Small - Town Girl

Rating:
Summary: Rekindling love in a shaky marraige
Review: Small-Town Girl by C.J. Carmichael

In C.J. Carmichael's latest Harlequin SuperRomance, the romance novel is taken to a different level in SMALL-TOWN GIRL. Julie Matthew is an editor of a "home and garden" magazine called WEST COAST HOMES, and is doing quite well in her career. She also loves her life: she has a wonderful husband and son, friends that she can see socially from time to time, and lives in an area of the country that she feels comfortable in and enjoys. Then, one day her life is shattered when their son Ben is hurt in a serious car accident. He is lucky to be alive.

From that moment on, life changes for the Matthews. Russell, Julie's husband, decides that it is time to go back to his roots and take his family to a totally different environment. He feels that living the city life in Vancouver, British Columbia is not helping their family situation, and with Ben trying to recover from this horrible accident, Russell decides that living in his hometown of Chatsworth, Saskatchewan is the answer to their problems.

Ben and Russell are ecstatic about the new changes in their lives, but Julie is not. In fact, she's downright upset. She does not like the idea of living in a small town, nor does she like the idea of having to live in the same town as her in-laws.

With their marriage on shaky ground, the three of them make the move, with Julie begrudgingly going along with them. Julie is asked to stay on as editor and telecommute from her new home, flying to Vancouver only in the event of important meetings. But when she's asked to take over for her departing boss who has found a more lucrative job, Julie has every mind to take her boss's job, and move back to Vancouver where she was so much happier. But what about her marriage? Julie is torn between the man she loves, the child that is her life, and her own needs and wants. And when an old girlfriend of Russell's makes her way back into his life, Julie does not know what to think.

Read SMALL-TOWN GIRL to find out what happens between Julie and Russell and how love between married couples can have a romantic spin as well as a story about newfound love. C.J. Carmichael shows that the traditional "boy meets girl" romance stories are not the only way to write a romance, and does so successfully. I give this book thumbs up!

Rating:
Summary: A slice of real life -- Highly recommended
Review: When their son nearly dies in a car accident, Julie and Russell Mathew suddenly shift priorities, centering their lives on their son. Their son Ben spends a month in a coma and more months in recovery. Gradually, their conversations seem to center only on the immediate challenges. Then the problems they've ignored or denied for years smolder into life when Russell announces he has quit his job as a professor in Vancouver so they can move to the tiny rural town in Saskatchewan where he grew up.

Angry and resentful that Russell makes such life altering decisions without discussing it with her first, Julie resigns herself to the move. She thrives on big city life, her quickly advancing career, and the amenities available in Vancouver. She does not look forward to the small, ordinary house they will live in or her nearby in-laws. But Ben's enthusiasm encourages her to give the move a try. Unfortunately, Russell's former girlfriend teaches at the school where Russell will teach, and suddenly Julie faces challenges and surprises she never expected.

Author C.J. Carmichael has a gift for capturing the heart of the challenges of life that bring her characters vividly alive. As readers know, love doesn't suddenly get perfect at the altar, despite the idealism of fiction. Romance authors are catching on, however, as Carmichael so gracefully demonstrates. Julie and Russell certainly learn that, if even if they have been together for years, secrets of the past, mistakes of the present, and personal insecurities have a way of presenting surprisingly new challenges. Secondary characters are likewise believable, especially Julie's mother-in-law who never quite stopped wishing for a different sort of wife for her beloved son. Despite these characters flaws, however, the people of Saltspring are beautifully realized, charmingly flawed, and spring vividly to life. Readers will certainly hope that Carmichael has many more books planned for this rural Saskatchewan town and the delightful characters that dwell there. SMALL-TOWN GIRL comes highly recommended.