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Darby Lane and Russell Gunn had been inseparable friends from their early years in the Horseshoe, their wonderful Baton Rouge neighborhood of their youth. But after graduate school, a tragic accident takes Russ's life --- and Darby's world is shattered.
Her long journey to healing brings her closer to Russ's brother Ben, whom she begins to see through new eyes. Suddenly love blooms in the place of grief; and now, with the help of the three wily and colorful aunts who raised her, Darby faces the challenge of reuniting Ben with his estranged father --- if she and her aunts can get through the conniving schemes of Ben's social climber stepmother. Bit by bit, Darby discovers that loss can build new life --- and love can conquer anything.
Her long journey to healing brings her closer to Russ's brother Ben, whom she begins to see through new eyes. Suddenly love blooms in the place of grief; and now, with the help of the three wily and colorful aunts who raised her, Darby faces the challenge of reuniting Ben with his estranged father --- if she and her aunts can get through the conniving schemes of Ben's social climber stepmother. Bit by bit, Darby discovers that loss can build new life --- and love can conquer anything.
358 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
679 people are currently reading
1178 people want to read
About the author
Fern Michaels
424 books6,514 followersFern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
August 2, 2010
I’ve been dealing with a bit of bad luck in reading books that I truly like, so I thought I’d find something I like with my first Fern Michaels book. (This is at least her 11th book as there are ten other books mentioned as written by her in the book.) I know she’s a popular author and I’m expecting something along the lines of Danielle Steel (whose books I like when I was reading them years ago) and Nora Roberts (whose books I’ve been reading quite a bit lately and always enjoy.) I’m not expecting great literature – just a fun, well-written story.
Boy, was I wrong – the book is just full of nonsense.
Darby Lane’s best friend in the whole world, Russell Gunn, has just been killed in a tragic car accident. Darby was in Scotland at the time of the accident and Russell’s evil stepmother had the funeral as fast as she could, so Darby wasn’t able to return home to Baton Rouge to attend the funeral.
Darby was named the executrix of Russell’s estate when they graduated from college ten years earlier and one of the things that she was instructed as part of his final wishes was that he not be an organ donor. She was also named as his sole beneficiary. Darby is furious that this has happened – as are her aunts (who essentially raised her and Russell and his brother, Ben, and sister, Mary.) Ben is upset as well.
Russell had been dating a woman, Claire – we have no idea how she feels about all this and apparently, Russell did nothing to change his will even though he had purchased a diamond ring and was about to propose marriage to Claire. Even better, his dates with Claire were regularly threesomes – Russell, Claire and Darby. That had to be fun for her. Claire is treated well, but despite being the woman Russell was about to marry is just dumped as a character. I would expect this person to play a much more prominent role in avenging the injustice of his organs being donated. And, I would have expected a guy who wrote a will at age 22, to have rewritten the will 10-years later to name his soon-to-be fiancé as at least the beneficiary of his will.
Donating Russell’s organs has given the evil stepmother, Bella Gunn, what she has wanted for 20 years in Baton Rouge – acceptance by the “high” society women of the town. (Well, except of course, Darby’s three aunts.) Her husband, Marcus (Russell, Ben and Mary’s father), is bed-ridden after suffering strokes and heart attacks. He has 24-hour nurse care and is kept strongly medicated – including meds that keep him incoherent most of the time.
Ben Gunn, while sad at the loss of his brother, is thrilled at the opportunity to hook up with Darby. You see, despite the fact that Darby and Russell spent pretty much every day of their lives seeing each other (they both went to the same college and lived a couple blocks from each other), they weren’t in love. No, Ben, who had minimal interaction with Darby was in love with her. Of course, Darby, who spent no time with Ben, was secretly in love with Ben as well. Isn’t that just . . . stupid?
Then there are Darby’s three aunts – Dippy, Divey and Dopey. Okay, those aren’t their names – they’re Dodo, Ducky and Diddy. (Yes, those are the names the aunts use – although they aren’t the given names.) They each own a home on the historic Horseshoe in Baton Rouge. The two other homes are owned by the Gunn family, but have sat essentially abandoned since Marcus dumped Diddy (I think it was Diddy – with dumb names it just doesn’t matter who’s who) to married Bella. Those homes, although in major disrepair, are intended for Russell and Ben upon their father’s death. (Apparently, the death of Russell is making “his” house Darby’s – despite the fact that the owner, Marcus, hasn’t died and passed the home onto Russell.) Mary seems to be left homeless.
Tragedy has struck since Bella has gained acceptance by the “Rougies” (the Baton Rouge society women) – she has been granted a provisional construction license. Now, despite the fact that these are historical homes, Bella has a wrecking ball and other construction equipment lined up on the ‘Shoe, ready to “accidently” knock the homes down. (The provisional license doesn’t allow destruction and she has said she is only doing changes to the interior and that the exteriors will remain the same.) The three aunts come up with a plan to stop Bella which involves hiring a private detective to find dirt on Bella (which no one has been able or bothered to find for 20 years) and kidnapping Marcus Gunn. (It’s a really bad plan, too.)
