The Sugarhouse Blues
(The Hudson Sisters #2)
by Mariah Stewart
Allie, Des, and Cara, each having her own reasons for wanting a share of their father's estate, meet in the grand Victorian home in which he grew up, only to be greeted by another secret he purposely hid from them: his sister Bonnie. The women reluctantly band together to take on Fritz's challenge, working with a local contractor to begin the renovations financed by an account Fritz had set up for the task. While the restoration appears to go smoothly at first, it soon becomes apparent that the work will be more extensive than originally thought, and Des, elected to handle the money, needs to find ways to stretch out the remaining savings while searching for new sources of funding.
As strangers linked only by their DNA try to become a family, the Hudson sisters also try to come to terms with the father they only thought they knew. In the process, each woman discovers her own capacity for understanding, forgiveness, love, and the true meaning of family.
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Nothing says time to move on like having your husband file for
divorce so he can marry one of your best friends.
“Ordinarily, I’d have a retort for that, but right now, I’m all
out of snark.” “Allie, your snark well has never run dry.” “Well, it did today,
Des. I used it all up on Clint.” Allie grinned. “But it was snark well spent,
believe me.'
It’s not a big deal, Allie. He’s a good kid… Allie, you act like
the guy came in here with punk green hair smoking a joint and grabbing her
butt.
I have visions of people lined up for miles for burgers but we’ve
run out. They’re carrying pitchforks and chanting your name. I’m hiding out in
the vineyard with the dogs, by the way.
My Review:
I was further drawn into
the steady current of Ms. Stewart’s smooth storytelling and was soon fully
immersed and residing in the small town of Hidden Falls along with her enticing
and cunningly nuanced characters. I was
fully invested in their saga and labored beside them during renovation efforts
as well as with their budding relationships with each other and new
community. The rehab of the historic theater
was bumping along until a massive storm wrought major damage and a setback to
their plans and depleted bank balance.
Another fly in the ointment continued to be the contentious and shrewish
personality of Allie, who appeared to be gradually softening but still leaning
toward the vile harpy end of the scale.
This series would make an
excellent miniseries as I hung on each new twist and complication. The relationships and family dynamics were
front and center and quite compelling as the storylines continued to expand and
interweave with additional layers or mystery, revelations, and insights. An unexpected discovery indicates papa
appears to have more of a bounder than anyone knew. I am hooked and more than eager to dive into the next installment. I don’t recall four hundred pages ever
flying by so quickly!
Empress DJ
Mariah Stewart is the award-winning New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of numerous novels and several novellas and short stories. A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives with her husband and two rambunctious rescue dogs amid the rolling hills of Chester County, Pennsylvania, where she savors country life and tends her gardens while she works on her next novel. Visit her website at MariahStewart.com, like her on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuthorMariahStewart, and follow her on Instagram @Mariah_Stewart_Books.
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