As the oldest of five girls, I grew up knowing a thing or two about sisters. During my childhood, my sisters and I would play outside all day long, creating wonderful imaginary adventures and spent the nights putting on plays with our stuffed animals. Sisters are an instant friend and worse enemy. You squabble about clothes and friends. You laugh and cry. I love that author, Catherine Peace's Solstice Quartet features three sisters. The first book, EMBER'S SECRET is about one sister. She's been holding life together for her father and longs to see her missing sisters. Romance was never a part of the plan. Blurb: Ember Ngata only wants two things out of life: to be reunited with her sisters, and to see people return to her café. Catering to people she never sees again, she experiences a loneliness that can’t be filled. As one of the last Whakamanu—a descendant of the Maori bird-god Tane—she holds on to the secrets of her decimated tribe. Family first. TV personality and host of the popular show Back Road Eats, Austin Garten needs more in his life than Breadbasket America grilling. He’s tired of the safe routes and the easy and dependable foods his network loves to display. When his RV breaks down in Wyoming, and he learns about Kai, a Maori restaurant outside of Casper, his interest is piqued. Once Austin meets the proprietor, he wants more than just her food. He wants her. The Solstice, the Maori New Year, is fast approaching, and with the heat in her kitchen ratcheting up, Ember realizes she can’t keep her secret for much longer. But will Austin be able to accept her? Or will her secret drive them apart? EXCERPT: Armed with her trusty coffee carafe, she made the rounds to take her mind off Amy’s silence--Three months? Anything could’ve happened in three months. The day Amy took off was still fresh in her mind, as was the argument. Papa had never been so angry, and Amy…. They both said things Ember hoped they regretted, but her sister’s parting words were a slap in the face. “Someone needs to let Dia know she hasn’t been forgotten. I’m gonna find her, and when I do, I’m gonna tell her that her beloved Papa wouldn’t get off his arse to search.” The trucker in the corner complimented the cheeseburger. The two best friends, heading cross-country on an epic road trip before “starting real life,” had shared a salad and gobbled up every bit of it. After taking their payment, she brought them each a piece of kumara pie for the road. With bright and questioning eyes, they looked up at her. “On the house. You guys might get hungry later.” They showed their gratitude with an extra tip, then disappeared through the door, arm-in-arm. A few minutes later, the trucker followed suit. “Thank you, ma’am,” he said, tipping his cap slightly. She smiled, but the sad truth remained: she’d never see these people again. Like she feared she’d never see her sisters again. Now Available in Ebook and Print |
Melissa KeirGator Girl Extraordinaire Archives
October 2023
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