I never thought I’d say this about a repeat best-selling author, but this book is horrid. I cannot believe she got anyone to even publish it. And, worse, if this is at all similar to her other books, I can’t believe she has a contract to write any books, let alone has made any best seller list.
Oh yeah, and there were numerous typos in the book -- missing closed quotes, etc. Bad book, bad editing.
Boy, was I wrong – the book is just full of nonsense.
Darby Lane’s best friend in the whole world, Russell Gunn, has just been killed in a tragic car accident. Darby was in Scotland at the time of the accident and Russell’s evil stepmother had the funeral as fast as she could, so Darby wasn’t able to return home to Baton Rouge to attend the funeral.
Darby was named the executrix of Russell’s estate when they graduated from college ten years earlier and one of the things that she was instructed as part of his final wishes was that he not be an organ donor. She was also named as his sole beneficiary. Darby is furious that this has happened – as are her aunts (who essentially raised her and Russell and his brother, Ben, and sister, Mary.) Ben is upset as well.
Russell had been dating a woman, Claire – we have no idea how she feels about all this and apparently, Russell did nothing to change his will even though he had purchased a diamond ring and was about to propose marriage to Claire. Even better, his dates with Claire were regularly threesomes – Russell, Claire and Darby. That had to be fun for her. Claire is treated well, but despite being the woman Russell was about to marry is just dumped as a character. I would expect this person to play a much more prominent role in avenging the injustice of his organs being donated. And, I would have expected a guy who wrote a will at age 22, to have rewritten the will 10-years later to name his soon-to-be fiancé as at least the beneficiary of his will.
Donating Russell’s organs has given the evil stepmother, Bella Gunn, what she has wanted for 20 years in Baton Rouge – acceptance by the “high” society women of the town. (Well, except of course, Darby’s three aunts.) Her husband, Marcus (Russell, Ben and Mary’s father), is bed-ridden after suffering strokes and heart attacks. He has 24-hour nurse care and is kept strongly medicated – including meds that keep him incoherent most of the time.
Ben Gunn, while sad at the loss of his brother, is thrilled at the opportunity to hook up with Darby. You see, despite the fact that Darby and Russell spent pretty much every day of their lives seeing each other (they both went to the same college and lived a couple blocks from each other), they weren’t in love. No, Ben, who had minimal interaction with Darby was in love with her. Of course, Darby, who spent no time with Ben, was secretly in love with Ben as well. Isn’t that just . . . stupid?
Then there are Darby’s three aunts – Dippy, Divey and Dopey. Okay, those aren’t their names – they’re Dodo, Ducky and Diddy. (Yes, those are the names the aunts use – although they aren’t the given names.) They each own a home on the historic Horseshoe in Baton Rouge. The two other homes are owned by the Gunn family, but have sat essentially abandoned since Marcus dumped Diddy (I think it was Diddy – with dumb names it just doesn’t matter who’s who) to married Bella. Those homes, although in major disrepair, are intended for Russell and Ben upon their father’s death. (Apparently, the death of Russell is making “his” house Darby’s – despite the fact that the owner, Marcus, hasn’t died and passed the home onto Russell.) Mary seems to be left homeless.
Tragedy has struck since Bella has gained acceptance by the “Rougies” (the Baton Rouge society women) – she has been granted a provisional construction license. Now, despite the fact that these are historical homes, Bella has a wrecking ball and other construction equipment lined up on the ‘Shoe, ready to “accidently” knock the homes down. (The provisional license doesn’t allow destruction and she has said she is only doing changes to the interior and that the exteriors will remain the same.) The three aunts come up with a plan to stop Bella which involves hiring a private detective to find dirt on Bella (which no one has been able or bothered to find for 20 years) and kidnapping Marcus Gunn. (It’s a really bad plan, too.)
I never thought I’d say this about a repeat best-selling author, but this book is horrid. I cannot believe she got anyone to even publish it. And, worse, if this is at all similar to her other books, I can’t believe she has a contract to write any books, let alone has made any best seller list.
Oh yeah, and there were numerous typos in the book -- missing closed quotes, etc. Bad book, bad editing.
