In this remarkable follow-up to Stranger in Paradise , Eileen Goudge returns to sun-drenched Carson Springs, an idyllic community where the only thing juicier than the oranges is the local gossip...
Eileen Goudge has captured me with this trilogy. Carson Springs is a place that I would want to live. In this second installment, the story focuses on Gerry Fitzgerald and her family. It is a wonderful story of a mother meeting her daughter that was given up for adoption, the struggle to help her children understand, and of a woman wrestling with the idea of falling in love again. The characters from the first book are all present. The story picks up right where Stranger in Paradise left off. I can't wait for the third book.
A Story as Sweet as It?s Title
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Gerry Fitzgerald, a feisty, independent divorced mother raising two children in the beautiful valley of Carson Springs, California, has decided to find the daughter she gave up for adoption 28 years ago. She was impregnated while in the convent by the parish priest, and for many years has been consumed by guilt and emptiness. She finds her long lost daughter, Claire Brewster, who is now an attorney in northern California, engaged to be married to her childhood sweetheart, Byron, who is in his medical residency at Stanford Hospital. When they finally meet, Gerry finds that Claire is more beautiful and successful than she could have imagined, but Claire is bewildered and conflicted because of the smothering parents who adopted her and are fearful of losing her to her real mother. Gerry's younger teenage daughter is jealous of the attention that Claire is getting from her mother. Justin was also shocked at hearing the news that he had another older sister and angry at his mother for keeping her a secret for so long. After her brief introduction to her new family, Claire returns to her home and Gerry doesn't hear from her again for more than 6 weeks. She is afraid that Claire doesn't want to be part of their family. However, Claire was so impressed with Carson Springs and the people there that she decided to quit her job as an attorney, and go into partnership with her best friend by opening a tea shop in Carson Springs in a quaint Victorian home that she had spotted when she was in town. Taste of Honey is filled with interesting and realistic characters, including the nuns at the convent where Gerry works, her current lover, Aubrey who is a world-class symphony conductor, her best friend, Sam who is having a late-in-life baby, Claire's contractor, Matt, and many other colorful locals. Claire is torn between two lovers, Gerry is denying the fact that she is falling in love with Aubrey, and Gerry and Claire are trying to forge a new relationship after many years apart. I was thoroughly absorbed and engaged by this heart-warming story and look forward to more in this series set in Carson Springs.
REFRESHING!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Eileen Goudge has a gift of seeing into people's hearts and in this second book of the Carson Springs series she takes us back to this serene little town in California to visit with people who feel as real as our own friends.....Gerry Fitzgerald seeks a grown daughter she was forced to give up at birth. Even though she has two other children she always felt a void in her life.....After she found her daughter, Claire, she struggled to meld her family with Claire. Claire Brewster agreed to travel to Carson Springs to meet her "new family" and fell in love with the town and the people she met there......With the help of her friend, Kitty Seagrave, Claire left her "safe" job to start a new career in Carson Springs to the dismay of her adoptive family and her longtime love. She became torn between two loves.....This move has made her birth mother, Gerry very happy, but caused mixed feelings with her two other children......Gerry has been having a relationship with a famous symphony conductor, Aubrey Roellinger. Aubrey is a widower with loving feelings for his late wife. Gerry is divorced from her husband after a disappointing marriage. Both Aubrey and Gerry do not want to remarry, but agree to have a non-commited relationship....Gerry finds herself falling deeply in love with Aubrey and he with her. It took the near death of their freinds Sam, Ian, and their unborn baby in a car accident to make them realize that they need to give up their obsessions of the past and start to live in the present and go on with each other in the future for a full complete life......I can hardly wait for next book in this series.
A Taste of Honey
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Just what we need some pleasant and enjoyable summerreading. Relax whether it be at home, on the train, bus or plane and make sure you pack a Taste of Honey. Once you finish it you'll want to read the other books. If possible start with Stranger in Paradise and then read Taste of Honey.If you liked these books check out Garden of Lies (won't be able to put it down) and move on to Thorns of Truth. Excellent and exciting summer reading.
Taste of Honey
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Carson Springs is a wonderful place to be and if you are not lucky enough like me to live there you can relax and let Eileen Goudge take you back there.It is easy reading, fast paced and very enjoyable and definitely a must for summer reading. Pack it whether you are going to the beach, on a plane ride or just staying home and want to curl up with a good book and if you want to enjoy more of this wonderful authors books I highly suggest Garaden of Lies and the sequel Thorns of Truth you will love each and every page.Happy reading.
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