Garden Spells
This is one of those Southern novels where every family has a magical talent (or some not-so-magical talent). You've probably read them before. But this is a sweet one.
The Waverleys of Bascom, N.C. are known for their garden. The plants in it have various qualities that come out when you eat them in food. And then there's their apple tree (I'm amused to see a sentient tree somewhere outside of the Liaden books)- let's just say that you eat an apple from it at your own risk...
Claire Waverley is a caterer who insists on burying herself at home, being a fixed object, and can't deal with anyone leaving. (Having a mom who was on the run for the first six years of your life, then later abandoned you and died, will do that to you.) She's also got the talent for managing the garden....and gets her world rocked when her long-lost sister Sydney comes back into town and her neighbor starts professing interest in her.
Sydney and her daughter Bay are on the run from her abusive babydaddy. She used a fake name when she was with him, and planned her escape carefully to a town he didn't know existed. She feels that she has to bring Bay there...and ends up finding her own place.
And then there's their relative Evanelle, gifted/cursed with the random need to give people certain strange items that they will end up needing later on. (This amused me greatly since I have a friend with this issue.) She has a friend move in with her after his boyfriend dumps him. Fred hopes that Evanelle will give him something to patch up his relationship...but what she ends up giving him is different than that.
In a way, some things are predictable about this and some are not. And some are downright sweet and quiet. If you like this sort of novel (and I do), it's pretty awesome. Four stars and I'll keep an eye out for the next book of hers.
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