April 19, 2022
Wonderful for anyone that list somepne
I am a widow and have lost my entire family I am 70 I love the entire book especially since I live in Northeast Texas about 79 miles from Shreveport Louisiana and my parents were from Louisiana this is such a fine tribute to Louisiana and its traditions thank you
I am a widow and have lost my entire family I am 70 I love the entire book especially since I live in Northeast Texas about 79 miles from Shreveport Louisiana and my parents were from Louisiana this is such a fine tribute to Louisiana and its traditions thank you
July 13, 2017
How did this book get 4.5 stars on Goodreads? Seriously? worst book I've forced myself to read. It was trite. It was irritating. Who would name characters Diddy, Dodo and Ducky? and with no explanation for those 'pet' names? I was barely able to force myself to read the entire book. I had nothing else to read, so, even though I skimmed several of the boring pages, I was able to, SOMEHOW, finish it. Yeesh. The storyline seemed good, the delivery was not. Glad that's over.
April 20, 2018
Definitely not my favorite by this author. Not enough resolution in the end for me and the bad guy (woman) got away with all the crap she put a family through for decades. Not enough believable reasoning behind several of the things that happened or were kept secret for years. And the person the story revolved around, Russell, seemed to be forgotten along with the woman in his life.
August 14, 2008
Loved this book. I could actually seeing this made into a movie. The 3 elderly sisters reminded me of the Baldwin sisters in Walton's Mountain plus one more. Their Southern Charm was interesting and the book kept me reading.
June 9, 2025
I really loved this book. At first I was thinking everything from the landscape to the houses, they were all being given too much detail. However, the more I got into the book, this was not the case. I loved the interactions between the 3 aunts. It kept this whole story very lighthearted. It had some sad parts for sure. I had quite a few tears at the end of the book. BUT, I would highly recommend this to others. I still would list this as a good summer beach book.
February 17, 2017
Muy aburrido...
April 19, 2018
More of the same.....
July 14, 2015
Any time the events of a novel are so close to life it makes me think "what would I do?" I enjoy the characters and story line even more.
Darby and Russell have been best friends for life and now each is graduating from college. Russell is excited about his teaching career and hopes
Darby gets a class in the same school so her students will one day become his Fifth graders. They are packed and ready to return their respective homes in the cul-de-sac called Shoe, where they can spend their summer with Darby's beloved Aunts the ladies who raised them both.
Russell, the heir to Gunn industries, requires Darby to make one stop with him before they leave town. That stop is to visit a lawyer who has written and video taped Russell's will. Russell insists Darby be the executor is and after some persuasion she consents. After all each of they have just graduated college who needs a will For that matter what 21 Year old, especially one who was recently examined by a doctor and told he has the heart of an athlete, even thinks about death?
Darby and Russell have been best friends for life and now each is graduating from college. Russell is excited about his teaching career and hopes
Darby gets a class in the same school so her students will one day become his Fifth graders. They are packed and ready to return their respective homes in the cul-de-sac called Shoe, where they can spend their summer with Darby's beloved Aunts the ladies who raised them both.
Russell, the heir to Gunn industries, requires Darby to make one stop with him before they leave town. That stop is to visit a lawyer who has written and video taped Russell's will. Russell insists Darby be the executor is and after some persuasion she consents. After all each of they have just graduated college who needs a will For that matter what 21 Year old, especially one who was recently examined by a doctor and told he has the heart of an athlete, even thinks about death?
September 11, 2009
This book was okay, but hokey. The story is well thought-out enough, and you dont come to care a little for the characters, but there is no suspense, no build up, and very little that compels the reader to keep giong. The main character is reunited with the boy she loved as a child, and within 3 pages, that relatiionship is solidified. I don't know if it was one of her first books, but in parts it reads like a junior high creative writing assignment. With sentences like 'little did she know how she would come to regret those words' and similar variations thoughout the text, it was a little hard to take it seriously. I bought this book at a second-hand store, and it was certainly worth the $.50 I paid for it, but I wouldn't have been willing to spend much more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2021
Three elderly sisters own everything in a small cul de sac and are not interested in newcomers moving onto their court. They go about trying everything possible to get the new woman out of the neighbourhood. Then there is Darby who has just lost her best friend in a tragic car accident. His organs have been donated for transplant against his last wishes and Darby is out to get the person responsible. She also wants to find all the recipients to meet them and see if there is any connection still to her friend Russell. To be honest I found the whole book rather ridiculous and some of the last pages absurd.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2015
Light read. Beach reading. Nothing really deep or mysterious. Like her Sisterhood series better.
December 2, 2024
Ok. The story was awesome and cute. However, the version I had had some annoying Italics issues. That Sometimes distracted me from the story...
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February 20, 2017Russell Gunn prepared a video and signed his will upon his graduation from college. He left everything to his best friend from the time they were three years old, Darby Lane. Ten years later he was involved in an accident that took his life.
