$22.95
Paperback, 6″ x 9″
283 pages
ISBN 978-1-63381-418-9
by Dena Polko
Angie Donatello, a wife and busy mom of two small children, is about to realize her dream of opening an Italian bakery in her quaint coastal village in Maine when her widowed father receives a life-altering diagnosis. She is determined to care for her dad and keep her opening on schedule, but even with the help of her supportive husband and two older sisters—a social-working nun and a corporate ladder climber—there just doesn’t seem to be enough time, wine, or cannoli to manage the competing demands and the emotional tsunamis threatening to pull her under.
Equipment delays, a kitchen fire, and an over-the-top class mom all further complicate Angie’s life, but she still seems to be holding things together…until she hosts her loud and lovable extended family for Christmas. During the traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, somewhere between the calamari and the sfogliatella, her father’s very new and much younger girlfriend makes a startling announcement. Now, Angie not only needs to help her dad cope with his declining health but also needs to find a way to protect his heart—and his pockets—without losing her own shot at a lifelong dream.
* * *
Sweet-cozy-Hallmark meets impending Italian-Catholic-family disaster in this delightful story…Have a bottle of Prosecco handy as you enjoy the ride. Loved it!
—KATHY ELISCU, author of Not Even Dark Chocolate Can Fix This Mess and Brain Tumor: A Love Story
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dena Polko retired from her work as a speech-language pathologist when the pandemic hit to help take care of her grandchildren. When not rocking, feeding, chasing, or playing under blanket tents with her three grands, she writes, reads, and loves exploring Maine with her husband, Tom. Dena and Tom live on the coast of Maine and also enjoy time at “camp” (the Mainers’ term for a cottage on a lake) in the western Maine mountains.