A standout voice in womens fiction. I was captivated from the very first line. -- Kristy Woodson Harvey New York Times Bestselling Author of The Summer of Songbirds Food critic Tempesta Luddington has always felt like the odd person out in her family ever since she lost her beloved mother at the tender age of thirteen. When her workaholic father passes fifteen years later Tempesta is not surprised that the majority of the considerable family money will pass to her dutiful younger brother Wal. Still she is left a modest remembrance from her mother and for the first time Tempesta has a world of choices before her. Lost in grief and hoping to reconnect with her memories and her mothers past she uses the money to buy a ramshackle manor house in Sainte-Colombe a small village in Provence where her mother had grown up. But she is greeted with more questions than answers. Her welcome especially by the towns stodgy mayor is cold at best and she finds herself wondering if the entire experiment was a mistake. Yet she stays stubbornly sticking it out slowly learning that her mothers legacy was more than just a nest egg. Through her mother and the village Tempesta learns the value of community and friendship the importance of self-confidence and the power of love and trust. Whats more she sees for herself that there is magic and beauty in the everyday--even something as simple as a sprig of lavender and sage. For readers who love Under the Tuscan Sun and Chocolat this is your next heartfelt delightful read. --Jennifer Moorman Bestselling author of The Bakers Man
