A Second Helping-Beverly Jenkins

A Second Helping
Beverly Jenkins
Avon, Jan 5 2010, $13.99
ISBN: 9780061547812

In Henry Adams, Kansas, the town’s fairy godmother affluent fiftyish Bernadine Brown, who saved the town when she bought it over the Internet (see Bring on the Blessings), is in Barcelona. Bernadine plans on building a school next when she comes home. However while she does Europe, a crisis occurs when the Dog and Cow Diner’s new chef, Florene Maxwell, a culinary college student, introduces French cuisine to the locals who wants good old plain American food as this is Kansas not Oz or Paris.

Meanwhile eleven years old Amari Steele has one goal besides not eating puree vegetables for breakfast. He wants to be adopted by his foster father Mayor Trent July and the rest of the family who have welcomed him with love. He comes up with a plan to show he is worthy when he suggests a revival of a dead tradition, the August First parade.

Bernadine returns to town still attracted to Malachi, but her cheating former spouse has come to Henry Adams begging her for a second chance, make those 275 million dollars chances at love. However, besides tornadoes attacking the town, unwanted former spouses stalking, Bernadine’s beloved Crystal becomes part of an odious abduction plot.

The third Henry Adams tale (see the super historical SOMETHING LIKE LOVE) continues the wonderful saga of a town established by former slaves in the 1880s as an oasis, now trying to survive in modern times. Once again as Beverly Jenkins did with the previous contemporary Blessings tale, the great author provides a fascinating look at African-American history inside a town’s twenty-first century struggle to remain viable. Fans will enjoy A Second Helping as Ms. Jenkins provides another terrific tale.

Harriet Klausner