Fans of the popular Icicle
Falls series have a treat in
store. Ever needed some basic home renovation done? Ever
felt that project was taking too long or going nowhere?
Meet Stef, Cassie and Griffin, each with a home repair
issue, STARTING OVER ON BLACKBERRY LANE. New readers can
take it as a standalone.
Cass runs a small bakery and her kids are in college, a
credit to this divorced mother. But she's never home, or
too tired, and didn't realise she had a roof leak until the
ceiling fell in. She's glad to get together with her
friends for Griffin's wedding shower party, only to find
that Stef's husband Brad has started taking down walls.
Stef is apprehensive as his projects tend to run for
months. Meanwhile, Griffin would really love if her
intended Steve would get up and do some repairs. He just
plays videogames. Okay, it's his job, but does it have to
eat up his spare time too? Their fixer upper house needs a
lot of fixing. She's starting to wonder if their entire
marriage will feel this way... burdened with resentment.
Muriel Sterling, owner of the town's family-run chocolate
factory, tells Griffin that men all have flaws and women
can't improve them.
Moving back to town is Grant Masters, a retired builder who
took a few years off after the loss of his wife, and is now
ready to work some more. He starts a small repair firm in
Icicle Falls because his son and grandkids live here. The
town's signature historic Bavarian-style buildings need
running repairs. Grant thinks that at sixty-two, he's not
past finding the company of ladies enjoyable. If only they
wouldn't keep mistaking him for George Clooney.
If you have read any of the series you already know that
this is a big-hearted story about ordinary decent folks who
help their neighbours. You won't be surprised to find a lot
of humour too. The drama may be domestic, but it's modern.
Griffin creates food photos for a blog, with some
fascinating insider tips, and considers moving to New York
to succeed while she's young. Women keep very busy, engaged
with other women through businesses and friendships. Stef's
husband Brad resents his wife's hiring professional help
and saying it's finally getting done; after all, he's got
to take the kids to sports on weekends, so when does he
have time to complete the work? Tread carefully ladies, for
men have easily bruised egos. Men, try to realise that
women prefer a clean finished home to a messy broken one.
As well as some entertainment and life lessons, look for
tasty recipes in the back of the book. STARTING OVER ON
BLACKBERRY LANE by Sheila Roberts may be among her best
books, with deft character handling and a well woven story
of various life stages. The romances are suitable for teens
to adults.
Stefanie Stahl has a husband with renovation ADD. He can't
seem to finish anything he starts and her house is
littered with his "projects." If he doesn't smarten up, she
swears she's going to murder him and bury him under the pile
of scrounged lumber in the backyard.
Her friend Griffin James is suddenly single and thinking
maybe she needs to sell her fixer-upper and follow her
career bliss up the ladder of success, even if that scary
ladder is clear across the country. Getting her place ready
to sell proves harder than she originally thought. She needs
help.
She's not the only one. Cass Wilkes, their neighbor, has an
empty nest—with a leaking roof. When her ceiling crashes in,
she knows it's time to do something. When Grant Masters
offers his handyman services at a fund-raiser auction, the
three women go in together to outbid the competition and win
their man. (Cass's friends think she should win Grant in a
different way, too!) Now it's time to make some
improvements…in their houses and their lives.
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