After completing her freshman year in college, Hallie
Palmer, former card shark and troubled teen, finds herself
returning home to Cosgrove County, Ohio to spend the
summer with her zany family and friends. Not everyone has
the luxury of having two families like Hallie. Her
biological family, which consists of her mom, dad and
eight, soon to be ten, siblings and her adoptive gay dad
who is an emotional wreck because he has just broken up
with his longtime partner, all play a significant role in
her colorful life. Add a recovering alcoholic monkey to
the plot and Hallie has what can only be described as the
most unusual family tree. Perhaps coming home was not such
a good idea after all.
With a large family comes many financial sacrifices, but
Hallie is determined to earn her degree on her own accord.
Unfortunately, she must come up with a way to generate
enough funds to pay for her sophomore year by the end of
the summer. She has come so far since her delinquent high
school days that surely she can't let a minor detail like
tuition stand in her way. However, the money she is
earning as a pseudo gardener for Bernard, her legal
guardian, is just not going to cut it. She must stop
dawdling and come up with a plan to earn some serious cash.
Resorting to her old gambling days is quite the
temptation; however, Hallie doesn't even have time to
contemplate it. Her family is falling apart and everyone
is relying on her to put the pieces back together. How
come no one ever takes the time to ask her how she is
doing? She does have her own set of problems like
figuring out how she is going to lose her virginity when
her love life is quickly going down the tubes. Doesn't
anyone care about her life? Why must she always be the
peacemaker?
HEART'S DESIRE is the second book in Laura Pedersen's
Hallie Palmer Series. It is a charming story about a
tightly-knit blended family whose real life experiences
and drama make for a delightful read. The short chapters
are quite appealing as they move the plot along quickly
without interruptions or awkwardness. The characters are
heart warming, believable and laugh out loud funny.
Pedersen has master the art of storytelling and leaves the
reader with a smile on her face and warmth in her
heart.
Card sharp and former wild child Hallie Palmer is in college
now–and Bernard Stockton, her legal guardian, has suddenly
appeared during final exams. He’s hysterical about his
recent breakup with his longtime boyfriend, Gil, and wants
to enlist Hallie in a scheme to win Gil back. So Hallie
returns to Cosgrove County, Ohio, for the summer, to her job
as live-in yard person for Bernard and his delightfully
oddball mother, Olivia. Also present are Ottavio, Olivia’s
hot-tempered Italian lover, who’s desperate for a wedding;
Rocky, a chimpanzee who’s one Singapore Sling away from an
AA meeting for primates; and Hallie’s own ever-expanding
family, which she fled as soon as she could slide down the
drainpipe.
Around town, folks assume that since Hallie isn’t in jail,
she clearly has no problems of her own and can therefore
tackle theirs. But Hallie has plenty of troubles–a looming
tuition bill, gambling temptations, and an ex-boyfriend
who’s back in town for the summer to upset any potential if
highly unlikely (a girl can dream!) romantic flings.
Yet as Hallie and company navigate life’s unexpected paths
of games lost and love found, the real truth begins to
emerge: With friends, family, and a place to call home, your
heart’s desire is always within reach.
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