The Color of Love is the fifth novel in Sharon Sala's Blessings, Georgia series, and going back to Blessings is always a treat, just like a visit with dear, old friends. In this installment, hair salon owner Ruby Dye is featured, and having grown up in my parents' hair salons, it was a lot like going home. It also reminded me of the film Steel Magnolias, and Ruby and the cast of characters in this novel are as steel magnolia as it gets, and it gets 5 stars from this reader.
If you're following this wonderful series, you already learned that Ruby had a secret admirer in the last book, and in this one, we finally find out who he is, but before we learn his identity, Ruby gets an unexpected and unwelcome visit from her abusive ex-husband, who beats her, kidnaps her and plans to kill her. Thankfully, she escapes, her ex is caught and arrested, and Ruby gets to spend time recuperating from her ordeal at the house of Blessings' only lawyer, Peanut Butterman (no, I'm not kidding, and yes, Sharon Sala has quite a sense of humor), which is when Peanut announces that he's her secret admirer, and Ruby echoes her feelings for him, but don't think you're even close to their happily ever after yet.
This novel also has concurrent subplots galore, each one a gem, from Ruby discovering a destitute family and marshaling the townspeople to help them, the death of an elderly man from Blessings and the settling of his estate--his 3 greedy heirs getting their comeuppance, a long-time employee at the hardware store being a victim of nepotism and being let go after working there for 19 years, an old lady missing from her nursing home and the search for her, and that's just for starters.
There's also the brother of Ruby's ex-husband, who's been called upon to finish the job her incarcerated ex-husband started by killing Ruby, and Peanut coming to her rescue and stopping her from being shot by taking the bullet meant for her instead, and then losing his memory as a result--and that's not even the end of things for Ruby and Peanut either. There are lots of ups and downs in this novel, but through it all, the people of Blessings are there for each other, and to call this novel and this fictional town heartwarming is the understatement of the year.
Through all the trials and tribulations of these wonderfully drawn characters is the most amazing feeling of community in Blessings, Georgia--a place where everyone knows everyone else, everyone is willing to pitch in and help, and where even the gossip mill is kind. It's the kind of place that warms the heart, and if, by the end of this charming novel you don't wish you could move there yourself, I think you need to re-examine your value system. If you're not already addicted to this series, I'd suggest starting at the beginning, but no matter which of these five novels your start with, I think you'll fall in love with Blessings, Georgia too.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of t his novel. The opinions expressed are my own.