Aloha to Terri DuLong and SECRETS ON CEDAR KEY - Book Review

When is spring coming?!?  Let's warm up Wednesday with a trip to my home state, Florida ....

New York Times bestselling author Terri DuLong's heartwarming new novel invites you to Cedar Key, Florida--a close-knit community that offers an easy pace, gorgeous scenery--and a whole new perspective on family and forgiveness. . .

In the wake of her husband Andrew's sudden passing, there's nowhere Marin Kane would rather be than back on Cedar Key. Marin plans to run the needlepoint store next to her mother Dora's yarn shop, and settle once more into her tranquil hometown. Then a bombshell arrives: a secret daughter Andrew never revealed to anyone.

Now nineteen, Fiona was the product of a summer affair Andrew had when he was out of town teaching--while Marin was home with their two small sons. All Fiona wants is a chance to meet her half-brothers and Marin--and through them get some sense of the father she barely knew. Marin isn't sure she can ever overcome her sense of betrayal. But buoyed by old friends--and a new love--the answers may unfold, guiding both Marin and Fiona to a true refuge at last.

"An intriguing premise, a cozy, small-town backdrop, and even the hint of some magic... A sweet story, set in a friendly community." --Kirkus on Postcards from Cedar Key

"Tender and poignant, perfect for those who love knitting as well as the bonds between women." –RT Book Reviews (4 Stars) on Sunrise on Cedar Key

"A delightful addition to that genre of needlecraft-inspired books." --Library Journal on Casting About

There are no secrets that time does not reveal. – Jean Racine

I became a fan of Terri DuLong’s Cedar Key series with Book 4, POSTCARDS FROM CEDAR KEY. I was eager to read Book 5, SECRETS ON CEDAR KEY to catch up with this small town on Florida’s West Coast. In Book 5, DuLong gives Marin Kane her turn to tell her story.  Recently widowed after her husband’s sudden heart attack, Marin relocates from Gainesville to her home town of Cedar Key. In fact, she moves in with her mother as she sorts out her life. With her grown children out of state, Marin feels adrift.  She begins to gather steam by working in her mother’s yarn shop that has created a comfort zone for the town’s female population. In fact, Marin is looking forward to opening a needlepoint shop adjacent to the yarn shop. When the contractor suffers from a stroke, a retired architect-turned-handyman steps in. Worth Slater, a widower himself, is attracted to Marin and seeks to lift her spirits at the yarn shop … and in her personal life. Then Marin received an unexpected letter from a Boston attorney, who does not realize her husband passed away, to learn that her husband fathered a daughter.

SECRETS ON CEDAR KEY gives readers gives Marin’s first person POV on how to deal with this unexpected news, especially when she learns that the daughter wants to be part of Marin’s family. Meanwhile, her family and friends gather around Marin during knitting sessions to provide comfort, support, and even advice.

It was easy to slip back into Cedar Key. DuLong delivers a heroine that is older, a plot that offers a subtle conflict, and a cast of secondary characters that populate an actual town. I offer two criticisms of DuLong’s writing – she tends to draw out simple actions, such as getting into a car and driving to the shop. Likewise, it seems a little too convenient that things fall into place for Marin – the trip to Paris, the arrival of Fiona, and her romance with Worth. Yet I could not put this book down. DuLong kept me interested in the lives of these knitters-turned-friends, even a knitter from Paris.  Perhaps the appeal is DuLong’s lesson in forgiveness, community, and friendship. 

Recommended read for fans of older heroines, slower paced plots, and small town settings.

I received an ARC from Kensington for an honest review.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City