FIESTY FAMILY VALUES – B.D. Tharp
Five Star
ISBN: 978-1-59414-849-1
February 2010
Women’s Contemporary Fiction

Wichita, Kansas – Present Day

At sixty, Regina Morgan-Smith has a well ordered life. She lives in her childhood home, which she inherited from her grandmother. Even the doilies on the furniture are the same as when she was a child. She is a painter and is well known for her work. Most people are afraid of Regina, but Tillie Dawson knows better. Ten years ago, Regina was at the hospital and bumped into Tillie when she was being treated for cancer. Regina took Tillie under her wing and brought her home. Since that time, the roommates have lived a quiet life.

Everything changes when Regina answers her door to see frumpy cousin Annabelle Hubbard at the threshold covered in bruises. Regina learns Annabelle’s daughter, Lydia, threw her out. With no money or a place to go to, Annabelle has come to her only relative for shelter. That Tillie is delighted to have Annabelle at the house only adds to Regina’s frustration as she agrees to let her whiney cousin stay. Regina’s orderly life hits the skids when Annabelle rescues a three legged kitten, Tillie’s breast cancer returns, and Regina’s deceased mother begins lecturing her about trashy relatives. No wonder Regina begins smoking.

FIESTY FAMILY VALUES takes a look at three middle-aged women who know they are entering their senior years and will not go quietly. When a handsome neighbor moves into the area, the ladies take notice. Joe meets the ladies and has eyes for Tillie, but will he stand by her side as the cancer returns? Adding to the chaos, Annabelle’s three grandchildren, Peggy, Ted, and Megan are dumped at Regina’s door and twelve-year-old Ted has a broken arm. Can Annabelle stand up to her abusive daughter and get custody of the children, and will they all live with Regina?

FIESTY FAMILY VALUES will have readers laughing as B. D. Tharp’s tale plays out. The characters could be your neighbors. Regina and Cousin Annabelle have a rocky relationship, but they still stick together as family. The story covers critical topics that haunt us all: breast cancer, alcohol, child and elder abuse, and romance. I wonder if Regina’s mother is turning over in her grave. Enjoy, ladies.

Deborah C Jackson