"Amusing, yet bittersweet quality make this a highly emotional novel."

Maddy Bainbridge has no desire to move back in with her mother, but as a single mother running low on money, she has little choice. Reluctantly, she returns to New Jersey to help her mother run a bed-and-breakfast.

Maddy's daughter has been waning ever since her father got remarried and relocated. Not only is Maddy worried about money, concerned about her little girl and distressed about her mother's seeming lack of compassion, she's started an e- mail relationship with a man she outbid in an Internet auction. Maddy is looking to unlock the secrets of her mother's indifference, as well as discover her own path to future happiness.

Aidan O'Malley has raised a lovely teenage daughter, who's bright, pretty and ambitious. He hopes that her ambition will allow her to abandon the O'Malley bad luck that's plagued their family for years. Along with carrying this hope, Aidan is attempting to connect with his distant grandmother to discover her secret sadness.

SHORE LIGHTS is a moving and engaging novel. It has amusing sections tinged with a bittersweet quality. The character's relationships are well-developed and intriguing. This is an excellent book, but beware - a few tissues may be necessary reading accessories!

Reviewed by Vicky Gilpin
Courtesy Old Book Barn Gazette
Posted April 9, 2003

Read an Excerpt

Beware human contact when you're feeling lonely and vulnerable and you've already shared more secrets than you knew you had. Beware the warmth of skin against skin when it's been so long you can't even remember being touched by a man. But most of all, beware the man who knows how to keep a secret. The second Maddy Bainbridge meets Aidan O'Malley she discovers there is nothing more dangerous than a big gorgeous man who is straight, single, loves his kid, and doesn't kiss and tell. A woman just might do anything with a man like that . . .

Summary

While Maddy Bainbridge didn't want to go back home to the Jersey shore, her mother's invitation came at a time when Maddy had few choices. But her effort to give her own little girl her heart's desire may just give Maddy a chance of finding her own...