Can Christian marriage in mid-life have (gasp!) passion? In SEARCHING FOR SPICE, Megan DiMaria’s debut novel, a middle-aged mother longs for a hot romance with…her husband. As the story unfolds, readers are invited to think deeply about what a true “passionate” relationship might be. Hint: It’s not just candles, lingerie and public smooches.

It’s a cute premise. Linda Revere juggles her roles as wife, mom to teens Nick and Emma, and salesperson at the local portrait studio, Dream Photography. Amid the chaos of working full time and keeping family life organized, she discovers something is missing: spice. After almost 25 years, she and Jerry, her nerdy but dependable husband, just seem to be going through the motions. Forget romance. “I remember when Jerry used to kiss me good night. Now all I get is mumbles,” reflects Linda. “What has happened to our marriage?”

Determined to put a little zing into her life, Linda takes a pop magazine quiz (“Do You Have a Passionate Marriage?”) and finds that her marriage falls far short of the mark by quiz standards. But how do you infuse your relationship with passion when you’re both pushing 50?

DiMaria injects plenty of humor into her story, from Linda’s musing over piercing her belly button (rejected: “Wouldn’t that be a little like putting a new spoiler on my old Taurus?”) to lighting a candle before Jerry comes home from his work as a community college science teacher (he blows the candle out immediately, seeing it as a fire hazard).

Readers may feel a jolt when the lighthearted first half of the novel takes a darker turn in the second --- a surprise for readers who presumed it was lightweight mom-lit. When teen daughter Emma makes a tragic mistake, it impacts Linda and Jerry’s relationship --- and threatens to change the family’s lives forever. How will their marriage fare under this kind of stress? DiMaria shows the tension that occurs between spouses trying to keep it all together under difficult circumstances. Jerry, who looked a little clueless in the first half, becomes the strong support spouse in the second.

As their lives take a turn for the worse, Linda learns that what she has envied in other couples --- a demonstrative, exciting marriage on the outside --- might be deceptive. Emma’s budding romances with various boys and the upcoming marriage of a close friend’s son also invite comparisons to her marriage, and a realization of what commitment and steady love can offer when romance seems to have taken a vacation. “Pretty words and extravagant gestures can’t compare to being pursued by love and romanced with prayer,” decides Linda.

This is mostly smooth reading, with plenty of faith themes. Occasionally, a little too much extraneous information creeps in (meal and shopping details), but it doesn’t slow the pace. The snappy dialogue, solid portrayal of marital and family dynamics, and engaging and sometimes volatile scenes at Dream Photography keep the story moving along. You’ll think twice the next time you pick up your portrait package after reading some of these scenes!

I appreciated some of the plot twists, especially the diabolical Carol’s role in Linda’s life in the closing pages. Any parent of a teen will identify with the chaos one bad decision can bring and sympathize with Linda’s family’s plight. The ending is satisfying and redemptive.

Mid-life mom-lit fans will enjoy DiMaria’s spunky debut, even as married readers ponder the state of passion --- or lack of it --- in their own marriages. DiMaria drives home her point in an enjoyable way: the value of a spouse who stands by his family during the rocky times as well as the easy moments, and whose steady faith and solid parenting mean more than glittering jewelry or lavish gestures. Food for thought the next time you finish a Harlequin romance and wonder what might have been.