After numerous failed attempts at re-establishing her Hollywood career, former child star Cilla McGowan returns to her grandmother's farm in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. She plans to restore it to its former glory. Janet Hardy, her grandmother, was a major star with a tumultuous life that included scandals, famous love affairs, the tragic death of her son and finally her suicide. The farm was a place of healing for her grandmother, and Cilla believes she can begin a new life here far away from her five-time married melodramatic mother. Cilla concentrates on healing her own soul as she begins reacquainting herself with her father and his family. While separating trash from treasures, Cilla finds love letters hidden in an old book. The letters indicate an unexpected pregnancy from a mysterious married man. Cilla tosses them aside not realizing their importance.
Cilla's efforts at rehabbing the house run into vandals who destroy and sabotage her work. Her next-door neighbor, Ford Sawyer, a sexy graphic artist, consoles her and offers stability and acceptance -- something Cilla has never had in her life. How could she not fall in love with this understanding man? Their deepening relationship is interrupted when the vandals attack Cilla's friend and leave him for dead. Ford and Cilla determine someone wants Janet's old love letters and are willing to kill for them.
Ms. Roberts' newest contemporary novel delves into a woman's struggle to redefine herself and find her own version of family. Deft plotting that includes dream sequences where Cilla has conversations with her dead grandmother offer a fascinating past and present combination. Interject that mixture with Cilla's evolving relationships and it makes TRIBUTE a riveting read.
Virginiaβs Shenandoah Valley is a long way from Hollywood.
And thatβs exactly how Cilla McGowan wants it. Cilla, a
former child star who has found more satisfying work as a
restorer of old houses, has come to her grandmotherβs
farmhouse, tools at her side, to rescue it from ruin.
Sadly, no one was able to save her grandmother, the
legendary Janet Hardy. An actress with a tumultuous life,
Janet entertained glamorous guests and engaged in decadent
affairsβbut died of an overdose in this very house more
than thirty years earlier. To this day, Janet haunts
Cillaβs dreams. And during waking hours, Cilla is haunted
by her melodramatic, five-times-married mother, who
carried on in the public spotlight and never gave her a
chance at a normal childhood. By coming east, rolling up
her sleeves, and rehabbing this wreck of a house, Cilla
intends to find some kind of normalcy for herself.
Plunging into the project with gusto, sheβs almost too
busy to notice her neighbor, graphic novelist Ford Sawyerβ
but his lanky form, green eyes, and easy, unflappable
humor (not to mention his delightfully ugly dog, Spock)
are hard to ignore. Determined not to perpetuate the
family tradition of ill-fated romances, Cilla steels
herself against Fordβs quirky charm, but she canβt help
indulging in a little fantasy.
But love and a peaceful life may not be in the cards for
Cilla. In the attic, she has found a cache of unsigned
letters suggesting that Janet Hardy was pregnant when she
diedβand that the father was a local married man. Cilla
canβt help but wonder what really happened all those years
ago. The mystery only deepens with a series of
intimidating acts and a frightening, violent assault. And
if Cilla and Ford are unable to sort out who is targeting
her and why, she mayβlike her world-famous grandmotherβ be
cut down in the prime of her life.
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