Lindsay and Kerrie Ann are sisters who have known hardship from an early age. Without guidance from their neglectful mother, their only aid came from an unlikely source, a retired exotic dancer by the name of Miss Honi Love. When the girls' mother was sent to prison, Miss Honi tried unsuccessfully to save them from being separated and sent into foster care.
Thirty years later, Lindsay is still trying to reconnect with her sister. The owner of a bookstore in the sleepy California seaside town of Blue Moon Bay, she was lucky enough to have been adopted by a loving couple. Unbeknownst to her, Kerrie Ann has suffered a very different life. Bounced from one foster home to the next, she ran away as a teenager before becoming a drug-addicted single mother. Now, newly sober, Kerrie Ann is fighting to regain custody of the little girl who was taken from her. Neither sister's expectations are met when they're finally reunited. But as the two sisters engage in the fiercest battles of their lives, they are at last drawn together despite their differences, restoring belief in the unshakable bond of family.
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"I think I have read every book by this author and look forward to more. Her characters are believable and likable. This story about two sisters who end up in different foster homes and find each other after many years was very realistic."
— Judy (5 out of 5 stars)
" This is the second book I've read by Eileen Goudge and I liked it even better than The Replacement Wife. Great characters and a fast-moving plot. Goudge writes with a lot of emotion and you can really relate to her characters. "
— Carol, 2/11/2014" Not particularly memorable, but once I got past a certain point I felt like I had to finish it. The most infuriating thing was the stupid editing errors -- misspelled and missing words and incorrect grammar. One such error is understandable; a bunch of them is just sloppy. "
— Betsy, 2/10/2014" I was somewhat disappointed in this book. Thought it would be a better written book. It was an easy read. It's about two sisters who were separated at a very young age; Lindsay (the eldest) being adopted and Kerry-Anne being brought up in various foster homes. They meet when they are adults and begin to form a relationship. It has the usual benchmark of two sisters who start off on the wrong foot and then slowly forming a true sibling relationship. No surprise. I guess I was just looking for something more in-depth. Oh well. "
— Pam, 1/31/2014" Predictable, but a good story. The characters are well written, and people you could care about. The author gives good background detail about their lives and jumps forward to the present as they try to sort out their relationship and lives. "
— Lisa, 1/30/2014" Another wonderful Eileen Goudge with great characters. "
— Pattim, 1/29/2014" This book is a great beach read - very predictable and sort of easy, relaxing and light. However, I do like to get something out of every book I read. I learned that it's possible for 3 unlikely women to live together and thrive. Lindsay, Miss Honi & Kerrie Ann are put together by circumstances bigger than them and somehow manage to navigate and grow. So great being a woman! "
— Marilyn, 1/27/2014" Liked it ..good book , well written. "
— Dianne, 1/26/2014" This book felt like stories I've tried to write about experiences beyond my ken --- I felt like the author really had no clue what a recovering drug addict might act or feel like and how being thrown into the foster care system can mess you up, but had read about both and thought they added drama to the story. It was fun chick lit if you could ignore that. "
— Anna, 1/24/2014" it started out really slow and I didn't like it, but a fourth of the way through it really picked up. I couldn't put it down! "
— Gabrielle, 1/19/2014" It is like I am reading about my life in many ways. It is a very good book that speaks of the bonds of love and family. "
— Colette, 1/16/2014" There are some reeeeally atrocious cliches in the writing, and I never really liked Lindsey, the "good" sister. Actually they were both annoying. I wanted to like this more than I did "
— Courtney, 1/4/2014" This was a great book and a quick read. I enjoyed the story. I also liked how the author illustrated that people can change if they really want to. "
— Kristin, 1/1/2014" Great book. Enjoyed the story with its twists. "
— Maggie, 12/30/2013" Slow in spots, but overall a good read. The ending made me cry as a mother. "
— Leslie, 12/17/2013" I am reading this one now--the only reason I put it down is cause I must do something else.... "
— Sharon, 12/12/2013" I liked this one better than domestic affairs but i still don`t like the ending. "
— Connie, 12/10/2013" A fine book but predictable and I really never warmed up to the characters. Should have but didn't.Who knows why that happens sometimes.Read a little like a quickly written Lifetime movie . "
— Toni, 11/25/2013" This is a story about 2 sisters separated during childhood. One adopted and had a great life...the other bounced from foster homes, etc. They reunite after 30 years to clash over everything...but they are drwan together, restoring belief in the unshakable bond of family. "
— Marilou, 10/30/2013" Terribly pedestrian and I'm not sure why I'm finishing it. "
— Sam, 8/4/2013" Although predictable, this was an enjoyable read about two young sisters who were separated by the foster care system when their mother was imprisoned for selling drugs with a nice HEA ending. "
— Jan, 2/21/2013" Made it to page 74 but couldn't muster up enough interest to finish. Decided to stop punishing myself and put the book down. "
— Annie, 1/5/2013" Nice story about sisters finding each other. "
— Kathy, 11/20/2012" Interesting characters. Good ending, could be open for a sequel. I noticed similarities between the characters in this book and another book I read by Ms. Goudge - baking, bookstores, lawyers and sisters. "
— Annette, 8/26/2012" Story was very, very predictable. Writing wasn't award winning by any stretch, but it was an okay summer read. "
— Jackie, 4/6/2012" An okay story till I got to the end which was predictable and boring. "
— Donna, 2/20/2012" Liked it ..good book , well written. <br/> "
— Dianne, 5/2/2011" Predictable, but a good story. The characters are well written, and people you could care about. The author gives good background detail about their lives and jumps forward to the present as they try to sort out their relationship and lives. "
— Lisa, 4/25/2011" This is a story about 2 sisters separated during childhood. One adopted and had a great life...the other bounced from foster homes, etc. They reunite after 30 years to clash over everything...but they are drwan together, restoring belief in the unshakable bond of family. "
— Marilou, 4/7/2011" I received this book as a Christmas gift. I absolutely every story by Eileen Goudge!! "
— Darlene, 1/14/2011" Well developed characters and plot. First book I've read by this author. I thought it was a light weight novel that I would breeze through but I found it a book I wanted to stop and think about as I read. <br/><br/>More. . . . "
— Elizabeth, 12/14/2010" I enjoy most of Eileen Goudge's books, but this one was a rare disappointment. It felt like a recycled story, something that I've read before from other authors, or a Lifetime movie that I may have seen. I could not finish it. "
— Vivian, 10/14/2010" A fine book but predictable and I really never warmed up to the characters. Should have but didn't.Who knows why that happens sometimes.Read a little like a quickly written Lifetime movie . "
— Toni, 9/13/2010" I'm not sure why I enjoyed this romance, but I did - "
— Marylp, 9/6/2010" This was the first time I read this author....couldn't put the book down, that's how great it was. I picked it up at my local library and it was a whim for me to go to the library that day. I guess my intuition paid off again!! "
— Tina, 8/28/2010Eileen Goudge is an author whose novels Such Devoted Sisters and Garden of Lies were New York Times bestsellers. Her work has also garnered the RT Book Reviews award for Best Contemporary Novel.
Julie Briskman is a classically trained actress who has performed in major regional theaters throughout the country, including the Guthrie Theater, where she spent seven years as a company member. Julie lives in Seattle, where she continues her work as a leading stage actress and voice talent.