audiobook version. very repetitive: how many times are we going to get a repeat synopsis of Faith's hard luck life? Did not finish. Picked this up because I read books w/certain tree names in the title or as characters. ( )

Fan favorite Susan Wiggs returns with her beloved Lakeshore Chronicles series with her newest release, Starlight on Willow Lake. This heartwarming novel has a light romantic element but the deeper issues and personal growth of the main characters provide an extra layer of depth to the overall story.

Just as Mason Bellamy and his siblings are spreading their father's ashes in New Zealand, they get news that their mother, a quadriplegic, has been injured in an accident at her home in Avalon. Even worse, they quickly discover their mom, Alice, has driven yet another caregiver to quit without notice. With neither his brother Adam nor his sister Ivy able to stay with her until a new home health aid is hired, Mason has no choice but to move in temporarily and help interview prospective employees. Although the two were once extremely close, Mason has kept both an emotional and physical distance from her for the past twenty years and he is not looking forward to extended visit with her.

In the years since her husband's death, Faith McCallum has struggled financially and things have reached a crisis level for her and her two daughters Ruby and Cara when she is hired to work for Alice. Although they are unused to such elegant surroundings, the three settle in at the Bellamy estate and quickly breathe new life into the household. Faith is taken off guard by her reaction to Mason, but she has absolutely no plans or desire to act on her unwanted attraction for her employer's son.

Faith is no pushover and she easily holds her own when Alice's bitterness about her situation spills over into her treatment. She quickly recognizes there is more to Alice's accident that a simple fall and she immediately takes her suspicions to Mason. Despite his reluctance to return to Avalon, his concern for his mother means a complete reorganization of his life until his brother returns from firefighter training. Mason is astonished by how much he begins to enjoy the slower pace of life in the small town and he begins to re-evaluate his future.

Alice shows a surprising interest in Faith's daughters and although she is a bit gruff, the three share an uncomplicated friendship. Eight year old Ruby's observations are insightful and she easily cuts through the nonsense to the heart of whatever subject they are discussing. Seventeen year old Cara has been forced to grow up too soon and she is rather cynical and jaded about her future. Alice challenges both girls to face their fears and in doing so, she becomes less prickly and more accepting of her new circumstances in life.

Faith and Mason bond over their shared concern for Alice. For the first time, Mason is able to discuss the precipitating event that caused him to pull away from his parents twenty years earlier. Their day to day lives overlap and an easygoing friendship slowly grows between them. When their feelings for one another run a little deeper than expected, Mason rethinks what he wants for his future while Faith must decide whether or not to risk her heart again.

Starlight on Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs is a beautiful journey of self-discovery and healing for Mason, Faith and Alice. The entire cast of characters are multi-faceted and immensely appealing. The storyline is realistic and blissfully free of unnecessary drama or conflict. The romance between Faith and Mason is low-key and simmers in background as they each come to terms with their respective issues. A fast-paced and emotionally compelling novel that old and new fans of the Lakeshore Chronicles are going to absolutely LOVE.
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Sweet and Satisfying

Another wonderful love story set in the upstate New York lakeside community Wiggs has painted so convincingly in her other Lakeshore novels. Always something interesting too, in this case a paraplegic character with a dachshund as trained therapy dog, and a little girl with diabetes. Wiggs fits all the pieces together with a talent for evoking emotion, and with characters so real you expect to run into them at the grocery store. ( )

What a discovery.....a Susan Wiggs I haven't read. Heartwarming stories of individuals and families facing adversary. In this one, 34 yr old widow Faith McCallum, a health aid, is almost destitute and she has two daughters to support. Caring for quadriplegic Alice Bellamy saves the day and of course there is a love interest. Great idealized small town Americana, and very enjoyable. ( )

Starlight at Willow lake by Susan Wiggs
Saga of the Bellany family. I think I've read all of them and appreciate how the author brings you up to date without telling you everything-taking up 80% of the book.
This one starts out with the 3 children and they are spreading their dad's ashes when they get a call about their mother having fallen down the stairs. It's now up to Mason, the oldest to step up and take care of their mother, Alice.
The family is at their wits end as to who to hire to tend to the older woman who's wheelchair bound. Faith is a widow with 2 kids and she's late for the interview. Mason sees her in action as she helps a motorcycle accident man who was very lucky she was around at the time.
Story goes back in time to when Mason joined his father in Paris, along with his mistress. Faith thinks the old woman had tried to kill herself...and then Mason learns of the day his father died...Alice helps the youngest girl to learn to swim as they bring Alice into the lake.
Mason and Faith are getting closer together as they discuss Alice's recovery and possible cure...Mason's girlfriend Regina is high class and he needs to talk to her...
Love excursions they take Alice on-so caring!
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device). ( )