Book Beat - The Ride of Her Life by Lorna Seilstad

Lorna Seilstad won me over in Making Waves and A Great Catch with her combination of humor, hard-hitting questions, and a charming setting at a turn-of-the-century lakeside resort. The Ride of Her Life completes the Lake Manawa series in the same delightful manner.

While still grieving her late husband, Lilly Hart works at a diner to support her son alone, away from her poisonous former in-laws. But when her son latches on to handsome roller coaster designer Nick Perrin, her world is flung into disorder. Not only do her in-laws increase their schemes to remove little Levi from her custody, but Lilly finds herself hopelessly drawn to Nick. But how can she trust a man who will leave Lake Manawa, Levi - and her - at the end of the season?

Lilly's struggles to trust Nick reveal a deeper struggle to trust the Lord. Her sense of loss and her desperation to grasp control ring true. Nick is a compelling hero with plenty of hurt in his own past. And Levi is just right - a six-year-old whose love for creepy-crawlies makes him real - and provides plenty of humorous moments. I highly recommend this novel.

I'll miss Lake Manawa and this set of characters, but I'm looking forward to Lorna Seilstad's next series!