Michael Tanner is an emergency room physician.  Normally he loves his job, but the past few weeks have been difficult for him, and his zeal for his occupation is diminishing. Michael’s unhappiness had peaked the week before when Suelita Gomes arrived in the ER during his shift. Michael had not been able to save the young girl’s life and he had started to question himself as a physician. Detachment allowed a physician to perform, to get the job done without a lot of left over emotion, but Michael was finding it really hard to be detached anymore. He has no wife and family to go home to, and his life seems really lonely and empty, just work, sleep, and back to work.

Lacey Parker and her son Zackary have not spent a holiday at home since the death of her husband 5 years earlier.  Lacey wants to spend the upcoming July 4th holiday weekend in a beach cottage near the Rhode Island shoreline. Zack really misses his dad, and he wants to spend the holiday at home like they did when his dad was living.  Lacey misses Charlie, her husband and Zack’s dad, but she has to remain strong for Zack. After sending Zack off to summer school, Lacey gathers some items  that had belonged to her deceased husband to donate at a nearby Goodwill Store. The friendly Goodwill clerk asked Lacey to stop by the hospital on her way home, locate his favorite nephew Michael Tanner, and tell him “Hello, and to come visit”; a demand from his favorite uncle Louie.  Though busy, Lacey has to stop at the hospital to drop off her typed and printed transcription notes that she and a another lady do to earn an income. Feeling a little unsure about asking to meet a busy physician who is working, Lacey does ask to see him, and to her relief he is on a break in the doctor’s lounge. When the two meet the reaction was immediate as Lacey recognized her soul mate in the handsome physician’s eyes. Michael is shocked to feel such immediate strong  feelings for a stranger, albeit, a beautiful stranger who apparently knows his uncle Louie! The two make plans for Michael to come visit when he finishes his ER shift, and Lacey returns home to wait for Zackary to arrive from school.

Meanwhile, along the Atlantic seaboard a strong storm grows to devastating strength, and now a raging Nor’easter is bearing down on Lacey, Zackary,and Michael.

The scope of this story ranges from a mother struggling to survive alone with her child, to a group of people who all become stranded at Lacey’s home during the worse storm of the century. Will Michael be able to cope with the medical emergencies that are happening without his normal medical equipment? Are the two men who suddenly appear at the door, the escaped prisoners from a local prison? Without power, or phone service, complete strangers must stand and work together if they have any hope of surviving the disasters  occurring all  around them..

I adored this story. I was riveted by the circumstances, and the adventure kept me reading late until the story reached it’s fabulous ending. There is a touch of magic within this story.  Readers will  fall in love with Michael and Lacey as they bond and commit to each other. Michael’s love for Zackary is a beautiful thing to behold. I felt the joy as a new love is discovered, and a small family is formed  during the destruction of a terrible storm. This is a new author for me, and I hope to see further stories written by this uber talented lady. Kudos, Ms. Roy, for this wonderful story of love lost, and found…

Filed Under: Aspen Moutain Press November 2008 Reviews	About the Book: Genre: contemporary ISBN: 978-1-60168-158-4 Page Count: 223 Price: $ 4.00 Reviewer: Susiq2
	Star Rating: 4 Stars