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Serena, yearning to be a stay at home mom, and husband Carl had to be temporarily separated from their twin daughters, Brookelle and Joelle. If that weren’t heart wrenching enough, remembering the death of their precious daughter Allegra brought back the sad memories of the tragedy. How Serena longed to be reunited with her daughter. Life isn’t easy most of the time, but God always provides a way through those tough times.

Bills were piling up and the only solution she and Carl felt they could do was to have Serena’s parents keep the twins for just a little while, until they were on their feet again financially. Serena must secure employment to supplement Carl’s income, but strongly desired to be a stay at home mom again. The distance seemed so vast between Ohio and New York. How they wished it wasn’t so far, but they knew it couldn’t be helped for the present time.

Setting out with references in hand, Serena hoped these would be a help to her in finding a job. How she longed to once again be a stay at home mom and wife. She and Carl wanted so much to bring their daughters home so they would be a complete family again. Serena knew that God knows all about each situation and would work everything out in His time. The hard part was the waiting.

Employment was gained in a well to do home as a nanny. Serena discovered she would be taking care of twin girls. Could she handle this? Would she be able to manage as her employer, Mrs. Emili Huff, expected? Serena really missed her own twin daughters. She felt weak, but was glad she could lean on the Lord to help her.

So thankful for Carl’s understanding and support, Serena meant to do her very best at the Huff’s and for the twins, Blaire and Claire. Maybe being a nanny and keeping busy would help her not to dwell on her own situation as much. She also knew she was gaining important experience for being a stay at home mom. She intended to work hard and be a good example.

Follow the lives of Serena and Carl as they seek to reunite their family, and as Serena becomes a stay at home mom. Discover the wonderful ways in which God worked things out for Serena and Carl in some surprising ways.

What would happen if two sisters both fell in love with the same man?

That is the question at the heart of this cute romantic story.

“Love Finds You in Humble Texas” by author Anita Higman, is a delightful book about Trudie Abernathy and her sister Lane. Trudie sees her image coach sister as having her life pulled together, but sees herself as . . . well, um . . . as a dung beetle.

For Trudie’s thirtieth birthday, Lane sets out to give her an image makeover and a blind date with a man she herself passed over. But when Lane sees how well Mason Wimberley treats Trudie, she realizes she made a huge mistake and finds herself in love with the first man Trudie has taken an interest in.

Trudie, in her humble way, backs away from her chance at love when she discovers Lane’s feelings, but Mason isn’t easily dissuaded. Though their romance is put on a back burner, he helps Trudie re-discover a talent she has buried for years.

The take-away messages from this book for me are following your God-given talents and abilities and the joy of being humble and selfless.

As an aspiring writer and student of the craft, here are a few things I really enjoyed about this book:

1. Subtexting – For non-writers, this is a technique we use in conversation all the time without even realizing it. Writers use it in their dialogue in an effort to gain authenticity. Simply put, it is the underlying meaning of conversation. Anita Higman uses it well.

2. Interesting Premise – The plot of two sisters in love with the same man automatically sets up conflict, which makes a compelling story.

3. Witty Dialogue – Enough said.

4. Sparkling Narrative – One mark of a true writer. How do you include descriptions and story detail without boring the reader to tears? Higman has mastered this.

5. Philosophical, Without Being Stuffy or Preachy – The author pulls this off by making the main character, Trudie, a deep thinker.

6. The Wedding Scene – It reminded me of a modern-day version of a Jane Austen plot–the torture of being at a wedding with the wrong person, and the right person being there with someone you care about and don’t want to see hurt. What a delightful tangled web!

7. The Character Counterpoint – The juxtaposition of the characterizations of Trudie and Lane Abernathy was a brilliant move by Higman.

All in all, this book is a great read, especially if you like romantic comedy. It is a gentle reminder that sometimes love does indeed find us. It may seem slow in coming, but when it happens, it happens quickly–that instantaneous spark of connection.

“Love Finds You in Humble Texas” by Anita Higman is a dish of romance served with sparkle and snap.

Aunt Dimity’s Death

by Nancy Atherton

Category: Fiction / Mystery

241 pages; ISBN: 0140178406

As a child, Lori Shepherd absorbed her mother’s bedtime stories of the incomparable, forthright Aunt Dimity the way many children today devour the Harry Potter tales. The ordinary spinster with the knack for becoming embroiled in extraordinary adventures leaves fond memories for Lori, her only comfort following her mother’s death and a bitter divorce as she ekes out a poverty-stricken living in Boston. The last thing she expects is any help from the outside, especially from Aunt Dimity, a character she had believed to be fiction. An official letter from her estate reveals otherwise.

