated by fans who love them. Abby Jimenez was first off the block with THE NIGHT WE MET, a real-to-life story about a young woman struggling with issues familiar to many contemporary readers: working part-time gigs in hopes of earning enough to at least pay rent and occasionally eat, thorny relationships with family, and a life-threatening nut allergy that makes every otherwise normal interaction just a bit risky. Good thing she’s got a handsome and charming boyfriend, whom she met the same night she met one of his friends. Too bad the boyfriend sometimes binge-drinks and usually forgets about Larissa’s allergies, but his friend, Chris, is often around to clean up the mess. Hmmm. Any guesses where this might be going? Yes, you guessed right, but Ms. Jimenez takes her time in allowing Larissa to find her own courage and self-worth before the lovely happy ending.
My next two titles begin with an almost identical event: in both OUR PERFECT STORM, by Carley Fortune and THE SHIPPERS, by Katherine Center, a bride walks away from her wedding at the prompting of an old (male) friend. In both cases, the “friendship” was deep and long-lasting, but never romantic, at least as far as the two brides both understood things! Ms. Fortune’s OUR PERFECT STORM brings the reader along for a let’s-do-it-anyway honeymoon to Tofino, British Columbia, with the two friends, Frankie (the run-away-bride) and George. And Ms. Center sends JoJo on a cruise in THE SHIPPERS to celebrate her sister’s wedding, where of course, they’re joined by her lifelong bestie, Cooper. There’s more humor in Ms. Center’s story, but both books show a gradual awakening to the idea that true and solid are better than glamorous and flashy, and both provide a sigh-worthy happily-ever-after.
A lovely new series, The Busty Bodice Club, debuted this spring, and Fresh Fiction has been fortunate to welcome and celebrate several of the authors. Kathleen Ayers recently visited the video book club, and I realized I was behind in reading her back titles. FORGETTING THE EARL popped up first, and I’m so glad it did. As a child and later a young debutant, Honora was what might be called pleasantly plump, much to the chagrin of her own mother and societal meanies. Several of them conspired to humiliate her publicly at a ball by having the popular Earl of Southwell dance with her and then disgrace her. Immediately afterwards, Honora’s disgusted mother forced her into a loveless marriage with an older man and turned her back on her daughter. Years later, the now widowed and breathtakingly alluring Honora meets Southwell once more. The Earl is not all he once was, having sustained a devastating injury while exploring South America. We all love romance, so we know where this is going, but the journey is a lovely and sensitive one, complete with an enchanting ending. I look forward to catching up with more of Ms. Ayers’s titles!
Now for the heartbreak: I read two entirely unsimilar works of historical fiction that tore me apart, but I mention them here because at heart, they’re both stories of deep and abiding love. LIGHT AT LAVELLE is the newest title from the talented Paullina Simons, and it begins in two locales worlds apart in 1929. Isabelle is struggling to help her horse farm and her family survive Stalin’s encroaching terrorism in Ukraine, and Finn, a Boston banker, is secure in the confidence that American economic prosperity will continue forever. Both worlds essentially come to an end, but Isabelle’s arrival in Boston and her odd, but undeniable rapport with Finn in the years following the November 1929 crash led to decades of friendship, pain, and ultimately, abiding love. I listened to a borrowed audio version of the book, beautifully narrated by Jill Winternitz, and immediately bought a print copy to keep.
Similarly, DUST CHILD, by Que Mai Phan Nguyen, which opens in 1969, will rip your heart in two but ultimately leave you at peace. Two sisters leave their rural Vietnamese home in hopes of earning money in Hanoi to support their struggling family. Sadly, there’s really only one way to earn that money, and they both do so, reluctantly. The consequences of the relationships they form with American GIs last for decades, and the title refers to the derogatory name given to the mixed-race children left behind. DUST CHILD focuses primarily on one of the sisters, “Kim,” and one soldier, Dan, who returns to Vietnam in his late 60s to appease his wife’s curiosity and confront his own demons and guilt. DUST CHILD is beautifully written, and the audiobook is gorgeously and authentically narrated by Quyen Ngo.
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Meg's friends during her high school years all expected her romance novels to hit the shelves decades ago, but she foolishly allowed "serious pursuits" to get in her way. Now that her beloved children can feed, clothe, and most importantly, support themselves, she's free to turn her attention to her first passion - putting words to paper that capture your attention and make your heart sing in quiet joy. Her stories tell most frequently of second chances--in life, love, and sometimes even at rediscovering a soul-mate from a previous life.
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