"A romantic tale with a touch of the paranormal"

Though he has seen loved ones die before, London junior high school science teacher Mark Buckle struggles with the tragic death of his girlfriend Catherine in a car accident. He has no one to share his loss with except to a degree his gay seemingly always dunk fellow teacher Felix. Mark worries that he is losing his mind because everywhere he goes he senses Catherine is there. Rationally he knows he used her bubble bath and why her perfume permeates his apartment. However, when the radio always plays their song, he wonders if she is reaching out to him.

Following the funeral, Catherine appears in Mark's bedroom to help him find someone else. Meanwhile born-again Christian Tess Blake is half in love with Mark. He begins to notice her as a desirable female, but guiltily laments about unfaithfulness while wondering if Catherine is pushing him in that direction.

This first person (for the most part) account is two subplots brought together by the lead protagonist. The first segment of the book is Mark's harangue and grief over his loss accented by Catherine's appearance. Readers will wonder if she is a ghost or is he losing his mind. The second part deals with Mark trying to rejoin the living assisted by Felix, but really with Tess at Catherine's urgings. The audience will wonder whether Catherine is playing spiritual matchmaker or is the hero moving on. Though the two sides feel in some ways like separate novellas tied together by Mark, fans will appreciate the droll self deprecating soliloquies that make for a fine tale and turn readers into Jessica Adams believers, ghost or not.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted January 10, 2004

Summary

After a whirlwind courtship with Richard, the gentle small- town vet she met in London, Sarah finds herself, to her surprise, moving to Australia as his bride. But on the morning of the wedding itself, she realizes she has made the worst mistake of her life. While the wedding is quickly turning into bad news for some, it's good news for Richard's younger brother Harry, who can at least take some comfort in the fact that his Debbie Harry tribute band has been booked for the reception. Better still, the cute young Wiccan he'd like to date isn't put off by his Blondie obsession. Meanwhile, Richard's best friend Tom is wondering if he's crazy to live with a woman old enough to be his mother. Especially as she disapproves of nearly everything in his life, including Richard and Sarah. The only invited guest not at the wedding is in Sydney. Richard's first wife Bronte, a successful magazine editor, threw her wedding invitation in the trash. But she finds herself mysteriously drawn to visit Richard, despite her best efforts to put those thoughts out of her mind. By the end of the summer, life - and love - will have gotten back on track again, but not before one small town in Australia nearly explodes with heat, and an overdose of passion.