One year after Joanna Sullivan’s husband, Kyle, a firefighter, has been killed while battling a house fire, Joanna makes a desperate attempt to start over. She moves to a new town, embarks on a new career at the local coastal aquarium, and attempts to refurbish a dilapidated duplex. Then Austin, her husband’s brother, visits unexpectedly He offers to stay and help her with the much needed repairs. Joanna soon discovers, however, that Austin’s presence is proving more disturbing than helpful. His resemblance to Kyle is uncanny, thwarting her resolve to put her husband’s memory to rest. Worse, she is strongly attracted to Austin. Austin, a veterinarian, shares Joanna’s love of nature, and the two find much common ground as they team up to help clean up the beaches and save the native birds and wildlife from the encroachment of civilization. Can Joanna let go of her grief and love Austin in his own right? Or will he always remain the a painful reminder of her husband?
Author
Sydell Voeller grew up in Washington State, but has lived in Oregon for over thirty years. Throughout her twenty-plus writing career, her sixteen published novels for teens and adults have reflected her love for the Pacific Northwest’s ocean beaches, inlets and waterways, evergreen forests, and mountains. She and her husband enjoy camping, reading, amateur astronomy, and spending time with their three grandchildren and one pampered feline. Formerly a registered nurse, Sydell now teaches writing correspondence courses, sponsored by the Long Ridge Writer’s Institute in West Redding, Connecticut, for the past twelve years.
