"Love and Friendship"

Olivia and Daniel have been dating for quite a while and Daniel is ready to take the next step. When he asks Olivia to marry him, she realizes that she is not ready for marriage and is unsure if she really loves him. Daniel is forty-three years old and wants a committed relationship but when she refuses him, he gives her a beautiful ruby ring as a going away gift and leaves with no anger but a lot of sadness.

Olivia is a school teacher and interested in antiques. She loves going to the local flea markets to find elusive treasures. Her parents left her some antiques and her old home in Bishop that has been for rent. She receives a phone call from a neighbor that her house has been vandalized and because she has new renters arriving, she rushes to Bishop to see what she can do. She left the small town years before never intending to return.

Two childhood friends of Olivia come to visit. Claire is married with two adult children. Her husband is always away on business. She loves her husband, Jeff, but is lonely and angry. Lexie works for TV news and has been married twice. The three are very close and along with Daniel, help Olivia fix up the old house. Trent, another old classmate, is on the police force and he also comes to help and is especially friendly with Claire.

Although Dee Holmes writes well, COMING HOME is rather a slow moving story about three best friends, what they want from their lives and where they are going without some of the angst of her former novels. The women have stuck with each other through thick and thin so that COMING HOME is a story about friendship and finding their way back home and discovering love. Daniel is a thoroughly likeable character who is always there for Olivia and Trent is the local bad boy. I enjoyed the fact that the three friends loved each other without being judgmental and always wished the best for each other. COMING HOME is a satisfactory read by Dee Holmes.

Reviewed by Marilyn Heyman
Posted November 15, 2003

Antiques lover Olivia Halsey adores second-hand goods, but is afraid of becoming a first-time bride. So she and her two best friends take a time-out on life to go home to Bishop, Rhode Island, where they'll all learn what to throw away-and what to treasure.

Summary

Olivia Halsey has never met a rummage sale she could pass up. But one-of-a-kind antiques at bargain prices are about the only thing she can stand to commit to. The sexy man she's involved with wants marriage, but Olivia keeps pushing him away. That's why she's going home to Bishop, Rhode Island. To put some distance between them-and to repair some damage that's been done to her childhood home.

Olivia's not the only one looking for a time-out. Her best friends Lexie and Claire, are heading to Bishop too-on the pretext of helping her fix up the house. A sexy television reporter, Lexie is ready for some soul searching. And the perfect Claire is tired of hiding her perfect family's faults. Coming home to Bishop will bring out the best and worst of their friendship, and the best and worst of themselves. If only they can learn to trust the good parts-and help Olivia recognize what to throw away and what to treasure...