In Bonnet, Texas, Liddy Latham, the queen of funeral
dinners, keeps a southern comfort-food tradition alive—until fancy-schmancy
Matilda Monroe moves back to town. She wants room at the table for her own
style of consolation and closure: healthy, modern, and vegan. But this is about
more than fried chicken versus tofu turkey. Matilda’s return is also stirring
up their volatile, unresolved history. And just when they thought it couldn’t
get more personal…
Matilda’s son, Nick, and Liddy’s niece, Amelia, have met
and the sparks are flying. For Matilda and Liddy, their precious kin’s romance
is their worst nightmare. Now, it’s all Nick and Amelia can do to survive a
family feud that has the whole town talking.
The battle for the funeral dinner crown is on. As two
strong-willed women wrestle for control, making peace with the past may be the
only way to serve the star-crossed lovers a happy ending.
Carolyn Brown writes marvelous Southern small-town stories,
and this was no exception. The characters are believable, and the setting is quintessential
small-town. The story opens with the traditional Southern reaction to a death -
bring food. Liddy Latham, a lifetime resident of Bonnet, is the uncontested
queen of funeral dinners. She coordinates the details, supervises the setup,
and ensures that all runs smoothly. Liddy has a big heart and loves helping
others.
Mathilda Monroe, who grew up in Bonnet but left as soon
as she found a rich man to marry, is now divorced and has returned to Bonnet. She
has her own ideas of what should be served at the dinners and is determined to
have her way. Mathilda is one of those people who believes she is always right,
and if something goes wrong, it is someone else's fault. She is opinionated,
snobby, and obnoxious.
Liddy and Mathilda have a history that goes back decades,
and it isn't pretty. Liddy is determined to protect Bonnet and its way of life,
while Mathilda wants to "civilize" it and destroy Liddy in the
process. The encounters between these two women are epic as Mathilda tries to
steamroller over Liddy and anyone else who gets in her way. Case in point: the
Festival. Mathilda swoops into the last meeting with grand ideas on how to
"improve" it while eliminating any of the traditional things that
everyone looks forward to. I loved seeing Liddy and most other committee
members shoot her down with logic. Confrontations continue with Mathilda
growing more frustrated each day.
Accompanying Mathilda to Bonnet was her son Nick. His
Uncle Harry (Mathilda's older brother) is the local real estate agent and has
invited Nick to take over the business as he retires. Nick is good-looking,
charming, and nothing like his mother. He avoids her whenever possible, ignores
her when he can, and stands up to her when he must. Having witnessed his
parents' marriage, Nick intends to remain a bachelor like Harry. Then he spots
a woman across the church fellowship hall.
Amelia is Liddy's niece and a schoolteacher. She's sweet,
kind-hearted, and helps Liddy whenever she can. She recently ended a
relationship that has left her wary of men and distrustful of her judgment.
She's grown up on stories of the feud between her family and Mathilda's.
When Nick and Amelia meet, there is no hiding the sparks
that light up the air around them. Their relatives make it plain that a
relationship is impossible, though Mathilda's attitude is far more vicious. But
Nick and Amelia find ways to meet in secret, which is not easy in a small town.
There are some creative encounters where they are helped by friends, resulting
in strong reactions. I loved seeing them get to know each other and grow closer
with every meeting. Amelia worries a little about it being a case of "
forbidden fruit," but Nick is sure of his feelings. I loved how Harry
stepped in with an invitation to visit him in Florida so they could explore
their feelings away from the pressure of their families.
I loved the ending as Amelia and Nick make their
decision. The question then becomes one of their families' reactions. I loved
seeing Liddy work through her feelings, facing what would happen depending on
what she did. I wasn't surprised by her decision and laughed out loud at her
phone call with Amelia. Neither was I surprised at Mathilda's reaction. The capper
was the conversation between Liddy and Mathilda. The setting was perfect, and
the preacher's actions made it even better.
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