Once Upon A Winter’s Heart-Melody Carlson

Once Upon A Winter’s Heart Melody Carlson Center Street, Jan 7 2014, $11.00 ISBN: 9781455528110 Following the death of her octogenarian grandfather, Emma Burcelli announces romance died with her beloved Poppi. Her grandparents recently had celebrated their Blue Sapphire anniversary while her mom fears Nona will soon join her beloved soul mate in heaven. With no ties in Seattle except for her roommate Lucy, Emma quits her boring dead-end job at Brightpond marketing that she believes should be called Dullpond to return home to care for her Nona who was more a mom to her and her sisters than their career-oriented mother. Emma helps out at the family-owned bookstore where she meets Lane Forester. They share wonderful tales about Poppi; leading to Emma beginning to believe in love again until her sister Anne and their mom insist she forget him as Lane belongs to her sibling. Readers will be singing Dean Martin’s That's Amore as Melody Carlson provides an engaging contemporary romance. Although the path to true love runs through family misunderstandings causing tsuris for the protagonists and the climax is as sweetly as expected by Valentine’s Day, fans will agree with the melody that “Everybody Loves Somebody” (Dean Martin). Harriet Klausner