27 February 2010

The Seven Secrets of Happiness


By Sharon Owens
Published by the Penguin Group
First published 2010

Sometimes you just need to read a good old-fashioned romance novel. Thank you, Sharon Owens, for writing some of the best.

Although there's plenty of love in this book - looking for it, finding it, losing it - there's also plenty of heartbreak. Having a spouse die young should be a devastating experience, and Owens deals with the topic in a thoughtful, quiet manner, deftly guiding her readers through the pain of the experience while still infusing humour and touching moments throughout the book. And, of course, what's a romance novel without romance?

The book primarily centres around Ruby O'Neill, a lovely character trying to forge ahead with her life with the help of her best friend. Ruby's parents have their own little side story happening which is entertaining in itself and helps the reader to better understand Ruby's character. Enter Tom Lavery, Mark Crawford, and a host of bit players, and you have a thoroughly enjoyable novel.

Don't you love it when you're rooting for the characters to make a go of it in the romance department? Owens has once again hit the mark.

2 comments:

Perfectly Imperfect said...

Don't you just love Sharon's writing? I've read all of her books now and they just take you away.

I also see you are in St. John's. We just moved back to St. John's from Holland! I discovered Sharon's books from spending time in book shops in Ireland, as my husband is from there.

That bookdepository website I mentioned on Sharon's blog is amazing. They have everything that amazon has, sometimes even cheaper and with the delivery included...it is amazing.

Happy Reading,
Jo

Nancy Barnes said...

Hi, Jo - Welcome to my blog! It certainly is a small world, isn't it? I do enjoy Sharon's writing. I like to check in on her blog, as well - it's nice to see what she does in real life!