UNESCO director Sonnet Romano leads a charmed life: she has just been offered a sought-after fellowship, a handsome man is in love with her, and she is swept up in her biological father's run for Congress. Then she finds out that her mother is pregnant and there are serious complications, so Sonnet leaves New York and heads to Avalon and Willow Lake. Over-the-top reality show characters add interest, while beautifully integrated flashbacks help put everything into perspective. This engaging series is beginning to acquire classic saga-like dimensions. VERDICT An ambitious heroine who finally discovers what is important in life and a hero who's rising to the top but who has always known where his loyalties lay are front and center in this issue-centered, touching reunion tale. Wiggs (Marrying Daisy Bellamy) lives on Bainbridge Island, WA.

Wiggs returns to the lake in her new novel following Fireside. Sonnet Romano is missing one thing from her to-do-before-30 checklist: falling in love. At her stepsister's wedding, Sonnet is unexpectedly overcome by the allure of her long-time best friend, Zach Alger and succumbs to one night of passion with him. But Zach doesn't fit in with Sonnet's life plans so she never called him after that "glorious, sweet, impossible mistake." But when her mother unexpectedly becomes pregnant, and Sonnet learns that there are complications, she rushes from New York City to her mother's side in Willow Lake which puts her in direct line with Zach who has already decided that all he wants is Sonnet. Her mother's condition makes Sonnet re-evaluate her priorities: doing what is expected from her demanding father or doing what her heart wants. Sonnet's continued blindness regarding her father's controlling nature is at times frustrating, yet completely understandable. More problematic is that, while it's a comfortable read, the book lacks the chemistry and passion of Wiggs's previous works. (Aug)

Wiggs returns to the lake in her new novel following Fireside. Sonnet Romano is missing one thing from her to-do-before-30 checklist: falling in love. At her stepsister's wedding, Sonnet is unexpectedly overcome by the allure of her long-time best friend, Zach Alger and succumbs to one night of passion with him. But Zach doesn't fit in with Sonnet's life plans so she never called him after that "glorious, sweet, impossible mistake." But when her mother unexpectedly becomes pregnant, and Sonnet learns that there are complications, she rushes from New York City to her mother's side in Willow Lake which puts her in direct line with Zach who has already decided that all he wants is Sonnet. Her mother's condition makes Sonnet re-evaluate her priorities: doing what is expected from her demanding father or doing what her heart wants. Sonnet's continued blindness regarding her father's controlling nature is at times frustrating, yet completely understandable. More problematic is that, while it's a comfortable read, the book lacks the chemistry and passion of Wiggs's previous works. (Aug)