Book 2 of the Missing Pieces series was a swift read. In book 2, Adoptee Gwen Fox and her boyfriend Griff are now in California searching for her birth father Mark. Here, Danielle Stewart did a fine job unfolding the life of bored retiree Mark Ruiz. I enjoyed the "Mark" chapters.
I liked the "Markus" chapters even better. Old Markus Ruiz is Gwen's grandfather and Mark's hated deadbeat dad. Markus is an unfiltered soul: short-tempered, sarcastic, and regretful. Even so, Gwen bonds with him, and her already-complicated life (a past miscarriage, a disturbed ex, her adoptive family, Mark's hatred of his father) becomes even more tangled. Markus is probably my favorite character in the book. Sharp-tongued and colorful, he accepts the consequences of his selfish life, albeit bitterly.
The Pier at Jasmine Lake is a good sequel to the first book in the series, which focused on Gwen finding her birth mother Leslie. I liked both books, and I look forward to reading installments 3 and 4.
3 stars