Barefoot Season, by Susan Mallery
This is an unusual story about a woman (yes, a woman) who returns home to Blackberry Island off the coast of Washington State from 10 years of army service in both Iraq and Afghanistan. She brings home with her not only her PTSD but her previous baggage from a broken family and a broken best friendship. She returns to an inn which she owns and has to readjust to managing and which her recently deceased mother has run down financially. The story is an inspiring one of how she rebuilds her own personal life with the help of those around her, as she rebuilds the inn’s stability.
While the story is a bit predictable, it still has some surprises and it is written with humor and warmth. It has many layers and the characters are lovable even while often brutally honest. I sometimes felt that nobody really speaks quite as bluntly as these characters often do, but probably there are those who do. (It was refreshing, actually, and sometimes I’d love to speak like that!)
A little bonus comes at the end, where the author shares recipes from the inn!
kindread spirits 