THE LOVE SPOON

Author: Pamela Kavanagh ISBN: 9780709084662 1/2008 HISTORICAL Publisher: ROBERT HALE LTD.
Time Period: Regency

Beautiful and talented Mary Sutton grows up in the Victorian rural scene of her father's thriving carriage-making business. She meets Kester, who comes seeking work. He's handsome, interesting, a man with a past. Without realising it Mary falls in love with him. She then learns she is not who she thought she was, but the result of a dalliance between her father as a young man and an aspiring singer—a gift which Mary has inherited. Her father married and his new wife accepted Mary as her own. Mary however cannot forgive. She seeks out her natural mother and leaves home for a career on stage. But she cannot forget Kester...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE LOVE SPOON by Pamela Kavanagh is a pleasure to read. Smooth and well-written, it tells the tale of young Mary and the history she isn't aware she has. When she is chosen May Queen, Mary impulsively declares her love for Kester but he pushes her away, saying she is too young and that he doesn't love her. Her behavior scandalizes the town, and Mary's father and his wife decide she must know the truth about her birth. She is Esther's daughter, the result of an early encounter with Mary's father. Esther was an entertainer, and Mary decides to find her real mother and, hopefully, a life in the spotlight as well. Mary makes it to the stage and when she sees Kester in the crowd on opening night, she believes he's come to see her performance, until he tells her she's needed at home. The time has come for Mary to face what-and who-she has been running from.

A tale of finding oneself, forgiveness and enduring love, THE LOVE SPOON by Pamela Kavanagh is pure entertainment. Mary comes full circle and it is heartwarming watching her discover that finding her roots was only part of what she needed to know.

Kay James