FIRESIDE

Author: Susan Wiggs ISBN: 9780778326175 2/2009 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: MIRA

Baseball hopeful Bo Crutcher is about to get his shot at the majors. That is, until life throws him a curveball. When AJ, the son he's never met, lands on his doorstep, Bo's life becomes a whole new ball game. He needs help—fast. Enter Kimberly van Dorn. Hired to smooth Bo's rough exterior for the media, she expects the kind of shallow pro athlete she's used to handling. But Bo is willing to sacrifice everything for his vulnerable son. Kim can train him to hit a home run with the press, but over a breathtaking winter on frozen Willow Lake, she realizes he has far more to teach her about the game of life…and putting love first.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

FIRESIDE, the newest installment in The Lakeside Chronicles series, is absolutely delightful. Susan Wiggs writes with humor and compassion, bringing comedic relief to true-life situations without diminishing the heart of what matters to her characters—and, ultimately, to her readers. This book reads like a song, so full of life and love it is impossible not to fall head-over-heels with Kim, Bo and the rest of the gang in a small town in upstate New York.

Kim, clad in a designer gown and to-die-for shoes, and carrying not much more than a tube of lipstick in her sparkling evening bag, flees her California life—and the man she’s learned is definitely not her Mr. Right. Fortunately, she still has her heart, as well as her self-respect. What’s left of it, anyway. The filmy gown doesn’t prepare her for the harsh weather in Avalon any more than her mother prepares her for the garishly-painted boardinghouse that awaits her just beyond the airport terminal. Beyond the house’s brightly colored walls awaits a whole realm of discovery, and reckoning, for a woman who honestly needs to take stock of her life and adjust her course.

Bo Crutcher knows about long shots. He is older than most ballplayers starting out in the Major Leagues but it looks like he is finally going to get the chance at the big time that he’s always dreamed of getting. He plans to spend all winter readying himself for his big break but, just when things seem to be coming together for him, Bo gets hit upside the head with the biggest life-altering situation he’s ever faced. A son he’s never met is thrust upon him, and together Bo and AJ have to coexist while Bo tries to figure out how best to deal with this new reality. AJ wonders why he can’t just go wherever his mother’s gone, and Bo wonders how to deal with being a father when he knows absolutely nothing about parenting.

Given their circumstances, it seems crazy to put this pair together but it works. Both need balance, and order, and finding that alone is a daunting task. One of the best parts of this story is the fact that each of the characters evolves. Of course this is a romantic journey for Bo and Kim, but there’s a lot more going on than just boy-meets-girl. Every one of these characters needs to find something, or someone, and watching that happen is sheer pleasure. I fell in love with this series by reading this one book, and I fully intend to pick up the other books in The Lakeside Chronicles as soon as possible. I’ve got a real curiosity about the place and the people that just won’t be quieted until I read all of these books!

A fabulous read!

Kay James