Celebrated New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs returns readers to the lush orchards and gardens of California’s Bella Vista in her latest novel, The Beekeeper’s Ball. Chef Isabel Johansen is not only planning the menu for her sister’s upcoming wedding, she’s also turning her family’s hacienda into a destination cooking school. She’s juggling so many details she barely has time to breathe. Then biographer Cormac “Mac” O’Neill arrives to interview her grandfather for his next book, and the handsome writer soon has Isabel questioning whether her determination to focus solely on her work is the right choice.  

Mac quickly discovers that everyone at Bella Vista has secrets. While her grandfather may be ready to reveal his, Isabel is not so quick to trust. As he encourages the elderly Marcus to tell the remarkable stories of his days fighting the Nazis in Denmark, Mac finds himself increasingly fascinated by the beautiful Isabel. She is nothing like any other woman he’s ever known; she’s complicated, often prickly and wildly talented. The food she creates in her kitchen is nearly orgasmic.

As their grandfather relates the stories of his youth and comrades in the war resistance, his immigration to America and his marriage, both Isabel and her sister are deeply moved. He has secrets to share that are wholly unexpected, and his revelations change their view of both him and their own parents. The summer days slide by, filled with sunshine and a new sense of anticipation. With Mac’s help and encouragement, Isabel gains a greater insight into her Italian mother, who died in childbirth, leaving her to be raised by her grandparents.

With each day that passes, Isabel feels herself changing; growing stronger and more confident, and she knows that Mac’s presence in her life has brought about a sea change. There’s no question that she’s fallen in love with him. But Mac is a man whose work as a journalist takes him all over the world, while Isabel is a woman who is deeply rooted in the rich soil of Bella Vista’s acres. There seems no pathway that will allow the two to have a future together.

Wiggs delivers a richly layered, sumptuous feast of a novel, colored with mellow California sunshine, fragrant herbs and decadent recipes sweetened with beekeeper’s honey. The joy and pain of past family decisions and how those impact the younger generation, melded with the taut emotion of their own heartache and joy, spill from the pages to pull the reader more deeply into the story. The plot twists and turns, ending with unexpected events that will surprise, intrigue and delight readers.

Lois Dyer writes from her home in Port Orchard, Washington.

There’s a place for everything in this world—New York for theater, Paris for romance, even Roswell for alien sightings. And in Beth Kendrick’s charming new novel, Cure for the Common Breakup, there’s a perfect place for the brokenhearted—fictional Black Dog Bay, Delaware.

Flight attendant Summer Benson needs somewhere to nurse her aching heart, not to mention her battered ego. On the heels of a plane crash that left her physically scarred, it’s her emotional baggage that has apparently cost her one very attractive boyfriend, who dumps instead of proposes to her. When Summer learns about Black Dog Bay, she checks herself out of the hospital and into the Better Off Bed-and-Breakfast, where cell phones are confiscated by the inn’s owner—to prevent desperate late-night calls to the ex—and where bonfires to burn relationship relics are scheduled on a regular basis.

Summer’s life has always been more cautionary tale than fairy tale, despite her good looks and world travels, if only because she’s always cautioned herself not to love too deeply or for too long. Being the one left really stings, and Summer’s determined to spend her summer—and her savings, if necessary—among Black Dog Bay’s newly single population. Kendrick pulls out all the stops for the little shore town—the local bar is called The Whinery, and the Retail Therapy Boutique, the Jilted Café and the Rebound Salon are all close by. Even the roots of this haven for broken hearts run deep—the town’s founder was a wealthy society wife abandoned for a newer model way back in 1878.

But this is romance, of course, and it’s not surprising that Summer doesn’t stay single for long. What sets Cure for the Common Breakup apart is partly Summer’s good-natured snark and the fearless way she stands up to the town’s stiffest personalities, but it’s also Kendrick’s focus on female friendship. For the first time, Summer has pals she can count on—and this time they’re counting on her, too, not just for a good time, but for the sake of Black Dog Bay.

Each of the characters is sharply drawn, especially Hattie Huntington, the town’s oldest, richest and meanest resident, who hires Summer as an unlikely paid companion. Dutch Jansen, the town mayor and the object of Summer’s affection, is another win—rugged and handsome, civic-minded and responsible, but as sexy as they come when it’s time to get close. His teenage sister, Ingrid, is another of the novel’s highlights, and her relationship with Summer is laugh-out-loud funny while it explores the bonds of sisterhood.

What begins as another light, funny tale about a jilted woman deepens into a novel that explores what it really means to love (this may or may not involve running over your boyfriend’s roses), but it never loses its sense of humor along the way. Maybe the most touching aspect is the origin story of the black dog itself, a metaphor that often stands for depression. For Summer Benson and the residents of this delightful shore town, the dog is all part of the cure.

Amy Garvey is a freelance editor and also the author of several romances and two novels for young adults.