It’s been a long slog through this pandemic. Slowly we are getting vaccinated, and things will start to open up, (although some are doing it too soon) and we will get back to “normal’ whatever that might look like. But in the meantime we still need to keep up whatever we were doing to keep ourselves and others safe. But sometimes I just want to escape from reality!

Romance as a genre has often been dismissed, but I think there is a real place for this genre, particularly during rough times. There is something comforting about knowing that everything will work out and that love wins in the end. Of course even romantic novels need to be well written and have characters who are interesting and not one dimensional. After all escapist literature needs standards too! Susana Kearsley, Julia Quinn, Karen Marie Morning, Katherine Howe, Elin Hilderbrand are some of the authors I turn to when I need a romantic escape. Now I can add Susan Wiggs to this list

Natalie Harper, was expecting her mother and her boyfriend to come to the special event where she was being honored by her company, but they never showed. Disappointed but not completely surprised, she heads home after work, only to learn that they had been planning to surprise her by flying in her boyfriend’s small plane, but during the flight the plane crashed and both of them had perished.

Although she is devastated by her loss, Natalie must begin to settle her mother’s business affairs and decide how to take care of her grandfather. Taking a leave of absence from her work, Natalie returns to San Francisco and to the bookshop her mother owned and where she and Natalie’s grandfather lived. To her surprise she learns that her grandfather still owns the building where he and her mother lived and housed the book shop her mother owned. Even though her grandfather is suffering from early signs of dementia, he is still unwilling to sell and move to a nursing facility. Faced with caring for her grandfather and running a bookstore, Natalie quits her job and moves back into the home where she had grown up to take care of her grandfather and run the bookshop until she can sort things out.

One of the first things she discovers is that there are many repairs that have been delayed and renovations that need to be done to make her grandfather’s rooms safe and more accessible for his wheel chair. Peach Gallagher, who had been hired by her mother right before she died shows up to begin the repairs, and Natalie, although aware that there is no money to pay for these renovations decides to go ahead, hoping that she can improve book sales to pay for the renovations. But as Peach begins to open walls and repair leaks, he and Natalie discover that within the walls and rooms of this old building are treasures of family and city history, stories of loss, loyalty and joy which offer the opportunity for unexpected connections tying yesterday and today together.

The theme of this book is: If you had to start over, what would you do and who would you be? An intriguing question for anyone to consider. Wiggs is good writer, takes care to develop her characters, and keeps just the right amount tension in the plot to keep you interested. I am glad to have found another good author to add to my escapist literature list!

Brenda’s Rating: **** (4 Out Of 5 Stars)

Recommend this Book to: Sharon, Marian and Lauren

Book Study Worthy? Just Enjoy!

Read in ebook format.