By Joe Berk
I’ll bet you never thought you’d find me reading (much less writing a review about) a romance novel. You might be thinking we’re getting desperate for ExNotes content. Nope, it’s not that at all. We’re into our sixth year publishing ExNotes, and somehow content just keeps jumping over the transom and into the boat. It’s been an enjoyable ride with no signs of slowing down.
So back to the main attraction and the topic of this blog: Finding Home. It’s a romance novel, and it’s the first book in this genre I’ve ever read. If you promise not to tell anyone, I’ll share with you that I enjoyed it. You might be thinking there’s no way in hell you’d ever read a romance novel, and that’s okay. But what about your significant other? Would she enjoy a good read?
Finding Home is a great story about a woman who finds a new life, a new location, and a new love. Discarded after a long marriage by a callous and selfish husband, Katherine (the main character) makes a somewhat impulsive decision to relocate to Rehoboth Beach during a 6-month sabbatical. She finds new friends (a group of successful businesswomen) and a new man in her life, and then faces a new set of challenges when her sabbatical ends. Building on the success and confidence Katherine gained in the Rehoboth Beach move, she is faced with another set of life altering decisions. I won’t reveal the ending (no spoilers in this review), but I will tell you that Katherine’s new circle of friends sets up a continuing line of novels from this new author (which I look forward to reading).
Deborah Smith Cook’s interests and expertise in several areas are skillfully woven into the novel, including bicycling, cooking, fine wines, fine dining, Nikon photography, creative writing, and more. This (along with a good story line, superb character development, and great writing) make Finding Home‘s substantive heft (380 pages!) move along quickly. The chapters are light and frequent, and for me that made reading several each evening a well-anticipated treat.
In the interests of full disclosure, you should know that I know the author. Deborah Smith Cook was one of just under 200 classmates with whom I graduated high school. I’ve seen Deborah every 10 or 30 years or so at high school reunions (the most recent being our 50th reunion). I bought Finding Home because I knew the author and I thought it would be cool to support another writer’s efforts (rather than always asking folks to support mine). Then I found I enjoyed the story. I think you will, too. And I know your wife, girlfriend, sister, mother, or daughter will.
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