Brenna O'Brien doesn't believe in happy endings. Not since the love of her life, Pierce McGovern, left her years ago without a word. Now, she leads a quiet life surrounded by her four matchmaking sisters, running a historic movie theater and collecting old wartime letters. But she leaves the letters unopened, preferring to imagine their possibilities rather than risk being disappointed.
Then Pierce comes back to town, shattering Brenna's hard-earned peace-and forcing her to re-examine everything, and realize that if she doesn't come to terms with the life she let slip away, she may never have the courage to go after the life she wants.
Paperback, 292 pages
Published
March 1st 2007
by Berkley Books
Terri's Thoughts
I was looking for a book to read and I randomly chose this one as I have enjoyed the books I have read by Karen White in the past. I didn't read what it was about and just chose to dive in randomly.
This story was just ok to me as I had a few issues. The first being that I felt that there was a back story that was perhaps in another book. I don't believe this was the case but it felt like there was too much history that didn't get fully explained in the story. This was mainly surrounding Brenna's father. Although revealed in pieces throughout the story, it felt like too little to late to me.
I also found Brenna too damaged to be believable. Yes she had her heart broken and a terrible father but to basically give up on feeling anything? A little extreme in my opinion.
Lastly, there were too many sisters to remember them all.
I did fall in love with Pierce's father as well as Brenna's aunt. These two are what brought the story to life. AND... the letters. They surfaced at around 30% of the story (reading the e-book) and I was so relieved. I truly wasn't invested in the story until this point. Even though I knew from the first letter who wrote it, I still looked forward to the next one being revealed
Sadly the good points did not offset the issues I had leaving the story meh for me. Luckily this is the first disappointment I have had from this author so I will continue to seek out her work.
About the Author
With more than 1.8 million books in print in eight different languages, Karen White is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 23 novels, including the popular Charleston-set Tradd Street mystery series.
Raised in a house full of brothers, Karen’s love of books and strong female characters first began in the third grade when the local librarian issued her a library card and placed The Secret of the Old Clock, a Nancy Drew Mystery, in her hands.
Karen’s roots run deep in the South where many of her novels are set. Her intricate plot lines and compelling characters charm and captivate readers with just the right mix of family drama, mystery, intrigue and romance.
Not entirely convinced she wanted to be a writer, Karen first pursued a career in business and graduated cum laude with a BS in Management from Tulane University. Ten years later, in a weak moment, she wrote her first book. In the Shadow of the Moon was published in August, 2000. Her books—referred to as “grit lit” (Southern Women’s Fiction)—have since been nominated for numerous national contests including the SIBA (Southeastern Booksellers Alliance) Fiction Book of the Year.
Karen’s latest novel, Dreams of Falling, was published in June, 2018 by Berkley Publishing, a division of Penguin Random House Publishing Group.
When not writing, Karen spends her time reading, scrapbooking, playing piano, and avoiding cooking. Karen and her husband have two grown children and currently live near Atlanta, Georgia with two spoiled Havanese dogs.
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