Title: First Snows (formerly The Melodeon)
Author: Jane Shoup
Published in December 2005 by Champagne Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 097362772
Other Books by : (1)Jayna Incarnate (2)Ammey McKeaf Wright & Wrong
Tragedy can strike at any place, at any time, leaving behind lives forever changed. No one knows that better than Andy Ridgemont. After the death of her twin daughters, Sarah and Victoria, she finds it difficult to learn how to live in a world without their laughter and smiles. How do you breathe again when your heart has been torn from your chest? How do you rebuild when the foundation you stood upon has been destroyed?
Alyssa, Andy’s twelve year old daughter, knows something must be done to pull her mother out of her grief. Conspiring with her Aunt Meg, Alyssa manages to drag her mother from her sisters’ bedroom to Pennsylvania, Andy’s childhood home. Maybe a few weeks spent with their loving Aunt Meg will help ease the hurt they are both feeling. Alyssa wants her mom back and Aunt Meg will know what to do to help her.
A wrong turn leads them to an old abandoned farm house that has seen its own share of tragedy and grief. Andy finds herself inexplicably drawn to the place and its history. Her dreams are filled with the memories of a family she never knew mingled with her deceased daughters. As impossible as it is to believe, Andy knows she was meant to be in this house and learn all its secrets. Haunted or not, she sets out to restore the old place. It calls to her and she cannot ignore it. The strangeness of this entire experience just spurs her onward to discovering the truth…about the house, its ghosts, and herself.
Steve Catalano, writer of true ghost stories and world traveler, is very interested in the history of the old Collier house and the people who once lived life there. He doesn’t know why he is so drawn to the place, but he doesn’t ignore the call. He had visited once before when the place was in shambles and abandoned. When he returns to find it bursting with life and restoration, his curiosity leads him to the front door where he meets Andy.
Attraction is instant and familiar. Steve knows that this is where he was meant to be, with this woman, reliving a life that was over much too soon. As they conduct their research and learn of the tragedies that had struck the Collier family, they grow closer, forming a bond that time itself cannot sever.
All I can say is…Wow! First Snows is, in a word, fabulous. Jane Shoup has taken past and present, mixed them together and set the stage for the beginnings of a wonderful future for her characters.
There are authors who touch the heart, but this one grabs hold of your soul. As a mother, I found myself sympathizing with Andy and shedding tears right along with her. As a woman, I found myself wanting to solve the mystery of the house as much as Andy did. Ms. Shoup has truly crafted a masterpiece in First Snows. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I can tell you, I will most definitely be on the look out for more. Add this one to your To Buy list. When you settle in to read it, grab a box of tissues. You’ll definitely be needing them.
Good Reading,
Emma Gayle
Interview Review Buy Jane Shoup's Books at Amazon
