The House Guests

Emilie Richards returns to the warmer, more nurturing Women's Fiction that she is known for, after a foray into the darker side in 2019's [b:A Family of Strangers 41845111 A Family of Strangers Emilie Richards https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556161589l/41845111.SY75.jpg 65267104]. Although there is a bit of suspense and a dangerous encounter at the book's climax, the focus is on the multilayered relationships among the three main female characters.Amber is a young mother of teenaged son Will who has found herself homeless after she loses the purse that contained the money she needed to pay her back rent. Cassie is a recent widow who has moved from New York City back to her Florida hometown, along with her rebellious teenage stepdaughter, to find a fresh start after her husband's tragic death, and the subsequent discovery of devastating financial losses. And Savannah is the 15 year old teenage girl who blames Cassie for the loss of her father, her home, and her friends Through Savannah's careless behavior, Amber and Will end up moving in with Cassie and Savannah. This is the catalyst for Cassie's determination to uncover the secrets behind her husband's financial ruin and death, and for Amber consider curtailing her vagabond life of running and hiding from her past. When Savannah encourages Will to find out information about his birth father, she sets in motion a series of events that could put their lives in danger. The House Guests is long, rich and engaging. Cassie and Amber are scrappy and resourceful, and to their delight they find that their unconventional living arrangement leads to a much needed friendship. Both women find potential love interests, but the focus is definitely on how their relationship gives them the courage and support to solve their own problems. Savannah is troubled, selfish and angry, but by the end of the book she has realized that Cassie, despite the “step” in her name, has been a true mother to her in every sense of the word. Richards sets the book in Tarpon Springs, Florida, a real city that has the highest percentage of Greek-Americans in the country, and the cultural touches she adds (including a mouth-watering Greek restaurant owned by Cassie's grandmother) are interesting without dragging the book down in too much detail. The secondary characters, especially Cassie's aunt and grandmother, provide another layer of interesting relationship dynamics. I've been reading Emilie Richards' work for more than 25 years (yes, that makes me an Old), and she is still writing heartfelt, relevant novels. The House Guests is the perfect summer read.