Miss Julia Renews Her Vows

February 8, 2010
Southern flower Miss Julia re-materializes in her droll 11th adventure, and this time out, the busybody is as busy as ever: she wraps up some business from Miss Julia Delivers the Goods
by making sure thrice married rogue Mr. Pickens settles down with Hazel Marie, who is pregnant with their twins. She also contends with the return of rival doyenne Francie Pitts and puts on her detective hat to clear the name of her friend and hired help, Etta Mae Wiggins, who’s accused of burglary and assaulting Francie. Meanwhile, Sam, Julia’s long-suffering husband, has the audacity to suggest marriage counseling. Worse, the shrink is a man from her past—Dr. Fred Fowler, a “Christian psychologist with thirty years of experience in rekindling the flame of Christ-like love in limping marriages.” Can feigning the flu save her from a confrontation and, gasp, rekindle their passion? And does Francie have designs on Sam? Ross answers these questions in trademark tart fashion. Series fans will have a ball, but those unfamiliar should definitely start with an earlier volume.

March 1, 2010
Its hard to say which is the bigger newsthat Hazel Marie Puckett has finally wed Mr. Pickens, the father of her twins, or that the oft-married Francie Pitts is back in town and living at the new Mountain Villas retirement complex. Abbotsville, North Carolinas irrepressible Miss Julia springs into action when Francie accuses Etta Mae Wiggins of hitting her over the head and stealing a bangle bracelet. Also back in town is Christian psychologist Fred Fowler. He was the perpetrator of an embarassing incident in the church parlor when Miss Julia was newly widowed, and now she will do anything, including pretending to be ill, to avoid having to attend Dr. Fowlers marriage-enrichment classes with her second husband, Sam. (And why is Sam so interested in the classes, anyway?) The good news is that most of the familiar characters and elements from the Miss Julia series are here. This entry is less buoyant than some others in the series, however, and the plot never builds up much steam. Expect demand from fans nonetheless.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)