Book Review: One Season of Sunshine by Julia London

From the Publisher's Website:

Adopted as an infant, Jane Aaron longs to know the identity of her birth mother and why she gave her up.  Her only clue is the name of a small town where she was born.  In ONE SEASON OF SUNSHINE  Jane heads to Cedar Springs, Texas for answers.

When she arrives, handsome ad executive Asher Price—who lost his wife, Susanna, in a terrible car crash eighteen months ago—hires her to work as the nanny for his two children.  As sparks begin to fly between Jane and Asher, Jane wonders whether Susanna was the perfect wife and mother the family portrays her to have been.

When Jane gets closer to discovering the truth about both her and Susanna’s pasts, devastating secrets emerge.  Will the truth bring Jane and Asher closer together or tear them apart forever?

About the Author:

JULIA LONDON is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of numerous historical romance and women's fiction novels. She is a four-time finalist for the prestigious Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for excellence in romantic fiction. A native Texan, Julia lives in Austin. You can write to her at P.O. Box 228, Georgetown, TX 78627, or email her at julia@julialondon.com.

My Opinion:

 I cannot know what it is like to not know where I came from or who my family is. I, unlike the heroine of this novel, was not adopted. But having read many heartrending true stories I know that many adopted people feel a sense of something missing, something incomplete. That is the driving force behind this novel.  Jane Aaron has a very loving family and she has always known she was adopted. She has never felt pushed aside within her family for her natural born siblings but as she has gotten older she starts to feel a strong sense of "who am I" that will just not go away. It will not let her settle down; into her career or into her relationship with her long time love, Jonathan.

So she heads off with the one and only clue she has to her beginnings, where she was born. She is going to spend the summer searching out her birth mother in the hopes it will answer her questions and allow her to feel more at peace with herself.

She takes a job as nanny to two children who lost their mother in a horrifying car crash. Their father is working long hours away from home to keep his business afloat.  She comes to love the children and of course, her employer,

But is she ready to settle down with this family any more than she was ready to settle down at home. Her questions are not answered yet. She still feels unsettled. She searches for answers and comes to a conclusion that sends her running back home.  Will she be able to find the answers that will give her peace. Will she have the family she wants?

You'll have to read the book. Heh.

And you will find it to be a very satisfying read. While I couldn't understand what drove Jane the book was very well written. The characters well very developed - including the smaller, ancillary characters inserted just to drive plot. The developing relationship between Jane and her boss was not rushed, nor was the relationship between Jane and the kids in her charge. This was a book where I wanted to know more, but in a good way. I wanted to go on living within their lives because it was just plain fun.

One Season of Sunshine is available at Amazon.com

Disclosure:  I received a gratis copy of One Season of Sunshine from Pocket Books. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by the receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.