Sandra Steffen Life Happens

Life Happens

Sandra Steffen

Harlequin Next, Sep 2005, $5.50, 296 pp.

ISBN: 037388060X

Mya Donahue is engaged to the male centerfold, a kind hearted hunk Dr. Jeffrey Anderson, when her teenage daughter Ellie Fletcher arrives out of the blue. Mya gave up her newborn for adoption, knowing neither she nor the biological father Dean Laker, were old enough to raise a child. Ellie tells Mya that her adopted mom passed away and that she and her stepmother do not get along at all. More shocking to Ellie is to learn she is a grandmother, as Ellie has a ten month old child Kaylie.

Always regretting giving up her child though, she knew it was the right thing for her, Dean, and the baby, Mya vows to be involved in the lives of Ellie and Kaylie if her hurt daughter allows her. She turns to her pals Suzette and Claire for advice, and finally asks Dean for help instead of her fianc , who dropped her like she had the plague.

Though the ending of this complex family drama is too smooth, fans will enjoy this deep character study that focuses on the relationships between four generations of women (and Dean). The family drama unfolds from the onset, with a bitter desperate Ellie visiting Mya for the first time, but unable to stay or explain her motives while her biological mother tries not to cry. The title philosophy comes across throughout the novel as the key females begin to understand Bueller's philosophy, that LIFE HAPPENS for those who try to enjoy what they have. Fans will look forward to the next tale from a fine author.