Fabulous Fiction Firsts #432 - “The ache for home lives in all of us..." ~ Maya Angelou, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes

Fri, 10/25/2013 - 8:23pm by muffy

When The HomeSweetHome network (think HGTV) announces that Janine Brown of Davenport, Iowa, is the big winner of its Free House Sweepstakes, two women think themselves the new owner of a gorgeous, fully loaded dream home in Maine. Janine "Janey" Brown sees it as yet another of her Aunt Midge's harebrained scheme to get her out of her funk while across town, Janine "Nean" Brown sees it as an escape from the latest in her revolving door of crappy jobs and drunk boyfriends.

As both women head for Christmas Cove, Maine, to claim the prize they both rightfully think is theirs, their lives and personalities intersect. They discover that more than just a million-dollar dream home awaits them.

Kelly Harms's The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane an "enchanting and heartfelt debut, is a testament to the many, many ways love finds us, the power of a home-cooked meal, and just what it means to be lucky."

"Set in small-town Maine, this first novel is a story of rebuilding, recovery, and renewal. Harms has created two incredibly likable heroines, allowing the strengths of one woman to bolster the weaknesses of the other."

"A perfect recipe of clever, quirky, poignant and fun make this a delightful debut. "

Here are some readalikes:

Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins. Parker Welles, a single mother whose family has just lost everything, finds love in an unexpected place when she travels to Maine to sell her lone possession, a decrepit house in need of repair.

Eggshell Days by Rebecca Gregson. Escaping a terrible rail crash after missing the ill-fated train, three friends opt to move to a ramshackle Cornwall manor and uncover a dangerous and closely guarded secret that tests their friendships.

The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews. A sassy, sexy, sometimes poignant look at small town Southern life. Reluctantly accepting help to refurbish an inherited Georgia family home after losing her public relations job, Dempsey Jo Killebrew is overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, which is further hampered by a cantankerous squatter.