A Full House

Rating:
Summary: From the You, Me & the Kids series - Highly recommended
Review: Dr. Annie Crawford dreams of a quiet place where the wind can blow her troubles away. Then comes a call late in the night from the police reporting that they have her teen daughter who was joyriding and in the company of a boy with a record. When she needs the summer to spend near her daughter, Annie's request is denied by the hospital, although they offer her two weeks. So she resigns to get her daughter out of the city for the summer. Annie hopes to take time for herself while her daughter spends part of her time with her remarried father nearby, but not all things go as planned.

Lieutenant Jake Macpherson was the arresting officer for Annie's daughter. When he turns up in the emergency room not long afterward, Annie feels especially driven to save his life. Their subsequent acquaintance inspires Jake to spend the summer recuperating near Annie's vacation destination in hopes of seeing her again. His movie star ex-wife leaves their five-year-old daughter in his care for the summer as well. Soon Jake finds Annie -- along with everyone else that makes for a full house.

Author Nadia Nichols has one of those amazingly voices that stays with a reader. From the first paragraph in A FULL HOUSE this reviewer recognized Nichols' voice with its delicate lyricism and powerful undertone. Annie and Jake share an equal need to spend time with their children and to find a measure of healing. Moreover, this character driven novel has several unexpectedly delightful characters that span three generations, including elderly Lilly who has lost her independence to Annie's troubled teen daughter. A FULL HOUSE is a lovely and beautifully told story of new love and healing that comes highly recommended.