There were 5 houses in the culdesac in Baton Rouge where Marcus and Myrna Gunn lived. Three houses were owned by the Lane sisters. Their nicknames were Ducky, Diddy & Dodo. Their great grandfather was a beer manufacturer. They were Darby's wealthy aunts and they raised her. The Gunn's had three children, Ben, Mary, & Russell. After Myrna got sick and died, the children spent most of their time with the Lane sisters. They each had a bedroom in each of the three houses. Marcus and Diddy grew close and she thought they were in love. Everyone thought that they would eventually get married. It was a surprise to everyone when one day he up and married Bella. Bella was despised by most everyone and was never accepted into the society group known as the 'Rougies'. The children didn't like her and spent most their time away from their house and Marcus allowed it. He lost the respect of his children and the three Lane sisters.
Bella and Marcus moved away from their house in the 'Shoe' and the two houses were put in the names of Ben and Russell. Darby now owned one as she was the executrix of Russell's estate and everything he had was left to her. Their new house was known locally as the Monstrosity.
Mary came back to town for the funeral. She never even saw her father or the sisters and left immediately after the service. She was so angry.
Ben had always had a crush on Darby and when he found her drunk, at the gravesite, he brought her home to her aunts who were waiting for her to arrive. Darby also had a crush on Ben but never acknowledged it. Mary had told each of them that they hated each other and since they didn't talk much after they were grown, they never knew that each of them really liked the other one. Mary had also destroyed one of Darby's dollhouses that she owned when she was a small child. She wasn't punished but they all knew that she had done it on purpose. Darby always thought that no one believed that and thought that she had gotten away with it. Mary had a lot of anger in her. The aunts didn't want to bring it to the forefront so they chose to ignore Mary's issues.
Russell was adamant in his insistence that he remain intact should he die. He sent instructions to his foundation and his family to make sure that it was known that if he were to die, his body would remain intact. His stepmother, Bella, made sure that she reacted quickly when he died to send his body parts around to be donated to others. Darby was furious over what Bella had done and resolved to make her pay.
Bella was thrilled by the attention she received once others found out that she had donated Russell's body parts to others in need. The Rougies finally invited her to tea and she thought she was finally going to be accepted into the old society group. She had gained a provisional permit to remodel the two houses that were falling into disrepair on 'the shoe' that belonged to Ben and Darby. It was her intention to accidentally demolish the houses so that she could remodel them as she wished. The Lane sisters were determined that the houses would be remodeled rather than destroyed and rebuilt. They got the law involved to restrain any action until the historical society made a determination on how to proceed.
Bella was distraught when she found out that Darby got the spot left open in the historical society due to Russell's death. Bella was convinced that her new house along with one of the houses on 'the shoe' would be listed on the Christmas tour this year.
Darby and Ben went to see Marcus after the funeral when Bella was out. Darby told her aunts that she felt that Marcus was overly medicated from what she could see. They distracted the nurse by giving her a shot of the medication meant for Marcus and it knocked her out for a while. The aunts decided to do something about it and put in motion plans to kidnap Marcus and get him seen by another doctor. They kidnapped him and sent him to stay with a friend of theirs who were book authors and trainers of service dogs. They got Marcus seen by another doctor and he was now on his way to a complete recovery of his heart attack and stroke. They also got a new idea for another book that was sure to be a best-seller.
The Lane sisters hired a private detective in New Orleans to look into Bella's background and Ducky fell in love. The detective found out that there was no 'Bella' it was a fictitious name created by her and a nurse friend, Alice Avery. Alice had worked for Marcus and had killed Myrna. She told Marcus that she would tell everyone that he had killed her and the information was used to blackmail him into marrying Bella. Marcus had admitted as much to Tricia and Kelly, the couple who the sisters had taken him to stay with. They brought Marcus back home to the sisters and he told the story of how he had come to marry Bella to the sisters, his son Ben and Darby. Now they had to deal with the fall-out.
Bella figured out that Marcus had been taken by the sisters and went to the back and took out money, packed up her jewelry, and left the house. She went back a previous identity and now had millions of dollars to live on. She was satisfied with what she had now and retained her freedom.
The sisters found out that Dody had a son in Japan who was half Japanese. She had paid someone to raise him because she felt he wouldn't be accepted due to being half American. These days, the prejudice was somewhat relaxed. The sisters told her that it was time to go get him and his family and bring them back home to help run the beer business. That was just what they did.
Ducky married the private detective and decided to live 6 months in New Orleans and 6 months in Baton Rouge. Dody had her son and his wife and three children. Diddy was working on rebuilding a relationship with Marcus. Darby and Ben were to get married on New Year's Day.
Russell had returned home upon graduation to become a local school teacher. Darby didn't know what to do so she returned home and one of the first things she did was to restore her broken dollhouse. That turned into a job where she designed and built custom dollhouses for others. It was quite profitable. Ben had become a ranger. He decided to remain in Baton Rouge and became president of his father's business. Dody's son was given a position in the brewery also.
Darby acquired the names of some of the recipients of Russell's body parts and went to visit them. She was satisfied that the recipients were worthy and his body was in good hands. She knew it wasn't what Russell had wanted but it helped so many others to live more fulfilling lives.
