The Winter Lodge (Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan Wiggs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2007

On the longest night of the year, Jenny Majesky loses everything in a devastating house fire. But among the ashes she finds an unusual treasure hidden amid her grandfather's belongings, one that starts her on a search for the truth, and on a path toward a life that she never imagined. The Winter Lodge, a remote cabin owned by her half sister on the shores of Willow Lake, becomes a safe refuge for Jenny, where she and local police chief Rourke McKnight try to sort out the mysteries revealed by the fire.

But when a blizzard traps them together, Jenny, accustomed to the safe predictability of running the family bakery, suddenly doesn't feel so secure. For even as Rourke shelters her from the storm outside, she knows her heart is at risk. Now, following her dreams might mean walking away from her one chance at love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In her latest bustling romance, Wiggs cooks up a rich stew of family plots past and present, spiced with plenty of generations-old Polish recipes, in this second installment of the Lakeshore Chronicles (after Summer at Willow Lake). Returning to Camp Kioga in Avalon, a small New York town where the wealthy Bellamy family has deep roots, Wiggs trains the spotlight on Avalon native Jenny Majesky, a food columnist and bakery owner who learned in the last Lakeshore tale that Phillip Bellamy is her birth father. Alone and grieving following the death of her beloved grandmother—Jenny's mom left her at age four—Jenny's life turns even worse when her house burns to the ground. Stunned, homeless and keeping afloat with a little help from the medicine cabinet, Jenny moves in with Avalon police chief and notorious lady's man Roarke McKnight, a friend she fell out with after a night of drunken, mind-blowing sex a decade before. With the ease of a master, Wiggs introduces complicated, flesh-and-blood characters into her idyllic but identifiable smalltown setting, sets in motion a refreshingly honest romance, resolves old issues and even finds room for a little mystery. The result is as appealing as the heroine's Polish Apple Strudel, the recipe for which is thankfully included. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

When Jenny Majesky's home goes up in flames one winter night, she finally has the chance to follow her dreams. But what, really, does she want? After her mother ran off, her grandmother raised her. Then, just as Jenny was packing up to leave their tiny Catskills town of Avalon, and the family bakery so popular with locals and tourists alike, her grandmother had a stroke. Jenny has taken care of her widowed and disabled grandmother ever since. Now Rourke McKnight, the arrogant and handsome police chief with whom she shares a turbulent history, has complicated matters by taking her under his wing and into his home, and everyone in town seems to have an opinion about what she should do next. Wiggs cleverly structures this emotionally intense contemporary romance and continuation of her Lakeshore Chronicles around food-related anecdotes and recipes, and she adds a search for Jenny's long-absent mother and a troubled pregnant teen to the mix for even more poignancy. Lynne Welch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Mira; 1 edition (February 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778324141
• ISBN-13: 978-0778324140
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #567,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.

When her recent novel, FIRESIDE, hit #1 on the New York Times, the author reportedly reacted to the news by "putting on my lipstick and sweeping the patio." Why? Because she knew that within a matter of minutes, her girlfriends would show up to pop the bubbly and help her celebrate. [Update: FIRESIDE has been chosen of one of Amazon.com's Top Ten Romances of 2009.]

According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. Her books make frequent appearances on Amazon's "best of" lists. Several of her novels have been listed as Indie Next picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific character driven contemporary romance, February 10, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Winter Lodge (Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

In Avalon, New York weekly food columnist Jenny Majesky mourns the loss of her grandma Helen, who died two weeks ago. Gram along with her late spouse Leo raised Jenny with love after her biological mother deserted her as a small child; she never knew who her dad was until recently. In spite of the townsfolk who pay their respect, Jenny feels alone. She suffers from insomnia and depression that leads to anxiety and panic attacks; her only haven is the Sky River Bakery that she inherited with Gram's death.

A fire breaks out in Jenny's residence while she visits the bakery. Chief of Police Rourke "Loverboy" McKnight panics thinking she is inside as all his years of pretending indifference melts away with the inferno. Once he calms down, he realizes she is at the bakery. He goes there, hugs her tightly and takes her to her fiery home. Rourke then takes her to his home to recover and get her house in order. Their failed past relationship leaves both wondering how they will survive their time together and even more so how will they survive their time apart after they separate as they are and have always been in love.

This is a terrific character driven contemporary romance that must be read on a full stomach because the recipes will have the audience baking all sorts of pastries. The relationship between the baker and the cop is fun to follow as each insists they're not in love, but everyone knows otherwise. Whereas Jenny meets her biological father and half-sister that adds apprehension to her issues; that also takes away from the prime plot of an amusing debate between two wonderful protagonists each pondering whether love is enough to forge a permanent relationship.

Harriet Klausner

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Winter Lodge, March 8, 2007

By 

Anne Marie Miller (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Winter Lodge (Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you read "Summer at Willow Lake" you will be sure to love this one as well. I was a little skeptical when I heard about the book, but once I started reading it, I could not put it down. I woke up early to read it and stayed up late. It is a simple book, yet keeps the attention of the reader. I look forward to Susan's next book, which will be a continuation of all the characters thus far from the two books. This is a must read if you like a little romance in a small town atmosphere.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars nice read, March 19, 2007

By 

D. Koeppen (Algonquin, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Winter Lodge (Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Susan Wiggs has a very easy style of reading. But also compelling enough to keep you turning pages. The Winter Lodge is a "sequel" to Summer at Willow Lake but you don't have to read the first to enjoy the second. She has good character development and believable plots. A good book for a Sunday afternoon or a day at the beach.