July 2013

Charlotte and Nicole were once the best of friends, enjoying their time together at Nicole's family's Maine island house, but for years their friendship has been on hold. Nicole has married and started a successful blog; Charlotte has traveled the world as a writer and reporter. When Nicole returns to the island house, she invites Charlotte to join her. Together they work on a cookbook based on recipes grown from the herbs that had been nurtured for decades by a woman on the island. Nicole seeks out recipes and tests them while Charlotte does interviews of the local islanders. As they partner on this project, there is still a tension between them. Each has a secret that will change their relationship forever. Can love survive an honest mistake?

I have read a lot of Barbara’s books, and this is my favorite to date. The description of island life makes it a perfect summer read. I can hear the screen door banging, smell the water and feel the breeze as I am reading it. The cover is beautiful, and the audiobook arrived on my desk with a spring of lavender, which carried a nice scent for weeks. It made me think about growing it! And yes, there is a love story, actually two. I see this one being toted in a lot of beach bags this summer.