Like a fairy tale, the anachronistic law firm of Willis and Willis rescues Lori from a lifetime of Beanie-Weenie winners with the news that not only was Dimity Westwood an actual person, but an actual rich person who left Lori in her will. The only stipulation Lori must fulfill to receive her share is to write an introduction to a proposed book of the Aunt Dimity stories…in Dimity’s England cottage…which neighbors believe is haunted. Lori cannot decide which is more uncomfortable: sharing quarters with the ghost of Aunt Dimity or with the younger Willis lawyer, a starry-eyed dreamer who insists on gifting Lori with expensive clothes.

Then there is the other ghost that haunts Lori during this trip — a posthumous letter from her mother imploring her delve into Dimity’s life, in particular her life before World War II and the events that led to Dimity’s bouts of depression and spinsterhood. In finding the answers, Lori believes Dimity may finally be able to rest in peace.

Aunt Dimity’s Death does not begin as a mystery in the traditional sense; yes, there are mysterious elements in the story such as the rigamarole Lori must endure to appease the law firm of her identity and the peculiar behavior of the younger Willis, but these actions make for a good third of the book and one wonders if any cutting could have been done to help progress the story.

This is not to say the first Aunt Dimity novel is not good. It is a well-written book, and Atherton’s style is reminiscent of the English cozy — more talk than action. It is quite clear this book is meant to set up a series, though the “mystery” tag in this novel might be misleading. “Romantic suspense” is a better description of Aunt Dimity’s Death, considering how the attraction between Lori and Willis, Jr. slowly overcomes their discomfort, leaving readers with a story even Aunt Dimity would not mind hearing more than once.

Chloe Green is the pseudonym for one Suzanne Frank, authoress of a series of time-travel romance/suspense books, none of which I have read. Her debut mystery, Going Out in Style, is about as far away as one can get from time travel and ancient civilizations.

Anyway, Going Out concerns Dallas O’Connor, a local set designer who arranges and designs sets for catalog fashion shoots and similar projects; that is, Dallas would normally be doing these things if she were not in hiding. See, when she reports early to work one morning she happens upon the lifeless body of an up-and-coming model, not to mention the very life-filled body of a hunky Cuban artist named Raul who is holding the murder weapon. Sometimes the early bird gets more than the worm, sometimes she gets accused of wielding the knife herself for the final cut. Raul, naturally, asserts his own innocence as well, and Dallas is reluctantly made his partner in crime investigation. So, she blends into the city for which she was named, sneaking around to colleagues and friends conducting her own investigation in order to clear her name. It’s not as easy as it sounds, however, as it seems somebody is usually one step ahead of her, planting traps and staging other crimes that have the police thinking Dallas is on some sort of spree, and Dallas must work quickly before she finds herself fashionably late to her own funeral.

Going Out is a nice, enjoyable read with moments of mirth and lunacy (particularly when Dallas and Raul are hashing out their plans and options); Dallas especially is likeable as a harried heroine who knows her priorities and still feels justified in bending the rules (it’s not everyday somebody accepts a date with a stranger in a fancy restaurant when she’s supposed to be running for her life). I suppose I also like this story because of its originality, since I do not recall having read a Texas-set mystery in years, much less anything with the fashion industry as a backdrop. If Suzanne/Chloe can tear herself away from her romances, I think she can continue to keep the Dallas O’Connor series in fashion.

The Chocolate Cat Caper

by JoAnna Carl

Category: Fiction / Mystery

231 pages; ISBN: 0451205561

Mysteries involving some aspect of the food industry are always popular among fans of cozies. In the past I have received numerous e-mails singing the praises of Diane Mott Davidson and Ellen Hart, among other mystery ladies with a taste for the culinary. Perhaps this was why, while scouting a Florida bookshop for a title to hold me on the plane ride home, my hand involuntarily reached for The Chocolate Cat Caper. Either that, or maybe I was just feeling too cheap to plunk down the twenty-six bucks for Janet’s latest.

Or maybe my inner Lady Godiva was offering some unconscious input. I do love chocolate. It’s the only thing that has comforted me since Paul McCartney remarried. Not even my husband can console me, but I’m getting offtrack here.

Whatever the reason I had for selecting Carl’s novel, I don’t regret the decision. Carl (a pseudonym for author Eve K. Sandstrom) has created in this debut series a charming Michigan town where everybody takes turns being mayor, talks like the people in Fargo, and loves chocolate. Only these people don’t settle for foil-wrapped kisses – Aunt Nettie TenHuis has the corner on the sweets market here. She makes the goodies while her niece, former trophy wife Lee McKinney, handles the books.

Caper opens with a delicious delivery that turns soon turns deadly. When high-powered attorney Clementine Ripley (think F. Lee Bailey in heels) falls dead after biting into one of Aunt Nettie’s concoctions, Lee decides to sleuth on her own to find out who framed the family business by spiking the candy with an extra, unwanted ingredient. Finding the culprit, she discovers, is not easy, even in a small town. The residents do like each other, yes, and they also agree upon one thing: Clementine deserved her just desserts.

For a light and at-times humorous read, The Chocolate Cat Caper delivers; this promises to be an entertaining series, one that needs not wait until after dinner to enjoy.