As I type these words, spring is bursting out ferociously across much of North America. So ferociously, in fact, that many people have their heat turned up in the morning, but by late afternoon, it’s grown so hot that air conditioning is called for. And then there’s the pollen! All this exterior chaos is the perfect excuse for settling down in a comfy chair with a great book, and as always, I have some fabulous recommendations.
For those in the know, the long wait is over for the new Susan Elizabeth Phillips book. And for those not in the know, here’s your chance! SIMPLY THE BEST lives up to its name. Rory’s relationship with her famous football-star brother is strained, to put it kindly, so an inadvertent hook-up with his manager, Brett, is wrong on so many levels. But life, as it’s wont to do (especially in romance novels!) thinks throwing them together repeatedly is the right strategy to pull off an against-the-odds win. You’ll find humor in abundance, a murder mystery, the touching transformation of previously strained family relationships, and a swoon-worthy romance. Way to go, SEP!!
While luxuriating in that comfy chair, why not luxuriate in the words of a writer who always delivers both a fascinating, provocative scenario and a beautiful love story? Katherine Center is just such a writer. We readers are lucky to have many volumes to pick from, and I recently enjoyed both HOW TO WALK AWAY (from 2019) and HAPPINESS FOR BEGINNERS (from 2015). They are both breath-takingly beautiful, and I admit that as I finished the audio for HOW TO WALK AWAY in the car yesterday, there were tears running down my cheeks. In that title, a young woman is paralyzed in a plane crash—a plane flown by her overly-confident fiancé just minutes after his ridiculous grand-gesture proposal. It’s not a major spoiler to say that said fiancé’s magnificence does not include sticking around when the going gets tough. Margaret is not a cheerful Pollyanna, and her physical therapist, Ian, is not up for any award recognizing enthusiastic encouragement. Yet somehow both the characters and the reader walk away from this book with a heart overflowing with joy. HAPPINESS FOR BEGINNERS is a different story entirely, and the beauty it conveys comes both from its physical setting in the mountains of Wyoming and the courageous journey Helen Carpenter takes through both those intimidating peaks and her own range of self-doubt and distrust. Helen considers herself mature—far too old, in fact, to even consider a relationship with her younger brother’s best friend, but in the end, she’s only a beginner at learning to embrace joy. Even as I type these words, I’m calculating how to fit another Katherine Center title into my never-ending queue!
Continuing the theme of geographic beauty and challenges, THE TRAIL OF LOST HEARTS is a new title by Tracey Garvis Grave that chronicles the climbing two lonely people must do to emerge from a history of pain and disappointment. Wren and Marshall meet on a trail while geocaching (an activity I’d never heard of, but which apparently has many enthusiastic adherents), and even though challenging, the physical tests they confront are nothing compared to the weight of the emotional baggage both are carrying. Wren and Marshall are lovely characters who will long remain in your heart and mind.
And finally, even as the beauty of nature here in North America is bursting forth, THE MEMORY OF LAVENDER AND SAGE, by Aimie K. Runyan, will take you on a stunning tour of a small town in southern France, where modern life and old-world tradition struggle for coexistence in a land so physically perfect you’ll never want to leave. When Tempèsta’s emotionally distant father dies, she decides to see if her long-dead mother’s hometown in Provence can offer her healing and a sense of belonging. Technology hasn’t yet mastered read and smell capability, but you’ll swear you can sense the lavender as you immerse yourself in this beautiful story set in a picture-perfect world.
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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