There were 5 houses in the culdesac in Baton Rouge where Marcus and Myrna Gunn lived. Three houses were owned by the Lane sisters. Their nicknames were Ducky, Diddy & Dodo. Their great grandfather was a beer manufacturer. They were Darby's wealthy aunts and they raised her. The Gunn's had three children, Ben, Mary, & Russell. After Myrna got sick and died, the children spent most of their time with the Lane sisters. They each had a bedroom in each of the three houses. Marcus and Diddy grew close and she thought they were in love. Everyone thought that they would eventually get married. It was a surprise to everyone when one day he up and married Bella. Bella was despised by most everyone and was never accepted into the society group known as the 'Rougies'. The children didn't like her and spent most their time away from their house and Marcus allowed it. He lost the respect of his children and the three Lane sisters.
Bella and Marcus moved away from their house in the 'Shoe' and the two houses were put in the names of Ben and Russell. Darby now owned one as she was the executrix of Russell's estate and everything he had was left to her. Their new house was known locally as the Monstrosity.
Mary came back to town for the funeral. She never even saw her father or the sisters and left immediately after the service. She was so angry.
Ben had always had a crush on Darby and when he found her drunk, at the gravesite, he brought her home to her aunts who were waiting for her to arrive. Darby also had a crush on Ben but never acknowledged it. Mary had told each of them that they hated each other and since they didn't talk much after they were grown, they never knew that each of them really liked the other one. Mary had also destroyed one of Darby's dollhouses that she owned when she was a small child. She wasn't punished but they all knew that she had done it on purpose. Darby always thought that no one believed that and thought that she had gotten away with it. Mary had a lot of anger in her. The aunts didn't want to bring it to the forefront so they chose to ignore Mary's issues.
Russell was adamant in his insistence that he remain intact should he die. He sent instructions to his foundation and his family to make sure that it was known that if he were to die, his body would remain intact. His stepmother, Bella, made sure that she reacted quickly when he died to send his body parts around to be donated to others. Darby was furious over what Bella had done and resolved to make her pay.
Bella was thrilled by the attention she received once others found out that she had donated Russell's body parts to others in need. The Rougies finally invited her to tea and she thought she was finally going to be accepted into the old society group. She had gained a provisional permit to remodel the two houses that were falling into disrepair on 'the shoe' that belonged to Ben and Darby. It was her intention to accidentally demolish the houses so that she could remodel them as she wished. The Lane sisters were determined that the houses would be remodeled rather than destroyed and rebuilt. They got the law involved to restrain any action until the historical society made a determination on how to proceed.
Bella was distraught when she found out that Darby got the spot left open in the historical society due to Russell's death. Bella was convinced that her new house along with one of the houses on 'the shoe' would be listed on the Christmas tour this year.
Darby and Ben went to see Marcus after the funeral when Bella was out. Darby told her aunts that she felt that Marcus was overly medicated from what she could see. They distracted the nurse by giving her a shot of the medication meant for Marcus and it knocked her out for a while. The aunts decided to do something about it and put in motion plans to kidnap Marcus and get him seen by another doctor. They kidnapped him and sent him to stay with a friend of theirs who were book authors and trainers of service dogs. They got Marcus seen by another doctor and he was now on his way to a complete recovery of his heart attack and stroke. They also got a new idea for another book that was sure to be a best-seller.
The Lane sisters hired a private detective in New Orleans to look into Bella's background and Ducky fell in love. The detective found out that there was no 'Bella' it was a fictitious name created by her and a nurse friend, Alice Avery. Alice had worked for Marcus and had killed Myrna. She told Marcus that she would tell everyone that he had killed her and the information was used to blackmail him into marrying Bella. Marcus had admitted as much to Tricia and Kelly, the couple who the sisters had taken him to stay with. They brought Marcus back home to the sisters and he told the story of how he had come to marry Bella to the sisters, his son Ben and Darby. Now they had to deal with the fall-out.
Bella figured out that Marcus had been taken by the sisters and went to the back and took out money, packed up her jewelry, and left the house. She went back a previous identity and now had millions of dollars to live on. She was satisfied with what she had now and retained her freedom.
The sisters found out that Dody had a son in Japan who was half Japanese. She had paid someone to raise him because she felt he wouldn't be accepted due to being half American. These days, the prejudice was somewhat relaxed. The sisters told her that it was time to go get him and his family and bring them back home to help run the beer business. That was just what they did.
Ducky married the private detective and decided to live 6 months in New Orleans and 6 months in Baton Rouge. Dody had her son and his wife and three children. Diddy was working on rebuilding a relationship with Marcus. Darby and Ben were to get married on New Year's Day.
