Dear Fellow Reader,

Okay, I will confess one of my many mistakes to you. A few years ago, I was in a book store and got confused and bought a book by Mariah Steward. I thought (obviously not really thinking) that I was buying a book by Mary Stewart. OOOPS! But I read the book and liked it. It was part of her Chesapeake Diaries Series.

These books are fine stories. It might be that as you read on through the Chesapeake Diaries Series that they seem a bit formulaic, but I am looking to be entertained and that doesn’t matter for a couple of books. At the same time, I didn’t feel the need to read all of them. But the ones I read were good “popcorn” or “beach reads”.

I was given a copy of The Sugarhouse Blues to give an unbiased review. I was happy to read it. I had not read a book by Ms Stewart in a long time.

The Sugarhouse Blues is the story of Desdemona Hudson and her sister (Allie) and half-sister (Cara). The sisters are brought together by their father’s will. According to “Fritz” Hudson’s will, in order to inherit their father’s estate, the three sisters had to live together in the family home in Hidden Falls, PA, until they finish the restoration of the family’s abandoned theater. Not only did they have to live in the house but they had to share it with Fritz’s sister Barney. The stipulation about restoring the theater was a surprise but not the only one. Des and Allie had no idea about Cara until their father died.

As with many families, the relationship between the sisters is strained and had been for years. Will the woman be able to get beyond their pasts and be able to work together? And will there be love interests for them?

I just figured out that this book is the second book in the Hudson Sisters Series. You would never know it was the second book in a series. In fact, I had to read the description of the first book to see how it could have started before this book. So, kudos to Ms Stewart for that. The title of the first book is Last Chance Matinee.

If you are looking for a good beach read, this works. It has some intrigue and it is a good story.

Thanks for reading!