By 
Wow! Mara Williams, the Author of “The Other Side of Starting Over” has written a memorable, thought-provoking, captivating, and intriguing novel. The Genres for this well written novel are: Mother’s and Children Fiction, Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Small Town Romance, Books, Family Grief, Family Drama, and Fiction. Mara Williams vividly describes the scenery, landscape, plot/s, and the colorful and dramatic characters. The Characters can be described as complex, complicated, confused, conflicted, flawed, and each has his/her set of problems. I appreciate the descriptions and depths of each character that the Mara Williams, has created and described. There are twists and turns, secrets and betrayals, and having to learn to cope and start over.
After a tragic accident takes the life of her husband, Beatrice Bell, and her twin children return to her hometown in California’s Sierra Mountains. Left with very little money, Beatrice was forced to sell her home, and go live with her parents and help work in their Antique Store. The children are reluctant to start new schools, and make new friends. When Beatrice goes to the Antique Store she meets Simon, the irritable and irritating Store Manager. Both Beatrice and Simon are are hostile and jealous of each other. They also are attracted to one another.
Beatrice starts to have visions of a young man that looks like her deceased husband. Her Mother-In-Law is a mean-spirited, manipulative and troubled woman, who was kept away from the family. Now she seems to appear, and threatens to break Beatrice’s world with devastating secrets. It seems the boy, River, who looks like her husband, claims to be his son, and her children’s brother. Beatrice has to decide what to do. I highly recommend this intense and powerful book for others. I appreciate that the author discusses the importance of family, friends, honesty, community, personal growth, love and hope.
