June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Cassie flees her life in New York for a crumbling mansion in St.
Jude, Ohio. Her beloved aunt June, who raised her after
her parent’s death when she was eight, left her the house. Cassie is directionless and ignoring the
phone and the mail while the house falls apart around her, that is about the
only plan she has. After months of
inactivity and almost total avoidance of the outside world there is an
insistent visitor on her doorstep; a man who is there to tell her that she has
been left the entire fortune of Hollywood legend Jack Montgomery.
Sixty years ago in St. Jude Hollywood came to town to film Erie Canal starring Jack Montgomery and
Diane de Soto. Lindie, a tomboy, gets a
job as a runner for the film, and tries to use her position to bring Jack and
her best friend June together. Lindie
thinks that June’s fiancé isn’t good enough for her, but a movie star would
suit nicely.
Both storylines take a turn in this book and even Twin Oaks, the
crumbling mansion, has a say in the action.
There are plenty of subplots and, as in all good romances,
misunderstandings, as well as villains and the curse of bad timing play a role. The jumps between time periods makes the
story flow and there are a few shocking reveals at the end.
Those who are not fans of time periods switching back and forth
won’t have trouble keeping track of when they are in this book. The time periods are sixty years apart and so
different it’s impossible to confuse the two.
A good beach read with some substance, this is more than a romance;
it has elements of historical fiction and mystery as well. Fans of all these genres will find this an
enjoyable read.