Russell had returned home upon graduation to become a local school teacher. Darby didn't know what to do so she returned home and one of the first things she did was to restore her broken dollhouse. That turned into a job where she designed and built custom dollhouses for others. It was quite profitable. Ben had become a ranger. He decided to remain in Baton Rouge and became president of his father's business. Dody's son was given a position in the brewery also.
Darby acquired the names of some of the recipients of Russell's body parts and went to visit them. She was satisfied that the recipients were worthy and his body was in good hands. She knew it wasn't what Russell had wanted but it helped so many others to live more fulfilling lives.
November 20, 2023
I’m convinced there are two authors named Fern Michaels. One of them is a wonderful author, who writes very compelling stories. The other one writes books with good storylines, but is a lousy storyteller. This book, unfortunately, falls into the second category.
Who would name three of the main characters in a book with such similar names, as Diddy Dodo and Ducky? I was at least halfway through the book before I could figure out which one was which. And why are there three different characters mentioned, all with the first name of Eric? Could the author not think of any other first names for a male? And where in the heck did the name of the book come from? I never did figure that one out.
On top of that there were paragraphs that jumped from one thought to the next to the next, and back to the first one again, which made it sometimes hard to figure out what was going on. Or the characters would be talking about something, as if you should already know what they meant, which had me flipping back several pages to see if maybe two pages stuck together and I missed something. Nope, I didn’t miss anything. It just wasn’t there.
I have read many good books by this author, but I’ve also read a few very similar to this one. I can’t say that I’m sorry that I read this book, as it was somewhat enjoyable. I just wish when I picked up a Fern Michaels book that I knew which type of book I was about to read. Is this next book going to be one with depth that I can become lost in and really connect with the characters? Or is this going to be a light read with disjointed dialogue and a silly plot? I can enjoy a book a lot more if I have some idea what to expect before I start on the first page.
Who would name three of the main characters in a book with such similar names, as Diddy Dodo and Ducky? I was at least halfway through the book before I could figure out which one was which. And why are there three different characters mentioned, all with the first name of Eric? Could the author not think of any other first names for a male? And where in the heck did the name of the book come from? I never did figure that one out.
On top of that there were paragraphs that jumped from one thought to the next to the next, and back to the first one again, which made it sometimes hard to figure out what was going on. Or the characters would be talking about something, as if you should already know what they meant, which had me flipping back several pages to see if maybe two pages stuck together and I missed something. Nope, I didn’t miss anything. It just wasn’t there.
I have read many good books by this author, but I’ve also read a few very similar to this one. I can’t say that I’m sorry that I read this book, as it was somewhat enjoyable. I just wish when I picked up a Fern Michaels book that I knew which type of book I was about to read. Is this next book going to be one with depth that I can become lost in and really connect with the characters? Or is this going to be a light read with disjointed dialogue and a silly plot? I can enjoy a book a lot more if I have some idea what to expect before I start on the first page.
July 11, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hey, Good Looking
By Fern Michaels
Darby Lane and her platonic best friend Russell Gunn have been inseparable since their early years. A man that gets his affairs in order early, Russell makes Darby the executer of his will as they finish college. For his own reasons, he tells Darby he doesn’t want to be an organ donor. However, when Russell is involved in a fatal accident years later, his stepmother, Bella Gunn, decides to do just that. She donates his organs for her own societal gain. It becomes clear that there are a few other things that Bella Gunn is using for her gain, including the wealth and property of her now ill husband of whom she has power of attorney. What had he ever seen in her anyway?
Heartbroken by their loss, Darby and Russell’s older brother, Ben, look for ways to honor Russell despite failure to grant his final wishes. Meanwhile, Darby’s three Aunts set out to unravel the mystery of Bella Gunn’s motivations.
****
This was my first Fern Michaels book, and was lent to me by my neighbor. She said it was one of her favorite books and made me promise to give it back when I was done. The cover really threw me, as it is not all that representative of the book’s contents. (Probably my biggest critique of the book.) Although it was published in 2006, I think it could easily rank amongst the contemporary fiction of the the 2020’s. If you’re looking for an easy read with some drama, mystery, and romance, pick up this book from your local used book store!
Hey, Good Looking
By Fern Michaels
Darby Lane and her platonic best friend Russell Gunn have been inseparable since their early years. A man that gets his affairs in order early, Russell makes Darby the executer of his will as they finish college. For his own reasons, he tells Darby he doesn’t want to be an organ donor. However, when Russell is involved in a fatal accident years later, his stepmother, Bella Gunn, decides to do just that. She donates his organs for her own societal gain. It becomes clear that there are a few other things that Bella Gunn is using for her gain, including the wealth and property of her now ill husband of whom she has power of attorney. What had he ever seen in her anyway?
Heartbroken by their loss, Darby and Russell’s older brother, Ben, look for ways to honor Russell despite failure to grant his final wishes. Meanwhile, Darby’s three Aunts set out to unravel the mystery of Bella Gunn’s motivations.
