Nina gave up her life and her dreams of leaving Blackberry Island to give her younger sister Averil the chance to chase her own dream of being a journalist married to the wonderful Kevin.
Ten years have passed and Nina is still on the island wondering what happened to her life. She’s the responsible one, still watching out for Bonnie, her irrepressible mother, and wondering why she gave up medical school to get Averil off the island if Averil has just returned home with a stray dog but no husband.
Then, her ex who broke her heart returns to the island. But so does a younger man, now a hot-shot Naval pilot, who had a crush on Nina when he was 12 and she was 16. Life gets even more complicated when Nina’s mother purchases an odd lot from a storage company for her local antique store. One item has the potential to change Nina and her family’s lives.
Evening Stars is the third of the Blackberry Island trilogy by Susan Mallery. The characters from book two Three Sisters, Deanna, Boston, and Andi, have supporting roles in Evening Stars, but this is Nina, Averil, and Bonnie’s book.
I liked Nina’s character growth of feeling like she was the only responsible one in her family change into seeing that because she always stepped up, she allowed her mother to go on being irresponsible. And her fear is what kept her on the island, not her responsibilities.
The story is a finely crafted tale of regret and fear and the mixed curse and blessing that is family. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it!
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Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Evening Stars in return for a fair review.
Writer of Sweet Small Town Stories of Love and Family 