AS HE APPROACHES HIS TWENTY-NINTH BIRTHDAY, JAKE CANTRELL FEELS HIS LIFE IS COMPLETELY STALLED. SADDENED AND DISAPPOINTED BY THE FAILURE OF HIS MARRIAGE TO AMY, WANTING TO PUT MORE DISTANCE BETWEEN THEM, AND NEEDING TO CONCENTRATE ON HIS NEW BUSINESS, JAKE MOVES TO ANOTHER TOWN: KENT, CONNECTICUT.
A BRILLIANT AND IMAGINATIVE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER, JAKE BECOMES INVOLVED WITH AN AMATEUR THEATRICAL GROUP IN HIS SPARE TIME. AT THE FIRST MEETING OF THIS GROUP, JAKE ENCOUNTERS MAGGIE SORRELL, AN ATTRACTIVE, CHARMING WOMAN OF FORTY-FOUR. MAGGIE, AN INTERIOR DESIGNER, WILL BE WORKING WITH JAKE ON THE SETS OF THE PLAY. MAGGIE HERSELF HAS RECENTLY MOVED FROM CHICAGO TO KENT, AFTER HER LAWYER HUSBAND LEFT HER FOR A YOUNGER WOMAN. SHE HOPES TO START LIFE ANEW IN KENT.
IN THE PROCESS OF RENOVATING AN OLD FARMHOUSE FOR A CLIENT, MAGGIE HIRES JAKE AS THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. WORKING TOGETHER ON A DAILY BASIS, WATCHING THE OLD FARMHOUSE BEING TRANSFORMED INTO A WARM, ENDURING HOME, THEY FALL IN LOVE. AHEAD LIE OBSTACLES--THE FIFTEEN YEAR DIFFERENCE IN THEIR AGES, AMY'S SUDDEN ILLNESS, HER RELUCTANCE TO DIVORCE JAKE, AND MAGGIE'S OWN INNER TURMOIL.
As he approaches his twenty-ninth birthday, Jake Cantrell feels his life is completely stalled. Saddened and disappointed by the failure of his marriage to Amy, his childhood sweetheart, wanting to put more distance between them, and needing to concentrate on his new business, Jake moves to another town: Kent, Connecticut.
A brilliant and imaginative electrical engineer, with an extraordinary talent for creating special lighting effects, Jake becomes involved with an amateur theatrical group in his spare time. At the first meeting of this group, Jake meets Maggie Sorrell, an attractive, charming woman soon to be forty-four. Maggie, an interior designer, will be working with Jake on the sets of their forthcoming play. Little does he know on the night of their introduction that he has just come face to face with his destiny and is about to set out on the journey of his life.
In the process of renovating an old farmhouse for a client, Maggie hires Jake as the electrical contractor. Working together on a daily basis, watching the old farmhouse being transformed into a warm, enduring home, they fall in love. Ahead lie obstacles - the fifteen year difference in their ages, Amy's sudden illness, her reluctance to divorce Jake, and Maggie's own inner turmoil. But together they ultimately overcome the odds and find happiness in another town. A touching and moving story.
Excellent story line as always from Barbara Taylor Bradford; quick read in comparison to most of her novels. Truly enjoyed.
Yuck. Worse than a bad Lifetime movie, but with less substance. The worst excuse for a book that I've read in years.
Talented electrical engineer Jake Cantrell meets Maggie Sorrell, an attractive interior designer, while working on sets for an amateur theatrical group. Both have moved to Connecticut to start life anew after failed marriages. In spite of obstacles, including their age difference--Maggie is 44 and Jake will turn 29--they fall hard for each other. Narrator Lisa Banes captures the romance, drama and moody spells in whispery and warm tones. Using light and subtle changes in pitch, she effectively differentiates the characters and genders, making the plot easy to follow. Bradford's poignant and inspiring story of faith and love is well matched by Banes's clear and natural articulation.
