REUNION

Author: Therese Fowler ISBN: 9780345499707 3/2009 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: BALLANTINE

Celebrity talk show host Blue Reynolds is the queen of daytime television—she is smart, funny, and as down-to-earth as her adoring fans. In the eyes of the world, she has it all. But no one knows about the secret she has harbored for the last twenty years—a secret that could destroy her image, her reputation, and her career. Twenty years ago, she gave birth to a son and put him up for adoption through illegal channels. And every day since, she’s been filled with regret. Now Blue has hired a private investigator to find her son, knowing full well the consequences. A week in Key West to do her show on location brings Blue a much-needed change of pace—and an unexpected reunion with an old flame, Mitch Forrester. Helping him launch a television series may help her recapture the kind of genuine romance and affection long missing from her life. But it also means having to deal with Mitch’s disapproving son, Julian, who is only nine years younger than Blue. Emotionally battered from his years as a war photographer in the world’s most dangerous hotspots, Julian struggles to get close to his father while making his disdain for Blue crystal clear—which makes his desire for her all the more shocking.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Therese Fowler’s REUNION is well-written, engaging and filled with characters who seem so real their voices echo in the reader’s mind. From the first line of this book, I was completely drawn in.

Blue Reynolds is the wealthy, self-assured, public persona that Harmony Blue Kucharski, a scared teenager with less luck than courage, molds herself into. Blue is everything Harmony is not, and for a long while it seems fine that Blue has buried Harmony and the secrets of her past. But when she heads to Key West to do a piece, then take some well-deserved rest and relaxation, her past becomes her present, and drastically impacts her future. Blue finds herself face-to-face with Mitch, a man from her past who still has a hold on her heart. The untangling of the ties that have symbolically tied Blue in knots all the years she and Mitch have been apart is complex, as are the relationships—both old and new—she is forced to deal with.

This is a multi-layered story that brings home the point that no matter how far one goes from their roots, or the past, those things are always with them. I felt fully involved in every step of this heroine’s journey and wanted nothing more than for her to find true happiness. And in turn, to find herself and her place in the world. Poignant and tender, REUNION is a true heart-warmer!

Kay James