This book is fun – well-written, witty, poignant. It is intelligent, and while there is certainly tension aplenty to keep the plot moving, said tension is innocent and healthy and normal in a world where the news is anything but. For all these reasons, I thoroughly enjoyed EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER, hence my five-star rating.

The premise? Evvie Drake is a young widow living alone with a world of guilt and lack of direction. Dean Tenney is a major league pitcher who has lost his stuff and needs a place where he can hole up and rethink his life. At the recommendation of a friend, Evvie rents him the back apartment of her house, and while they agree that neither will talk about the past, of course they do. But the talk is clever.

Though some reviewers have called this book a romantic comedy, I didn’t think it was a comedy. Romantic? Absolutely.

Make no mistake about it – EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER is a romance. This is a word not often used today when a publisher wants to market to a younger demographic. That generation thinks a “romance” is for her mother or grandmother. Indeed, EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER is wrapped in a smart, young, non-romancy cover with a title to match.

But it is a romance as I define it – meaning (roughly) 75% love story, 25% other stuff. I say this knowing that it will draw many of you to it, just as I was drawn.

Want a perfect beach read? Try this one.