EVENING STARS

Two sisters are taking stock of their lives amid emotional insecurity when an unexpected treasure gives them the chance to have everything they want—if only they can figure out what that is.  

Nearly 30, Nina has spent her life on Blackberry Island, making sacrifices so her sister Averil could escape their small town even while her own dreams drifted out of reach. Her mother owns an antiques store full of junk and has never been a person anyone could depend on; Nina's been cleaning up after her since she was a kid. Now Averil is back, leaving a journalism career and a husband who loves her, and Nina is frustrated by her sister's ambivalence about a life Nina considers perfect. Meanwhile, Nina juggles her career as a nurse with trying to keep the antiques shop viable; her mother keeps spending money without putting in the work to keep it running. Finding a new, trustworthy employee for the store seems to create a new dynamic, as some of the junk turns out to be worth a second look—and so do the people in Nina's life. Two men from her past come back, and suddenly she has to decide what she truly wants, since all her old dreams are rising like ghosts and teasing her with possibilities. But before she can fix her own life, she might have to stop trying to manage everyone else’s. Best-selling romance author Mallery delves into light women’s fiction with this third Blackberry Island novel, maintaining her romantic charm and smooth voice yet embracing the freedom of a broader storyline with ease and a bit more depth.

A light, engaging family-coming-of-age story that flows gracefully into a handful of happy endings, though with a few more twists, turns and universal conflicts than a strict romance.