Miriam and Esther by Sherry Barker

Miriam was perfectly happy working in Dallas. She had no way of knowing that a life changing event would see her moving to the tiny town of Cool Lake, Texas. She needed time to think, time to re-group and time to come to her senses. Here she is years later still in Cool Lake.

Life isn’t easy for Miriam. Although she has met some nice people and amazing characters and makes some good friends, she still has to heal.

The owner of the Starship Inn, Maddy, took Miriam under her wing. She made sure Miriam was fed and helped her regain her physical strength. The mental healing is still on-going though.

Laverne, an East Texas woman, wants Miriam. Even after years of being told no, Laverne still persists in her pursuit of Miriam. Hoping one day Miriam will just give way. This of course doesn’t stop her from bedding other women along the way.

When Miriam first sees Esther, a waitress at the Some Like It Hot coffee shop, she’s immediately smitten. Unfortunately, Miriam is a gibberish nervous wreck around her. Even a conversation with Esther is painful. Will Miriam overcome her shyness? All is not lost. Maddy steps in. But will Maddy’s matchmaking work?

Eventually Miriam and Esther do become friends, but will either woman have the courage to take the next step?

This is Sherry Barker’s debut novel. It’s a mix of romance and comedy, but has a serious streak running through it.

Miriam has issues going way back. Issues that don’t become apparent very early in the book. Which of course leaves the reader wondering just what has happened in her life to make her the person she is. There is reference to an accident. Which to my way of reading it, didn’t seem to be an actual accident as such. I was a touch confused by this.

Laverne seems to be taking a bigger part than Esther, although Esther is billed as a main character. Laverne is a loud, brash womanizer. Definitely not a character I took to or liked.

Esther isn’t too sure of herself or what she wants at first. There isn’t a lot of background on her and I felt I didn’t get to know her.

There are a few stories with different characters thrown in throughout the book. Stories that I couldn’t actually see the relevance of having in the book. They didn’t seem to do much to progress the actual story of Miriam and Esther. But from the humor factor, were somewhat amusing.

I have to say, that I didn’t particularly enjoy the story or connect with the characters at all. But that is not say the book wasn’t well written. It was. Just unfortunate that the story didn’t grab me.