44 Charles Street

In Steele's romance, having broken up with her long-term boyfriend, Francesca Thayer is forced to take in tenants in order to pay her mortgage. Over time, Francesca bonds with her three tenants, and they become a family. But when tragedy strikes, the group must pull together. Sadly this audio edition falls flat. Narrator Arthur Morey%E2%80%94an odd and unfortunate choice for a novel populated predominately by women%E2%80%94fails to create unique voices for the book's female characters, instead lending them each a uniform, high-pitched tone. Additionally, Morey narrates and reads most of the dialogue in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone, regardless of the emotional context of the scene. A Dell paperback. (Apr.)