The Return of Benjamin Quincy

by Susan Lute

[Cocktails and Books]

Sydney Marshall was on her way to finally realizing her dream, when her boss and good friend has a stroke. Suddenly she finds herself being guilted into helping the new co-owner of the town newspaper and face to face with the boy she loved but pushed away.

Benjamin Quincy returns to his hometown in hopes of creating a happy, stable home for his ten year old daughter. She hasn't had much of a home life while living with her mother and he hopes to change that. The only thing that doesn't fit into his plans is learning his high school sweetheart is still in town. Even worse is the feelings she rekindles in him and the attachment his daughter forms.

I really enjoyed this story. Coming from a small town, I could totally sympathize with Sydney's need to move to a big city and hope that whatever fantastic was going to happen to your life happened there. She was a woman who, for years, put everyone else's needs in front of her own and was looking forward to thinking about just herself. Of course, Ben coming back home threw her for a loop, but she stood strong with her conviction and was absolutely positive that leaving for New York City was going to bring her everything she ever wanted in life, even if the one thing she really wanted to was Ben.

I adored Ben. I loved how he wanted to try and make the type of home he had for his daughter. He wanted her to know she was the most important woman in his life. Any parent could appreciate the effort he made to give her what he felt was the ideal home life. But I could also appreciate his apprehensiveness at working with Sydney and then ultimately his goal to somehow work out a relationship with her. He knew what Sydney wanted and was determined to find a way to make a relationship work with her, even if it was long distance.

Susan Lute created a wonderful cast of characters and a charming town to help tell the story of finding your true happiness. I think each of us can find a little piece of Sydney in ourselves.