The Somerset Girls

This is a story of two sisters, and narrator Samantha Desz gives each a distinct voice matching her individual personality. Autumn and Ember Somerset own an animal rescue farm and run a design business together. Ember's saucy tone matches her free spirit but also brings out her hidden vulnerability. Autumn's sweet, quiet voice reflects her shyness. Tash, Autumn's childhood crush, returns to town and hires Autumn to design a bedroom and playhouse for his young daughter. As romance blossoms between the two, Autumn gains self-confidence, and her voice strengthens. Ember also finds love, with a worker on the farm named Mike, delighting listeners as each one of the sisters finds her own happiness. S.B. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

March 23, 2020
Foster (Driven to Distraction) sparks new romance in the lives of two very different yet equally appealing sisters in this pleasant standalone contemporary. Autumn and Ember Somerset have inherited their grandparents’ animal sanctuary in Sunset, Ky., balancing their newfound responsibilities on the farm with their careers as an interior designer and a builder, respectively. When responsible Autumn’s high school crush, Tash Ducker, now a single father, returns to town, Ember plays matchmaker, setting up an appointment for Autumn to meet with him to discuss designs for a bedroom for Tash’s seven-year-old daughter, Sadie. Autumn instantly bonds with the precocious young girl, who delights in tales of the rescue animals on the Somerset farm. As Tash and Autumn grow closer, their romance is enhanced by the warm welcome of the rest of the Somerset family, who embrace Tash and Sadie wholeheartedly. Meanwhile, free-spirited Ember may have met a match of her own in the farm’s handyman, Mike Brewer. Foster convincingly brings her characters to life against the idyllic backdrop of Kentucky farmland. This down-to-earth romance will especially appeal to animal lovers. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Agency.

April 15, 2020
Autumn Somerset's unrequited high school crush, Tash Ducker, is back in their Kentucky town, all grown up, hotter than ever, and with a seven-year-old daughter in tow. Responsible Autumn and her free-spirit sister, Ember, have a rescue animal sanctuary farm, but Autumn also works as a designer. Tash hires her to design a room for his daughter, and as she gets to know them, Autumn falls hard for both dad and daughter. Meanwhile, Ember has the beginnings of her own romance with the man who works on the farm. Foster (Sisters of Summer's End, 2019) once again blends small-town charm, loving family relationships, relatable hardships, and delectable romance. Conflicts are minimal as the focus is more on the characters overcoming past hurt and heartbreak. They are all healing and learning to appreciate the importance of having one another's support. While Foster's plot is thin, her big-hearted characters carry the day and the humor throughout keeps this women's fiction confection light and fun. Sweet as ice cream on a hot summer day.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)