cover image Branching Out

Branching Out

Kerstin March. Kensington, $15 trade paper (352p) ISBN 978-1-617-73526-4

March’s contemporary standalone is a sentimental and, at times, heart-wrenching story that touches on guilt, grief, forgiveness, and motherhood. After a difficult, fatherless childhood with a self-centered mother, Shelby Meyers has found true love with Ryan Chambers, scion of a wealthy, high-profile Chicago family. From the outset, their marriage is everything Shelby has hoped for, even though she is hounded by paparazzi and intrusive admirers because of Ryan’s notoriety. When Shelby’s world is rocked by a devastating tragedy, she pulls away from Ryan as she tries to deal with her loss. She retreats to her home in Bayfield, Wis., a warm-hearted community in a pristine area of Lake Superior, where she was mostly raised by her grandparents, and where Shelby feels grounded and safe. She discovers much more about her mother and the circumstances of her birth, and she learns that Ryan has been keeping a guilty secret. March (Family Trees) keeps things moving along, but the reconnection with Ryan feels rushed, and the ending is predictable. (Dec.)