The House on Sugar Plum Lane

Mulberry Park #3

by Judy Duarte

In her unforgettable Fairbrook novels, Judy Duarte has created a town that's as warm and as welcoming as home. In "The House on Sugar Plum Lane, " old friends and new characters mingle in a poignant story of second chances, new beginnings, faith, and family.
The beautiful Victorian house that Amy Masterson decides to rent, fully furnished, is more than just a place to start over with her young daughter. When Amy learns that the three-story house on Sugar Plum Lane belonged to her great-grandmother, Eleanor Rucker, who Amy's mother had been searching for until her recent death, she hopes she can find a window into the past her mother never found.
As Amy settles into Fairbrook, she's stunned to learn that Ellie Rucker still lives on Sugar Plum Lane, cared for by Amy's neighbor, Maria. But Ellie's mind is failing rapidly, her memories fading with each passing day. She shows no hint of recognition when her great-granddaughter introduces herself, and Amy is heartbroken at the chance they've both missed. But it's never too late to hope--or to trust in bonds of love that, though they cannot be seen, can never be broken. . . Praise For Mulberry Park


"Tender and touching. . .this novel will stay with you long after you have read the last page."
--Dorothy Garlock, "New York Times "bestselling author
"Such a happy book. . .I didn't want it to end." --Drusilla Campbell, author of "Blood Orange"
"An uplifting story about one little girl's unflinching faith and how she extends an open and loving hand to the broken people around her, bring them close to each other and back into God's gentle embrace."
--Cathy Lamb, author of "Henry's Sisters"

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Christian

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

When life threw Judy Duarte a curve twenty years ago, she did what many newly single mothers do. She pulled herself and her four kids together, became even more determined to come out on top, and decided to start following her dreams. What better role model could she provide her children than to show them that anything is possible? So, she returned to school, graduating from UC Irvine about the same time her oldest kids hit the teen years.

With her dream of getting her degree having come true, another dream presented itself by way of a new, perfect mate. Life was good again, but one dream still nagged at her:

"I always knew there was a book inside me, but since English was my least favorite subject in school, I never considered myself a writer."

All her life Judy has been spinning stories--telling tales to her kids as they grew up, plotting stories and creating characters to fill the time during carpool days and all those commutes back to college...and she never stopped dreaming of putting those stories on paper. Determined to follow her yearnings, she joined Romance Writers of America and met her critique partners Crystal Green and Sheri WhiteFeather (both are now multi-published award-winning authors and the trio have worked together and encouraged each other ever since).

“I might not have been a born writer, but I was a storyteller. The characters and plots came easy, but I had to learn how to make the scenes in my head come alive for the reader. And that meant I had to learn how to write.”

Judy's determination to become a published author grew and she began focusing on creating poignant stories designed to touch a reader's heart. As she fine-tuned her writing style and learned her craft, she found herself writing the stories she liked to read. Stories about families, second chances, and true love. In creating her own happily-ever-after stories she took ordinary characters, put them in emotionally compelling situations, and forced them to grow. They learned, as she had, that when a door is closed, they must look for that open window.

“Since I love books and movies in which people must overcome insurmountable odds to win and earn their happy-ever-after, those are the kinds of tales I like to create.”

Judy's unpublished stories won not only the coveted Emily (West Houston RWA Chapter) and Orange Rose (Orange County RWA Chapter) awards, but also earned her the status of a double RWA Golden Heart finalist in 2001.

Then Judy's dream became a reality in March 2002 when Silhouette Special Edition released her first book, COWBOY COURAGE. Since then, she has published seventeen books and is contracted to write three more. Her stories have touched the hearts of readers around the world. Her tales of redemption and renewed trust generate many fan letters from readers who tell her of the positive impact reading her stories have had in their lives.

A woman who had been shattered by her husband’s recent betrayal and desertion had not been able to read or watch anything that had a romance involved writes: I saw your book in the store, and the title caught my eye. (I have a thing for cowboys.) When I read the back cover, I bought it and couldn’t put it down. I finished it in one day. I still have my doubts about meeting a decent man and trusting again. But maybe in time I will be able to love again. I will be watching for your next book.

In July 2005, Judy won the prestigious Reader's Choice Award for THE RICH MAN'S SON.

“When I received the call telling me I had finaled in the Reader’s Choice, I was thrilled beyond measure. Being judged by real readers and recognized as a finalist was a joy in itself. I went to the ceremony honored to be in attendance. And when they announced me the winner, tears came to my eyes and a lump formed in my throat. It took days for my feet to touch the ground.”

Judy makes her home near the beach in Southern California with her husband, their son, and a cat

Reviews

[Swan Bender · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book of people searching to renew and build their lives in more positive ways and I enjoyed it for that reason. However I don't believe in a god or a higher power with a divine plan so I found myself getting irritated when their focus turned toward a faith based on those concepts. I believe in the power of nature and the choices we make are driven by the inner truth we each are able to reveal to ourselves, not some higher power.
Whenever I hear someone saying it is "God's plan" I feel as though they are relinguishing their responsibilities, rights and power and I don't believe any god should have that ability over us.

