SWEET WATER

Author: Anna Jeffrey ISBN: 0451217373 1/2006 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: NAL/Signet Eclipse

Most people merely pass through the quiet town of Agua Dulce on their way to someplace more interesting. Marisa Rutherford has actually returned to care for her mother, who's suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and to run her mother's cafe. But when the town is sold in an eBay auction, it could mean the end of Agua Dulce as Marisa and the other nine residents know it. Terry Ledger is a high-rolling real estate developer who knows a good deal when he sees it. Though purchasing a remote town in West Texas on eBay sounds crazy, this serene hamlet actually holds much promise as a hub for travelers. Unfortunately, the citizens don't share in his vision. To win them over to his side, Terry must curry favor with the town's unofficial leader, feisty Marisa, who fiercely guards her hometown and her recently broken heart. With different plans for the future of Agua Dulce, they find themselves agreeing on one thing-an undeniable attraction that could change their lives forever.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Agua Dolce is a little backwards town in Texas, that if you blinked, you would miss while driving through it. Marisa Rutherford has lived there all of her life, with the exception of a few years when she was off trying to make something of herself. Well, now she is back, trying to take care of her ailing mother and run her flea market/restaurant. The entire town—a population of 10 residents—is up in arms over a real estate deal in which the entire town has been sold on Ebay! The town turns to Marisa to help in dealing with the new owner.

Marisa is in no shape mentally or physically to take on the task of running around after Agua Dolce's new owner, trying to pick his brain. But, she is her mother's child, and so that is exactly what she does because she wants to help her friends and neighbors—people who have become family to her over the years. Marisa, of course, has no way of knowing that Terry Ledger is the gorgeous man with whom she danced one night in her restaurant when she was feeling down, a man who she blubbered all over about her failed relationship and some of the things that were going on in her life.

The chemistry between Marisa and Terry is instantaneous and explosive. Anna Jeffrey makes this story so realistic, it felt as if I was right there in the moment with Terry and Marisa. The story is exciting and believable with a great plot and excellent secondary characters that will have you laughing out loud. Anna Jeffrey is a new author for me, and one that I am sure I will be revisiting time and again.

Kristal Gorman