****
This was my first Fern Michaels book, and was lent to me by my neighbor. She said it was one of her favorite books and made me promise to give it back when I was done. The cover really threw me, as it is not all that representative of the book’s contents. (Probably my biggest critique of the book.) Although it was published in 2006, I think it could easily rank amongst the contemporary fiction of the the 2020’s. If you’re looking for an easy read with some drama, mystery, and romance, pick up this book from your local used book store!
January 19, 2025
Hey, Good Looking is a very sweet, light-hearted, fun read 📚
It takes an unhappy event to make families and friends look at things in a different light .
This is exactly what happens when Russell Gunn passes away.
Darby Russell's best friend is responsible for carrying out her friends' last wishes.
Although things did not go as Russell had wanted due to Bella Gunn's involvement ( Russell's stepmother) , we see that even though there are errors in judgement, things can turn out for the better 😉.
Darby and Ben become more than childhood friends when he returns for his brothers funeral 💔
The wonderful Lane sisters who have helped to raise the Gunn children become more involved in helping to free a family member, who has been trapped for way too long .
Along the way, we find out secrets and love when we might at least expect it, and it is never too late to love and forgive .
The only disappointment was not knowing the outcome of some characters in more detail, and there were some plots of the story that were touched briefly and not knowing how it ended , especially about Bella , l wanted so much more to know her background story .
But a fun cosy heart-warming read 😉
It takes an unhappy event to make families and friends look at things in a different light .
This is exactly what happens when Russell Gunn passes away.
Darby Russell's best friend is responsible for carrying out her friends' last wishes.
Although things did not go as Russell had wanted due to Bella Gunn's involvement ( Russell's stepmother) , we see that even though there are errors in judgement, things can turn out for the better 😉.
Darby and Ben become more than childhood friends when he returns for his brothers funeral 💔
The wonderful Lane sisters who have helped to raise the Gunn children become more involved in helping to free a family member, who has been trapped for way too long .
Along the way, we find out secrets and love when we might at least expect it, and it is never too late to love and forgive .
The only disappointment was not knowing the outcome of some characters in more detail, and there were some plots of the story that were touched briefly and not knowing how it ended , especially about Bella , l wanted so much more to know her background story .
But a fun cosy heart-warming read 😉
March 26, 2025
This was OK, but not as good of a chick lit as I expected. There's a tight group of people who live in The Horseshoe, an exclusive, old-money section of Baton Rouge, including three elderly sisters. They are always battling against an upstart who wants to join their ranks of Rougies. When their friend's son dies, his organs are donated, but this was against the young man's wishes. Now everyone close to him is up-in-arms because his last wishes were ignored by his stepmother, and a lot of time is devoted to fighting against(!) the donor program. It seemed almost counter intuitive to think this way in this day and age, and I found it frustrating that they'd devote a whole book to this subject. There are a couple of outlandish schemes to keep things the way they've always been, and I found it all to be awfully exclusive and close-minded. The characters are appealing, especially the young couple--Darby and Ben--but the rest of them were a little too zany for me to warm up to. All's well that ends well, though, so the book finished on a good note.
August 16, 2018
Hilarous !
Loved the aunts :Lydia (Dodo), Vivian (Diddy ) and Harriet (Ducky ) with their secrets and capers.
One of the themes is being an organ donor. Russell didn't want to be a donor and left a will stating it. Darby isn't around when he dies, unlike his stepmother ,Bella. Bella doesn't know (?) about the will and decides to donate his organs to several people -but only in Louisiana, where they live. Now Darby feels bad about it and tries to find the recipients. She meets 3 people who benefited from the transplant and realizes this was one good deed Bella did.
Loved the aunts :Lydia (Dodo), Vivian (Diddy ) and Harriet (Ducky ) with their secrets and capers.
One of the themes is being an organ donor. Russell didn't want to be a donor and left a will stating it. Darby isn't around when he dies, unlike his stepmother ,Bella. Bella doesn't know (?) about the will and decides to donate his organs to several people -but only in Louisiana, where they live. Now Darby feels bad about it and tries to find the recipients. She meets 3 people who benefited from the transplant and realizes this was one good deed Bella did.
July 17, 2019
Great Story but where are proofreaders?
This was a great story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have read many of Fern Michaels books and will continue to follow her. The only thing disappointing about this book was the lack of proper punctuation. Why on earth was there no spacing before the italicized words? There were other small typos too but they were minor. For some reason the lack of spacing was disturbing and confusing. I guess that’s being really picky but it is unusual for this author.
This was a great story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have read many of Fern Michaels books and will continue to follow her. The only thing disappointing about this book was the lack of proper punctuation. Why on earth was there no spacing before the italicized words? There were other small typos too but they were minor. For some reason the lack of spacing was disturbing and confusing. I guess that’s being really picky but it is unusual for this author.
