Dandelion Wishes by Melinda Curtis
Author Melinda Curtis is a prolific writer of sweet romance, women’s fiction and romance comedies. DANDELION WISHES was written in 2013 and was adapted into a television movie in 2020 as Love in Harmony Valley. Melinda’s winning way of inviting the reader into the ambience of the romance is clearly evident as she offers some background in the Prologue: ‘With little Emma Willoughby, it was always something. She was just one of those kids who explored the world with fascination but without seeing the potholes and inevitably fell into them…But no matter what the disaster, Emma kept on going, propelled forward by a smile and a laugh…Four years older, Will Jackson would have admired Emma if her escapades didn’t include hi skid sister, if those scraped, bruised, bloody, and broken body parts hadn’t also befallen Tracy. That was because Tracy and Emma were inseparable…’ This sensitive manner of setting the stage for the romance to follow is a gift Melinda owns.
The plot is summarized as follows – ‘Emma has waited to reunite with her best friend Tracy since she was in a serious accident. But Will, Tracy’s brother, won’t allow it, blaming her for the accident. When forced to work together, can Will and Emma learn to respect each other?’ That is a mere outline of the development of a fine romance, but in reading this novel, important aspects of allowing forgiveness and time to heal scars in the development of trust that binds people securely raises this sweet romance to a different level of sophistication. Recommended.
