This instalment in the Jewell Cove series opens during summer, when tourists and locals alike throng the seaside town. In TREASURE ON LILAC LANE Jess Collins runs a shop selling handmade items, and her good friend Abby is shortly going to marry Jess's cousin. For the day, Jess, as bridesmaid will have to spend time with a best man, Rick, who has been unreliable since returning from time in the Marines and who anyway has a best-not-remembered past with Jess when they were kids. She's not looking forward to this, but she'll cope.

Rick Sullivan returned from war with only one hand and working on a chartered whale-watching boat hasn't been easy. He's also lost his mother recently and life just seems unfair. He's teaching himself painting as a coping mechanism. Clearing out his mother's clothes, he accepts help from Jess who suggests donating them to a women's shelter. She doesn't mention that when a past relationship went wrong, she had to spend time in the shelter herself. That ex can't go far enough away to suit her. She's learnt that men can't always be trusted, and on the trip to the shelter the friendly talk is interspersed with childish sniping. Why does Rick always get on the wrong side of her?

The handcraft store is really well realised, and the two main characters each come across as well-rounded individuals, occasionally repeating teen patterns of behaviour but knowing they should be more mature. I liked Jess despite her impatience with the unstable man, because she clearly has a good heart, is loyal to her friends and works hard to run her small business. I was quite amused by Rick's belief that being an artist is unmanly, and he needs to keep it secret from testosterone-fuelled locals although his works, including Christmas baubles, are good enough to sell.

Both Jess and Rick have suffered losses and been knocked back in confidence, so we have to admire their fortitude. The reader is kept guessing about several aspects of the developing relationship as the characters work out their troubles. TREASURE ON LILAC LANE is far from a simple story and author Donna Alward deserves credit for presenting the reality of life for a disabled veteran. Romance readers and those who enjoy general women's fiction will be rewarded with another great read from Jewell Cove.