Evvie Drake Starts Over

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

She's the grieving widow, a virtual recluse
in the big house in this small Maine
community where she led a seemingly
picture-perfect life with Dr. Timothy Drake,
the admired and adored physician
that so many called their savior and friend.

He's a washed-up former Major League
baseball pitcher who's lost the magic in
his arm that once graced every sports magazine
in the country.

When Evvie Drake and Dean Tenney meet, an easy
friendship begins, with the promise of romance
just a whisper away. But there's way too many
unspoken half-truths, misunderstandings, and
resentments in both of their lives, before a casual
relationship can turn into something much more
meaningful. And it won't be easy facing the truths
that have stayed hidden for so long.

No one can ever know that Evvie was planning
on leaving Dr. Tim hours before his tragic car
accident or the reasons why. And that includes two
special people, her own dear father and Andy,
her best friend and confidante.

Dean swallows his pride as his stellar pitching
career fades away, while secretly harboring the notion
his golden arm will return to resurrect his once glorious
career. Is it just a frivolous dream supported by Evvie,
or a real possibility?

This warm, funny, love story, about two
likable, vulnerable characters teetering on  the
threshold of happiness, is all about second
chances, forgiveness, and hope for a brighter tomorrow,
making it an ideal choice for the last days of summer.

Summer of '69

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

It was a summer few will ever forget.

Man dared to step foot on the moon.

Angry protesters rallied against The
Vietnam War, amid the increased escalation
of the United States in the conflict.

Peace, love, and psychedelic drugs drew
hundreds of thousands to a music festival
known as Woodstock, an extravaganza of epic
proportions. And Ted Kennedy survived a
scandal at Chappaquiddick that almost
cost him his political career.

No one feels the impact of the summer of '69
more than the Levin family, who fervently
embrace the changing times.

One daughter has a season of awakening with
her stern grandmother on Nantucket, another
awaits the agonizing birth of twins, without the
support of her troubled husband, and a third girl
finds refuge on Martha's Vineyard where it's
impossible to escape the sins of her past, and
the racial tension that simmers behind closed
doors.

A son marches off to the jungles of Southeast Asia,
and a mother drowns her sorrows with a steady stream
of cocktails, terrified that sordid secrets from the
past could tear her family apart.

Hilderbrand's first historical fiction novel is an insightful
narrative about a remarkable, tumultuous era,
fifty years ago. She captures the essence of 1969
with her candid, eloquent writing, making it an
emotional, nostalgic, page-turner, certain to resonate
with so many readers.