HERE TO STAY

Author: Jenyfer Matthews ISBN: 9781419908842 1/2007 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: CERRIDWEN PRESS

All Julia Sullivan wanted was a fresh start in a new place. But cutting ties with the past and starting over can be a difficult thing to do. After leaving her husband and quitting her job, Julia was emotionally spent. She needed a quiet place to recharge and to think about what she wanted from life. She thought she had found just that when she inherited her aunt's oceanfront Victorian house in Haven, New Jersey. It wasn't going to be that simple, however. In addition to her new house being a complete shambles, her charming soon-to-be ex-husband Patrick, whom she discovers she still loves, arrives with the intention of winning her back. To complicate matters further, it seems as if her aunt's death wasn't an accident after all. And there's just something about her new house that seems to interest all sorts of people.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

HERE TO STAY is a "next step" story. You know, what happens next after the wedding of the two wonderful people who are meant to be together happily-ever-after.

Julia Sullivan had a happy two year marriage, but it all started to fall apart in year three. She was tired of her marketing work and getting close to thirty. Her thirty-five-ish husband, Patrick, was working to make partner and they were not connecting well. She decides they aren't working out and leaves him. As the divorce is close to being finalized, her aunt dies, leaving her a messy house to clean out far from Chicago where she and Patrick live.

She immediately finds peace in her aunt's home, but Patrick follows her there, hoping they can reconnect if they spend time together.

The sad thing is, they still both love each other, but stopped communicating. That is the journey of HERE TO STAY. Not falling in love, but finding and revitalizing the core of a damaged relationship.

Along the way there are bad guys and rivals and distance to battle, but you will root for Julia and Patrick to win back their future together.

HERE TO STAY is a cozy, feel-good read. The characters are well-drawn and the plot will keep you interested. Debut Cerridwen author Jenyfer Matthews is a talented writer and I'm looking forward to her next release!

Heather Hiestand