Cass Wilkes, owner of The Gingerbread Haus Bakery in Icicle
Falls, comes home from work one afternoon to find her
dining room ceiling on top of her dining room table. She
knew she needed a new roof, but she didn't expect the
disaster she finds. She is in need of a handy man who can
fix her ceiling until she can afford a new roof.
Griffin James purchased a fixer upper when she and her
fiancé moved to Icicle Falls, but not much fixing has been
done. She needs her back steps repaired and several rooms,
plus the whole outside, need a new coat of paint. She's
also not sure she's ready to marry Steve. They've grown
apart instead of closer together. When she confronts him
about this, he doesn't even fight for their relationship,
just packs his bags and leaves. Where is her life going
now?
Stefanie Stahl has a surprise waiting for her too as she
arrives home to find that her husband Brad has torn down
the wall between the dining and living rooms to give her
the open effect she wants. That might not be so bad except
for two things ... Brad started two other projects he hasn't
finished, and Stef is hosting a shower at her home the next
day.
All three of these ladies are in need of a handy man. Enter
Grant Masters. Grant is Dan Master's father, who is married
to Charley, owner of Zelda's Restaurant in town. Grant has
been retired in Mexico since the unexpected death of his
wife and is ready to get back to work, at least part time.
The three ladies pool their money to win Grant for a day at
the annual Raise the Roof Fundraiser. Of course their
projects can't be completed in a day, but at least they can
get a start. Will they find more in this deal than
expected?
It's always great to go back to Icicle
Falls to visit the
charming characters in this delightful German-themed town
in the Pacific Northwest. Sheila Roberts has created a
magical place where friendship and love abound, and you
never know who's going to turn up here next. Each of these
three ladies has a construction issue that Grant Masters
can solve, but how he goes about it is a most interesting
story in itself. There are many other underlying issues
here as well that Grant lends some wisdom and insight into.
STARTING OVER ON BLACKBERRY LANE is another enchanting tale
in Ms. Roberts Life in
Icicle Falls series about tearing
down walls (both literally and figuratively) and moving
forward. It's about dreams dying, but then being reborn.
Griffin is a food photographer and is working for Beth
Mallow helping her publish her mother's recipes. Throughout
the story, the recipes are mentioned and at the end Ms.
Roberts includes some of them. What a delicious extra
bonus!
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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