February 6, 2025
No one ever really wants to say goodbye
Darby and Russ were good friends from childhood, through college and after. Russ became a fifth grade teacher and Darby a creator of very expensive doll houses. Darby was the executor of Russia will but at the time of his death from a car accident, Darby. was in Scotland. The stepmother wasn't aware of Russ's. will or wishes and donated his organs. He never wanted to be an organ donor.
You need to read this book to find out how Darby gets closure.
Darby and Russ were good friends from childhood, through college and after. Russ became a fifth grade teacher and Darby a creator of very expensive doll houses. Darby was the executor of Russia will but at the time of his death from a car accident, Darby. was in Scotland. The stepmother wasn't aware of Russ's. will or wishes and donated his organs. He never wanted to be an organ donor.
You need to read this book to find out how Darby gets closure.
March 22, 2019
Not the best novel by Fern Micheals. Maybe it was the names of the characters or even the attitudes of each character. The only part of the story I enjoyed was Ben and Darby's part. This book had a number of typo's and I suppose I'm not into the ridiculous la di da attitudes of ' rich-clicky characters. Others may enjoy the humor in this novel but for me it was almost unbearable to finish. I usually complete books and I read this one to the end because I hoped it would get better. And it did.
August 21, 2022
It was an okay read, but parts were not believable and the characters (with similar names) were confusing. It would have been easier to distinguish if they had different names. The plot was strange...and unbelievable...and the characters didn't seem to show much grief, especially after the events in the beginning of the book. Parts were funny, some parts were sad ...but, this book wasn't my favorite.
Read
September 18, 2023Did not finish, so don't feel right in giving it a star rating. I'm sorry, but found it to be incredibly bad writing. Too many characters and shifts between their perspectives too often. It seemed like a typical romance where you know the main characters will end up together, happily ever after, which isn't a problem for me. The problem is that the dialogue was so phony and unrealistic, it kept pulling me out of the story, so I couldn't even enjoy it.
November 25, 2018
I gave this book a five. My rating is based on how I as a reader felt upon reading this book, period. That is what my role is , the tech part is not up to me . This was my first read of Fern’s book. The title gave me a huge clue as to what to expect. I was not in the least bit disappointed. I enjoyed it so much I bought another 5 books at our local thrift store.
October 21, 2021
Hey Good Looking
What a sweet story of friendship, love and family. Darby was Russ’s best friend. This story starts with them graduating from college and then picks up again when Russ dies.
You have to read about Darby’s life and her Aunts lives. Fern Michaels did a great job with this story.
What a sweet story of friendship, love and family. Darby was Russ’s best friend. This story starts with them graduating from college and then picks up again when Russ dies.
You have to read about Darby’s life and her Aunts lives. Fern Michaels did a great job with this story.
February 3, 2022
Great book
This was one of Fern Michaels great books. I loved this book ! Love alk her books she is a wonderful writer she is one of 8 writers that I read constantly. I started reading her books when she came out with the Texas,Vegas and Kentucky series.. I love books that are part of a series and mysterys.
This was one of Fern Michaels great books. I loved this book ! Love alk her books she is a wonderful writer she is one of 8 writers that I read constantly. I started reading her books when she came out with the Texas,Vegas and Kentucky series.. I love books that are part of a series and mysterys.
July 9, 2022
WOW!
I am reading every book this author has written. The stories have wonderful characters and I feel as if I know each person. There are authors writing many books and a pattern starts to develop. The story line will be very familiar ,with the plot is the same with characters names are different. Fern Michaels I enjoy every book you have written and hope you never stop.
I am reading every book this author has written. The stories have wonderful characters and I feel as if I know each person. There are authors writing many books and a pattern starts to develop. The story line will be very familiar ,with the plot is the same with characters names are different. Fern Michaels I enjoy every book you have written and hope you never stop.
March 27, 2024
enjoyed
This is a heartbreaking and a heart healing story. Family, friendships, and romance all existing together in the lives of people on the same street. If you read for a deeper meaning than this light weight story, it’s there. It’s just put in a simple form. Makes you feel and I like that.
This is a heartbreaking and a heart healing story. Family, friendships, and romance all existing together in the lives of people on the same street. If you read for a deeper meaning than this light weight story, it’s there. It’s just put in a simple form. Makes you feel and I like that.
April 12, 2024
A book that showcased a family’s unplanned journey
As a fan of Fern Michaels for decades, this book seemed different……even the title! It was still a good book to read. However, it took so many twists and turns, which were interesting to discover. I am felt as if Fern had an alternative reason for writing this book. I wish I could talk to her about it!,,
As a fan of Fern Michaels for decades, this book seemed different……even the title! It was still a good book to read. However, it took so many twists and turns, which were interesting to discover. I am felt as if Fern had an alternative reason for writing this book. I wish I could talk to her about it!,,
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