July 1, 2011

This book was light and refreshing. Kimberly is recently divorced from her husband. Amid child-custody disputes, she finds herself alone for part of the summer. Kimberly’s father sends her to Cedar Key to find a new housekeeper to clean their summer home. This is the first time Kim has been to Cedar Key since the untimely death of her mother.

During her short visit, she become familiar with some of the locals:
1. Patsy – her elderly next door neighbor and Christian confidante
2. Kim meets a local photographer. Kim has given up photography years ago, and her visit to Cedar Key makes her long for her old hobby of shooting beautiful pictures.
3. Stephen – Kim’s high-school romance ended abruptly when Stephen got married to another woman, breaking things off with Kim. Now he’s back in the picture, divorced and the father of a college-aged daughter.
4. Rosa – Kim’s childhood best friend now treats Kim like a stranger. Kimberly has no idea why Rosa is giving her the cold shoulder – they were as close as two peas in a pod while growing up and now Rosa is a successful real estate agent. Kim wonders about Rosa’s frosty attitude.

Can Kim find it in her heart to forgive Stephen for the past? Also, can she open up her heart and learn to fall in love again?

I noticed the author always described what everybody was wearing using brand names and stuff. I’m not much into clothing and didn’t care much for reading about the brand names and color-schemes of sneakers and shirts and dresses. However, this didn’t take away from the story, and I can imagine that lots of other women would enjoy the detailed descriptions of everybody’s clothing.

Overall, I enjoyed this story as it shows how we can heal our past relationships and learn to lean on God for understanding. Kimberly learns that she can’t always control the actions of others, but needs to seek God’s will to make important decisions in her life.

Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing a free review copy of this novel.

~Cecelia Dowdy~
From the Back Cover
Sometimes you get a second chance at your first love

Kimberly Tucker’s life hasn’t turned out the way she thought it would. While her ex is living it up, she struggles to understand what went wrong. When her two sons end up spending five weeks of summer vacation with their father, Kim plans a respite at the family vacation home on tiny Cedar Key. As she revisits the long-forgotten past, she discovers that treasures in life are often buried, and sometimes you do get a second chance at love.

Let yourself get swept away to an island retreat of warm tropical breezes, sandy beaches, and the most glorious sunsets you can imagine.