After binge reading Betty Neels’ sweet and simple English romances, I was glad to get into The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins. Yes, there is a hint of romance, but the love is for family, for place, for friends.
Dove Pond, a small town in North Carolina, is home to the Dove family, the Phelps family, the Parker family. We begin when Grace moves to Dove Pond with her foster mom, Mama G, and her orphaned niece Daisy. Grace has out-worked everyone to reach financial security in Charlotte, and comes home to take care of her mom and niece when she realizes Mama G has dementia and Daisy’s mom dies of an overdose.
Grace always does her duty and does it very, very well, lets nothing or anyone stop her from reaching the aim she has set for herself. Sadly, there is no happy ending possible for Mama G. Grace grieves for her mom.
Sarah Dove loves her town and knows it is dying as businesses and families move out, tax base shrinks and people become apathetic and fatalistic. Books talk to Sarah and an old journal written by her ancestor over 200 years earlier warns Sarah the town will die unless she or someone with her saves it. Sarah sees cats’ behavior and flowers changing color as predicting that Grace is in fact to be the town savior.
Grace wants nothing to do with Sarah at first; Grace is the new town clerk and wants to do her work, do it well for a year, then go back to Charlotte. Presumably Mama G will be better or dead by then.
The Book Charmer is the story of friendship. How will Sarah convince Grace to help? How will Grace shrug off her wariness and remove the barriers she constructed to avoid friends and close relationships? How will Grace work with the myriad other Dove Pond characters to save the town?
Karen Hawkins charms us with the lively characters. Aside from Sarah and Grace, Mama G, Daisey, the cat Killer/Theo and hot neighbor Trav, Karen Hawkins introduces caregiver Linda, banker Zoe, realtor Kat, tea-maker Ava, pet store owner Ed, the other members of Dove Pond Social Club who turn the town’s Apple Festival into a giant success, a business outreach/family fun time/recruitment drive.
I enjoyed The Book Charmer and its cast of people with their quirks and problems and will look for other novels set in Dove Pond. Please note this novel is unlike many of Karen Hawkins romances and has no explicit sex.
4 Stars
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