cover image THE LAW OF BOUND HEARTS

THE LAW OF BOUND HEARTS

Anne D. LeClaire, . . Ballantine, $23.95 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-345-46045-5

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THE LAW OF BOUND HEARTS Anne LeClaire . Ballantine , $23.95 (320p) ISBN 0-345-46045-6

Sisters Sam and Libby, although two years apart, were once as close as twins. Now, at 38 and 40, they haven't spoken in six years, and each has learned that "the future you'd planned for could be altered beyond imagination." At the start of this domestic drama by LeClaire (Entering Normal ; Leaving Eden ), Sam has become a successful pastry chef and proprietor of her own business. She's also tentatively involved in a new romance after a divorce left her brokenhearted. Libby, once a rebellious teen idolized by her younger sister, has been living a comfortable suburban life with her husband, Richard, a music professor with a trust fund. Then her world turns upside down when she is diagnosed with a rare kidney disease. Desperate for an organ donor, Libby breaks the silence with her sister. Will Sam, who's been called "stubborn as a mule in mud," forgive Libby for the role she played in Sam's divorce and respond to her sister's plea? LeClaire has a smooth touch, and Sam is winningly sweet, but uninspired dialogue and a paint-by-the-numbers plot make this tale of sisterly love and reconciliation slow going. Agent, Deborah Schneider. (Aug.)

Forecast: LeClaire's track record and the no-surprises story makes this an easy choice for book clubs—targeted with author phone chats and outreach to Web sites—but even fans may be lukewarm.