The only thing standing between Ethel and her wedding day was the husband that abandoned her.
Ethel was busy with her life. Her catering business was successful and in thirty-days she would be Mrs. Madison Barfield. Only one tiny detail remained before she could say "I do". Her divorce from the man that abandoned her twenty-seven years ago. She didn't know if he was still living. Until she discovered him standing in her dining room - very much alive.
Howard had hoped his return would be met with forgiveness and a second chance. He realized that walking out and leaving his wife to raise two small boys was selfish. News of his wife's pending nupitals had reached him through an unusual souce. He was thankful that time had been on his side in returning home. Now, he just needed his family to accept that he was a changed man.
Madison didn't need any introduction to the man standing in Ethel's dining room. The fear in Ethel's eyes and the way her body trembled confirmed his assumptions that Howard's disappearance had been a blessing. The lawyer in him questioned the impeccable timing of Howard's return.
Professional Reviews
Idgie at the Dew
Tori has a knack for making you feel that you know her characters. They could be friends or neighbors down the road or across the street. Very human and believable people.
The opening chapter makes you wince when you see what Ethel is enduring at the hands of Howard. Unfortunately, when Howard walks back into her life years later - you want to shake her yourself for being such a marshmallow and allowing him to waltz into her home - jeopardizing her current peaceful and loving existence.
Her oldest son, Thomas, remembers quite well his father's actions and aggression. Mathias was an infant and was never told the ugly truth of why Howard is out of their life. This was a mistake as he's easily swayed when the man saunters back into their lives.
Will Ethel be strong enough to chuck him out in the trash where he belongs and get on with her new life... or will he bring it all tumbling down?
While this is part two of a trilogy, it can easily be read as a stand alone book. A nice hearty book that you can sink your teeth into.
