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Port Palmas, California – Present Day Jax loves running the Painted Lady Bookstore, the Victorian mansion-turned bookshop that she inherited years ago. She was divorced two years ago from Harris, and they amicably share custody of their two children with alternating weeks at the house they once shared. It’s done so that the kids don’t have to go back and forth between two homes. Life is good, and Jax doesn’t need a man in her life. Especially when she has Ramon, an African grey parrot, who resides in the bookstore. Jax’s only sister, Ryleigh, also works and lives in town. Ryleigh is hoping that her boyfriend, Dustin, is about to propose, but to her dismay, he doesn’t. Then, when he does pop the question a few weeks later, she turns him down, and he breaks off their relationship. She turns to her good friend, Alex, who is a widower after his wife (and was Ryleigh’s good friend) passed away. She spends a lot of time with Alex and his son, Noah, providing support to them and they to her. A brick wall at the bookstore needs repairs, but there’s a problem, per Marcus, the contractor whom Jax hired. It is the wall that holds numerous secret diaries of many of the town’s residents. It will take planning on how to temporarily take out the diaries and maintain privacy. But an accident happens, leaving all the diaries exposed and the owners unknown. Jax will need to figure out how to solve this crisis. There are a lot of things going on in THE BOOKSTORE DIARIES, which are too numerous to explain in this review. One is Jax’s ex-husband hooking up with a woman, and he’s unhappy that their custody agreement says, “no sex in the house while the children are there.” Jax has to navigate several different crises in this tale. She is the one everyone seems to turn to when they need a problem solved, but she may have to learn that it’s okay to lean on others for help. After Ryleigh’s ex-boyfriend broke up with her, she began to think about moving to San Diego to start a new life. Jax isn’t happy about that idea and vocalizes her opposition. To keep her sister in Port Palmas, Jax tries to get Ryleigh and Marcus to date, but they are adamant to her that they aren’t interested in each other. In fact, Marcus is interested in Jax. However, Jax isn’t interested in dating and keeps resisting, until suddenly something happens that makes her change her mind. THE BOOKSTORE DIARIES can be emotional at times, as well as there being some smile-worthy scenes. The parrot, Ramon, is attached to Jax, just as she is to him. Their back-and-forth bantering is funny and cute, as if he’s human. He has been a part of the bookstore for a long time. Part of Jax’s problem is her aversion to commitment. Even her marriage to Harris was more of a partnership than love, as he was on the road playing minor league baseball. But once he stopped that, their marriage quickly fell apart. Marcus is interested in Jax, but will she allow him to pull her into a romantic relationship? Meanwhile, Ryleigh is shocked when Alex proposes a proposition to her. Will she accept? Like many of Susan Mallery’s books, you will read and ponder if the characters are making the right decisions about their lives. In THE BOOKSTORE DIARIES, Jax thought her life was perfect until the walls (literally) started coming down. Will there be big changes in her life and those around her? Find out by picking up this entertaining tale. Patti Fischer |
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THE BOOKSTORE DIARIES – Susan Mallery