THE HEIRESS, by Susan May Warren

            The Heiress provides a fascinating glimpse into what has been called the Gilded Age in America. Warren has created two sisters, Esme and Jinx Price, and used them to illustrate the opulent lifestyle of the era's most privileged citizens.

            Esme, the older sister, is forced by her family into an engagement to a man she does not love--or even like. Her sister, Jinx, is consumed with an envy that ultimately drives her into a life of deception.

            The Heiress is a well-researched novel that captures readers and transports them back to the early 1900’s. Filled with secrets and intrigue, as well as romance, The Heiress is the compelling first novel in the epic Daughters of Fortune series.

            Warren used the Biblical story of Jacob and Esau as her inspiration for this story. She’s done a superb job. The Heiress is a book to be read and savored.

THE FENCE MY FATHER BUILT, by Linda S. Clare

The teaser on the back cover of The Fence My Father Built reads, "This is the story of finding your way home--even when home is a trailer in the middle of nowhere."

And what a story this is. Muri Pond's parents divorced when she was a small child, and she has spent her life dreaming about reuniting with her father. When she decides to take the journey to eastern Oregon to find him, she takes her less-than-eager children with her. Her fifteen-year-old daughter would be a handful for two parents, but Muri is newly single and barely able to cope with the girl's rebellion.

When they reach her father's property, her aunt and uncle welcome her with open arms--to a rattle-trap single wide trailer set in the middle of the arid eastern Oregon landscape. Muri quickly learns that a wealthy neighbor will do almost anything to buy Muri's father's land. The question is, why would he want it?

Solving this mystery, learning about the father she barely remembers, and coping with her children is made somewhat bearable for Muri when she meets the veterinarian who lives nearby. But he, too, is being pressured by the same wealthy man who is making the Pond family's life difficult.

In The Fence My Father Built, Clare has crafted a story that moves along without a hitch. If you enjoy family drama sparked with suspense, you’ll love this book.

I STILL DREAM ABOUT YOU, by Fannie Flagg

As the still-beautiful former Miss Alabama, Maggie Fortenberry has come to a decision point in her life. Everything that she loved about her hometown of Birmingham is gradually being replaced by strip malls, big box retailers, and cookie-cutter mini-mansions. I Still Dream About You is a life-affirming story about growing older and maturing--not always the same thing. There's also a mystery involved, which resolves in a way that surprised me.

Peopled with characters you'll wish lived in your hometown (well, except for one of them), I Still Dream About You is a delightful story written with Flagg's trademark humor and insight. For example, here's a terrific quote from page 97: "They say envy is a coal that comes hot and hissing straight from hell." What a great word picture.

I Still Dream About You was recommended to me by a friend, and in turn I recommend it to you. Maggie is a heroine who is easy to relate to and love. I hated to see the story end. It's definitely a book I’ll read again just to savor the details.