The Sugarhouse Blues by Mariah Stewart

The three Hudson sisters are well into the restoration of their family’s old theater, the Sugarhouse, a condition of their father’s will in order for them to receive the inheritance. A freak storm has damaged the ceiling, which is an art form in itself, creating new challenges, financial and creative. Des Hudson, the sister charged with managing the project funding, must look for ways to cost effectively resolve the dilemma and, in her pursuit, finds more than she thought she was seeking, including personal insights and revelations.

Des has the loudest narrative but she’s not the only voice in the story. Cara is well on her way to possibly making Hidden Falls her new home as her relationship with the contractor, Joe Damanski, deepens. Allie continues to struggle with her alcohol dependency and developing relationship with Des, which fractured when they were teens. But it’s Des who blossoms as she faces her past head on, embraces her new family and reconsiders having Seth MacLeod stay in the friend zone. That man turned out to be more than what met the eye.

This isn’t a story with lots of action and drama, just a slow moving journey through a small-town community with all the upsides at center stage. The sisters are finding their way to creating a family experience they’ve never had and the transformations aren’t rushed. There’s an authenticity surrounding the characters and the story and it’s not one you speed through. I loved putting the book down after a particularly insightful passage, just to ponder the message, and resuming later when I wanted a slice of this life again. I really liked the story and I’ve come to really like the sisters, even the complex and sometimes insensitive Allie. I’m looking forward to her voice in the next story, which was perfectly set up here.

Book Info

• Release Date: May 15, 2018
• Series: The Hudson Sisters #2
• Page Numbers: 401

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(I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review)