Review: Evening Stars by Susan Mallery

Title: Evening Stars    

Author: Susan Mallery     

Series: Blackberry Island, #3      

Published: February 2014, Harlequin MIRA  

Format: ARC e-copy, 368 pages   

Source: Netgalley  

New York Times
bestselling author Susan Mallery returns to Blackberry Island with the
poignant tale of two sisters on the verge of claiming their dreams.

Small-town
nurse Nina Wentworth has made a career out of being a caretaker. More
“Mom” than their mother ever was, she sacrificed medical school—and her
first love—so her sister could break free. Which is why she isn’t
exactly thrilled to see Averil back on Blackberry Island, especially
when Nina’s life has suddenly become…complicated.

Nina
unexpectedly finds herself juggling two men—her high school sweetheart
and a younger maverick pilot who also wants to claim her heart. But as
fun as all this romance is, Nina has real life to deal with. Averil
doesn’t seem to want the great guy she’s married to, and doesn’t seem to
be making headway writing her first book; their mom is living life just
as recklessly as she always has; and Nina’s starting to realize that
the control she once had is slipping out of her fingers. Her hopes of
getting off the island seem to be stretching further away…until her
mother makes a discovery that could change everything forever.

But
before Nina and Averil can reach for the stars, they have to decide
what they want. Will Averil stay? Will Nina leave? And what about the
men who claim to love them? Does love heal, or will finding their happy
ending mean giving up all they’ve ever wanted?

My thoughts: This is the final book in Susan Mallery’s Blackberry Island trilogy and I really enjoyed these books. I wasn’t sure what to expect when the the first book came out, but I haven’t found a book by Susan Mallery that I haven’t liked and this series was enjoyable all around.

I liked that while there was romance involved in this book, it wasn’t the main focus. The main theme, I thought, was about family and the dynamics of that family. Poor Nina was forced to grow up way too fast because her mother refused to act like an adult and so someone needed to take the role of decision-maker. And then there was little sister, Averil, who ended up a bit spoiled from a mother who just wanted to play all the time. 

Now that the sisters are grown up, they still find themselves in the same roles and desperately need to break the mold. They each have to figure out what their individual dreams are and how to fulfill them and still have a relationship with each other that is healthy and not based on the past.

I really enjoyed this trilogy and loved that we got a brief glimpse of Mischief Bay, the setting of Susan Mallery’s upcoming new series! I wonder if Averil, who lives there with her husband, will be making appearances in this series?

Books in this series:

1. Barefoot Season
2. Three Sisters
3. Evening Stars