I haven’t had as much time as usual this past month to read and listen to books, so I’m happy that the first book I want to share with you was so very magnificent. WHISTLER, by Ann Patchett, is as good as everyone, everywhere has been saying. While I don’t remember all the details, I’ve insisted for years that BEL CANTO was the best book I’ve ever read. Without a reread, I can’t bump it off that pedestal, but WHISTLER is certainly a competitor. It’s not a romance, not a mystery, and not a fantasy. It’s a quiet story of love, and reverent tears are filling my eyes once again even as I type these words. Daphne is the adult child of divorced parents, but it was her mother’s second (of three) husbands, Eddie, who gave her the brief, loving paternal relationship that stayed locked away in her heart even as she grew up and for the most part forgot about him. When Daphne and her husband run into Eddie, her long-ago stepfather, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, her surprise at meeting him is outdone only by her surprise at the instant rapport that springs to life again after forty-five years. The subsequent time they spend together is shared both with Daphne’s extended family and the reader through exquisitely rendered memories and expressions of enduring love. And yes, a special horse named Whistler is part of the beautiful story.
Reading time’s been short for many reasons, but the onslaught of crazy weather, crazy headlines, and crazy deadlines had me longing to curl up on the sofa with a steaming cup of (enhanced!) hot chocolate. Given the aforementioned heat and deadlines, such escape wasn’t wise. The next best thing was to have the latest Mary Balogh novel, REMEMBER THAT DAY, playing through my earbuds. Ms. Balogh’s books are like a warm blanket on a rainy day. The countryside is always bucolic, the village fête is extravagant, the festival’s archery and sculpting competitors are earnest and honest, and the love story (which of course, will end happily) is fraught with only the gentlest of conflicts. In this volume there’s an age difference of thirteen years (oh my!) between young Winifred and the (Napoleonic) war-hardened Nicholas, as well as a minor class imbalance and an annoying pending marital commitment on Nicholas’s side, but all is tenderly resolved. This title is labeled the fifth of six in the author’s Ravenswood series, so I’ll have another volume to turn to when winter’s weather drives me to the hot chocolate for real.
B.K. Borison has fans all over the world, and I finally learned why when I read her FIRST-TIME CALLER. What a delight! A single mom’s daughter makes a surreptitious call on her mother’s behalf to a late-night radio love line. The host, Aiden, is encouraged by management and enthusiastic listeners to find the mom, Lucie, the perfect partner. He tries, even inviting Lucie to join him in the (oooh, very small!) recording studio to discuss on air her results and thoughts concerning the scheme. Hmmmm. Wonder where/how this might end up?! The journey is comical and endearing, with a fabulous secondary cast including Lucie’s marvelous daughter, Maya, and a few characters I already know will star in future books.
Another new-to-me author is also relatively new-to-the world, but her fame is already guaranteed. Lauren Okie’s TROPESICK is delicious fun. It’s a mock-up of romance writing, gothic mystery, the Hamptons’ luxury, and even a touch of the paranormal, but at heart it’s an enchanting love story. Katie and Tyler, long-ago childhood friends with a complicated history, are contracted separately to ghostwrite a romance for a legendary writer together, on her estate. Per the official author’s instructions, they throw in every known romance trope (brother’s best friend, second chance, forced proximity, etc.), but mysteriously, in the course of working together, they come to inhabit each of the tropes. More details would give away far too much, but for a delicious summer escape, TROPESICK is perfect.
Back to my time shortage. Why have I been distracted? I’ve been putting the final release-day touches to my newest romantic suspense novel, SECOND WHISPER. It’s got something for everyone: a mysterious criminal operation that could be ripped out of today’s headlines, a young woman learning to accept her gifts and potential, and an irresistible love story because true love is always irresistible. Grab your copy today and sink into a tale that will capture your imagination and leave you thinking, “Hhmmm. I wonder.”
About Meg Napier
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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