This story has a man and a woman who were never going to have a traditional stepsibling relationship. That didn’t mean there would be no relationship, just of a different sort. Opposites attract and being different can be a good thing. But there does have to be shared respect and attraction. Ellen and Dylan have that in spades. In A WEDDING ON LILAC LANE by Hope Ramsay there are several blooming relationships. 

Ella and her mom start out being rather new to this small community. Both wound up here licking their wounds and finding the peace they didn’t know was missing from their lives. Ella has always lived in her mother’s shadow. She never reached the true potential of her music prowess. Her mother Brenda had the talent, but an abusive marriage put an abrupt end to that. Brenda invested all her energy into Ella and her abilities. Ella is good, perhaps even great with her violin, but her outlook is very different from her mom’s. She prefers to improvise. That’s where her heart leads her musically. Her playing is glorious. She just marches to a different drummer than Brenda, but her mom hasn’t managed to accept that. At least not yet.

One of the best character exchanges is when the priest gives his sermons. I’m not getting religious here, but those scenes are heartwarming and inspiring no matter what road you follow. Micah St. Pierre seems to tailor his sermons for his parishioners. And the funny thing is, his congregants all think it is them that he targeted. I laughed out loud at the reaction some of the core characters had. He hit the bullseye.

There is a wedding and engagement party to plan. Several characters work hard to find their place in this new family grouping, and futures that are still very much left to be decided. 

Hope Ramsay is a treasure. This writer knows how to tug your heartstrings and at the same time gives you something to mull over. It’s not just her characters that are looking inside themselves, it’s her readers as well. I haven’t met a hope Ramsey character yet that I haven’t fallen in love with. Ella and Dylan are immensely flawed and yet lovable. Even Brenda will capture your heart. She is trying so hard you feel like she too needs a break. There is always an honest core to stories by Hope Ramsay. She allows her characters find their way through her creativity, her dialog, her humility. It is a great gift to all her readers. Fans of Hope Ramsay will absolutely adore A WEDDING ON LILAC LANE which is chock full of some of her best characters.