The Sugarhouse Blues
By Mariah Stewart
Publisher: Simon and Schuster / Gallery
Books
Release Date: May 15, 2018
Reviewed by Janga




Mariah Stewart revisits the Hudson Sisters
in this book. The three sisters are still engaged in restoring the historic
theater their father left them. The restoration has become more than a means of
gaining the fortune Hollywood agent Fritz Hudson left his daughters. It has
gained an appeal of its own based on its history and its importance to Hidden
Falls, the Pennsylvania town where Fritz and his sister grew up. The money
Fritz provided for the restoration is running low, and expenses keep mounting.
Thus, the sisters find their challenge growing greater as they look for ways to
make money.
Cara and Joe, the focus of The Last Chance Matinee, book one in the
series, are present in this one with an HEA strongly suggested, and the uptight
Allie is mellowing a bit and beginning to find herself. However, the focus in
this second book is on Desdemona, the middle sister and former child star. Des had
built a life for herself in Cross Creek, Montana, where she found her calling
in the dog rescue shelter she funded, and she is still finding it difficult to
be so far from her home. However, she also likes life in Hidden Falls and
getting to know Cara, her half-sister, and Barney, her father’s sister, neither
of whom she had known before her father’s death. Her friendship with Seth
MacLeod, the three-time mayor of Hidden Falls, is becoming more intimate and
more important, but Des is convinced that he is not her type. She stubbornly
ignores the zing that Seth’s presence evokes until she can’t ignore it any
longer. Meanwhile, an old friend of Fritz’s has returned to town, and the
blushes he calls forth in Barney, whom he calls by her given name Bonnie
because he thinks it fits her better, persuades the sisters that their beloved
aunt may have a second chance at romance. However, Des cannot stop wondering
about the identity of the woman in her father’s past, and strong hints of a
mystery surrounding the death of Aunt Barney’s first love suggest trouble on
the horizon.
The second book in Stewart’s Hudson
Sisters series continues the development of the relationships among the three
sisters and the effects their time in Hidden Falls is having on each of them. All
the sisters are interesting, complex characters. The semi-estrangement between
Des and Allie is excavated in this book, and healing has begun. I loved the
romance between Des and Seth. He is an immensely appealing character, and the
contradiction between his appearance and his teddy-bear beta character is a
large part of his appeal.
He was tall, had a
totally shaved head, and was dressed in a pair of worn jeans and a faded red
T-shirt that had Born to Ride emblazoned over the Harley Davidson logo that did
little to hide his broad chest. Deep brown eyes set off by long dark lashes
drew her gaze. . . . Tattoos covered both well-toned arms. . . .”
Allie and her relationship with the
wounded Ben Haldeman promise greater complexity, angst, and eventual
satisfaction in the next book as well as more of the delightful Nikki, Allie’s
teenage daughter and one of my favorite characters.
Readers who like romance/women’s fiction
hybrids as much as I do will likely find this an engaging read. Those who
missed the first book should follow this story with no difficulties since the
author provides sufficient summary of what happened in the first book. In fact,
those who read the first book may feel bogged down in summaries that are not
needed for them. But this is a minor flaw in a strong novel that leaves the
reader eager for more of the Hudson sisters and the people in their lives.
Great review Janga. I read the first book and am eagerly looking forward to the second book. I have read and loved many of Ms. Stewart's books.
ReplyDeleteSo have I, Trish. I love the Chesapeake Diaries books, and last year, I reread the Enright series and found those books just as captivating as I did when I first read them in the late 90s.
DeleteI am currently reading this-I haven't read the first one but I am enjoying it so far, and I enjoyed your review!!
ReplyDelete