Birthright

After reading "A Christmas Legacy" (which I bought solely because Kathryn Shay was the author), I was so intrigued by all the characters therein that I've now bought the other four books in the series and will be reading (and reviewing) them in order. Since I grew up in a small town and moved away from it 20 years ago, and now live near Indianapolis, I'm also reading these books for the authors' treatment of both our state and hometown folks. So far, they're doing great! Both Lily Bennett and Aaron Mazerik left Riverbend after high school graduation fifteen or so years ago--she to go to college and marry a wealthy Bostonian; he to just get out of the town where he was "someone's b-------d" and seemingly doomed to self-destruct. He landed in Indianapolis after college, and found his niche helping kids who are just like he was as a teenager. Now they've come home, only this time, he's gotten his act together and she is completely shattered following the death of her husband (though not for the reasons you might think). Suddenly, his old dream of having someone classy and "in" like her and her old dream of having a passionate partner like him resurface. In addition to the great love scenes (as we used to call them), it's wonderful to meet the teacher that helped turn Aaron around eventually and for Aaron to tell him, "here's what you did that made the difference for me." (Every teacher should hear that at least once from a student) Also, in the final chapter or two, the mystery of Aaron's father's identity is revealed after years of guessing on Aaron's part and stalling on his mom's part. Aaron's mother, by the way, is a piece of work. I'm still trying to figure out what makes that woman do the things she does:)Aaron's journey here was more fascinating to me than Lily's, for some reason, but I think it's because he's also featured very prominently in "Christmas Legacy", so I "know" him better from having read that book first. Or maybe, like Lily, I just have a soft spot for the underdog. You probably will, too, once you've read this series:)

Abraham Steele, beloved Riverbend patriarch, brings Aaron Mazerik and Lily Bennett Holden together. It is at Steele's funeral that the high school basketball coach and counselor, a reformed bad boy, decides to approach the wealthy widow for money for his summer program for underprivileged town children.Lily Bennett, the byproduct of an affluent and happy upbringing (ie. a River Rat), had married into wealth fifteen years ago because she had fallen in love with a Boston attorney. After a disastrous ten-year marriage, she returns to Riverbend to heal and yes, to hide in her newly purchased house and to paint her still lifes. Her actions cause people to believe that she grieves for her husband and she does nothing to correct them for fear of disappointing the town's opinion of her. The truth is, she is far from being the perfect girl they always thought she was. Both Aaron and Lily have their past reputations to deal with and Arnold illustrates this well through their developing friendship. Lily finds it hard to believe, at first, that bad boy Aaron has become a respectable teacher. Aaron comes to realize that Lily's seeming self-assurance is actually shyness. And there is a major conflict concerning Aaron and his mother denying him his birthright. For thirty-three years, Aaron has struggled with the truth surrounding his paternity and he fully believes that it hinders any chance of a relationship with Lily in the most fundamental way. Arnold is off to a great start with Riverbend and it is to be hoped that the other five authors, whose stories comprise this mini-series, can pick up her thread and continue. Riverbend is a small town but Arnold illustrates it beautifully through her narration. Through her fluid prose, she has shown that she is an artist, like her heroine, but words are her medium of choice.

Fifteen years ago in Indiana, the River Rats graduated from Riverbend high school. Considered the town's postal wall pin up, Aaron Mazerik left town, vowing to never return, but he is back because his mother Evie, a waitress at the Sunnyside Café, needs him. Aaron coaches basketball and counsels students at his alma mater.Another rat, formerly Lily Bennett now Holden married a millionaire Boston attorney who died in a car accident. Lily returned home because living in Massachusetts was no longer the same for her.Needing funds to finance a sports program for teens from poor families, Aaron turns to the last person he wants to beg for money, Lily. Not only was she a pain, he remembers her father the doctor dropping off cash to his mother. Still, when they meet, Lily and Aaron surprisingly remain attracted to one another. Soon that blossoms into love, but both have demons from the past plus several townsfolk who do not believe the once bad boy is now good enough for the daughter of their doctor.BIRTHRIGHT, the first novel in the six-book Riverbend series, is a warm contemporary romance that provides a vivid picture of a Midwest town. The story line is fun to read as the audience obtains a glimpse of adults who were once best friends in high school. The lead couple is a charming duo struggling with reputations and other ghosts. The support cast makes Riverbend seem like a genuine Indiana town. Judith Arnold has set a high benchmark of quality that places much pressure on subsequent authors (see THAT SUMMER THING by Pamela Bauer in August) to match or surpass over the next five months.Harriet Klausner