[Nancy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series of books. They are pleasant reads when you just need a nice story with a good ending.

[fruitcake · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a long time to get into this book. I'd read a bit and think it was okay, but I was never excited to read it. I think part of this was because it seemed like every single character had to tell his/her point of few. The woman, her grandmother, her great-grandmother, her husband, her husband's father, the next door neighbor, the landscaper...everyone kept adding more and more to the story. It all wrapped up just fine. I enjoyed it well enough, but it's not the type of book I would read again and again.

[Teresa Granberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you’re tired of the worldly books out there, then this is a good, clean, Hallmark-type book. It deals with reconciliation and forgiveness. It addresses the pain of a broken marriage and unresolved issues from childhood that were brought into a marriage. But it also features hope and demonstrates that God answers prayers in His divine way and often has us in the right place at the right time to receive those answers. Easy to read. Uplifting. Good story line.

[Cristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not realize this was Christian literature. I was enjoying the plot until "God" intervened and made everything work out perfectly.

[Claudia Cheyne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very contrived story. All of the main characters had some kind of connection which worked out very nicely in the end once they figured out how they were all related - a child conceived during an extramarital affair, a father who wound up on skid row, the grandmother to the adopted child, and so on - once a homeless man named Jesse explained the root of their problems to each of them. Then they repented and changed their ways. The only reason I finished the book was to assure myself that the ending was what I figured it would be.

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 2 out of 5]

The House on Sugar Plum Lane by Judy Duarte has been my bathtub book for the last couple of weeks. It was okay, but not great… not even good, really. It's pretty typical "Christian Chick Fiction" really, but God or an Angel or Jesus or just someone weird named "Jesse" interferes in things directly, which just takes it from Christian to weird, imho. Other than that it's all just a bit trite, but it was pleasant enough for the few minutes reading each evening.

[Bonnie Dieffenbacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. After asking for a divorce from her husband who is too busy at work to have family interactions, she goes in search of her mother's birth family. She rents the house her mother was born into in search of finding out her family history. While it does not have a lot of religious references, it does have a possible angel to help with reconciliation. I found it very touching.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 very enjoyable small series

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of redemption for more than one character. Interestingly told. I enjoyed it.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an easy read and a nice book between 'heavier tomes'

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really disappointed in how it just ended..

[★¸. • * ° *Jillie* ° *•.¸☆]

Why is this still 10.00 on Kindle? It's a ten year old book?

[Dawn Foust · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book, one that had me guessing and wanting to know what was going to happen. Wonderfully written, and hard to put down. Recommend highly!

[Diane Swoboda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up a few years ago at a second hand bookstore sale and I put it on my book shelf with the others I bought. I just pulled it down to read. Finished this book in a few days. It was a great little book and I'm so happy I got around to reading it. Not at all my genre of books but I enjoyed it.

[Lisa Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable but sweet - including some good truth about forgiveness and honesty.

[Barb Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good summer read...... likeable characters, well developed story. 3.5stars

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just what I needed to lift my spirits. I like Hallmarky books.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, yet rather convoluted story.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I knew it was Christian Lit when I picked it up. I am a Christian but even I don't like it when books get all preachy. The book is predictable and there where too many characters that seemed to have similar back stories. It was adequate for a weekend away read when my hubby forgot to pack my book but nothing I would bother wasting money on

[Sally R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lame. I read the first four chapters thinking that maybe something fun would happen and maybe someone would talk about something other than getting a divorce or being in prison. I finally skipped ahead, read a paragraph here and there in subsequent chapters, and nope, nobody seemed any happier. Finally at the end things seemed to be okay, but I didn't think I needed to read all the in-between to figure that out. It was obvious from the start.

There are too many fun things to read out there--why be depressed when you're reading for pleasure? I liked the picture on the front of the book and thought it the "House on Sugar Plum Lane" would tell a great story. Blah.

[Helen Fagerburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It's the second one I've read by this author. Although I think she's chiefly a romance writer, this book was more about parent/adult child relationships than about romantic ones, though it certainly had elements of romance in it. A good read. I'll definitely be looking for more books by this author.

[Charla Vaught · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read. The characters seemed like people I could relate to and with whom I could become friends.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read about families that fall apart and how some can be rebuilt (if both want it and are open to what they need to do to change) and how sometimes you have to move ahead with a broken family! It also is about prayer!

[Becky Durstenfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, as I did the other Mulberry Park books. It is well written, with good character development. The characters are mostly likeable and it is enjoyable to see them deal with issues they have and to see healing, forgiveness and reconciliation.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Sympathetic characters, Godly messages, and just pretty touching and full of hope. If this wasn't a library book, I'd pass it on for others to enjoy.

[Mom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started good....

[Cindy]

I enjoyed this book very much. the people in the book came to life you wanted to read on to see what became of them

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun easy read.

[Janice Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

pleasant read