"An angst filled family drama"

Against her own wishes and better judgement, Maddy Bainbridge lets her mother, Rose, talk her into coming back home to New Jersey with her four year old daughter Hannah. Hannah's father has left them for another woman, and Hannah has become a withdrawn, grieving child. Rose thinks it will do Hannah good to be with friends and family. Plus there is the fact that Maddy is having financial difficulties, and Rose has offered her a job at her bed and breakfast. When Maddy makes the move, she is not surprised to discover that nothing has changed between her and Rose, they still do not understand each other, and can barely be together for a few minutes without bickering. One day while looking at a local online auction site, Maddy finds an old teapot for sale that she thinks will spark Hannah's imagination as a magic lamp.

Aidan O'Malley and his teenage daughter Kelly have suffered through many hard times. Aidan's parents were killed when he was young, his wife died when Kelly was little, and Aidan is scarred both inside and out from the fire that took the life of his brother. Aidan and his brother's widow are trying to hang on to the family's tavern, but Aidan can see that they are losing ground every year. He tries to keep a positive outlook on life, but sometimes that is hard to do. Aidan's 101 year old grandmother Irene is in a nursing home. She took Aidan and his brother in when they were orphaned, but she never gave them the love they craved. Now Kelly, who is also struggling to gain Irene's love, wants Aidan to bid online on an old teapot that is a dead ringer for one his grandfather gave Irene.

Aidan and Maddy battle back and forth on the Internet to win the teapot. Maddy eventually wins, but Aidan won't give up. They soon meet and despite the tug of war over the tea pot, they feel an instant attraction for each other. But there are many difficulties in nurturing a new romance in a small town where everyone knows your business even before you do and feels free to offer opinions and advice.

SHORE LIGHTS is a romance that leans heavily towards women's fiction. Even though I found Maddy and Aidan to be interesting characters, and admired Aidan's fortitude, I found this book difficult to read. The characters' coldness to one another and negativity about each other and life in general were depressing to me. I could not understand why Maddy would subject her heartbroken daughter to living in a house with two women who disliked each other; Rose was overly critical and showed more care and nurturing toward her paying guests than she did to her own daughter. The story is populated with characters who are dealing with abandonment and rejection of all kinds, and secrets have been kept for what I felt was entirely too long. The conclusion of the story was touching, however, and did bring a tear to my eye. Fans of angst and family drama will probably enjoy SHORE LIGHTS. Be sure not to miss the author's notes at the end of the book. Ms. Bretton's personal anecdotes about her own parents were a pleasure to read.

Reviewed by Janice Bennett
Posted May 20, 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...