Beach Lane

June 1, 2011
Mack and Susie have been steadfastly proclaiming, not dating, just friends, for several years, but their families and friends think it's about time they kicked the relationship up to the next level. Mack is about to do just that with an engagement ring when he suddenly loses his job, withdraws from everyone in a funk, and convinces Susie that theirs is a one-sided friendship. They get over that hurdle, with both agreeing to better communication, when Susie is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and she, in turn, shuts out Mack, along with everyone else. That leaves him feeling emotionally abandoned precisely when he's most challenged by his new venture as a newspaper owner. Woods' most recent contemporary romance offers sensitive exploration of two hot-button social issues and their inescapable effects on relationships as it closes the Chesapeake Shores series that includes Driftwood Cottage (2011) and Moonlight Cove (2011).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)