Kirjahaku

Join our heroine, Maria, as she faces an emotional rollercoaster ride trying to balance her own needs and desires with the three different men in her life. Overwhelmed with the sudden departure of her mysterious, new fianc , George, how will she cope with her loss and demanding college classes? Added to her dilemma, out of the blue, Ed, an old crush, draws her into a noncommittal brief interlude with him. What does he expect from her? To further complicate her life, Bill, her former sweetheart from college surprises her at the fraternity party with his appearance. How will Maria unravel her heart strings she feels for each of the men in her life and where will they lead her?

Do You Ever Really Know the Person You Are Marrying? It's the late 1940s, an exciting time in America. Maria is exploring a new free-dom as women are discovering that they are no longer bound by the rules that made men superior. Thoughts of a career outside the home are exciting. But this exploration is accompanied by her anxiety for George and Bill: two men whom she loves but who are missing from her life, whereabouts unknown. George has been kidnapped and is in great danger. Unless he fi nds a way to escape an unbalanced drug lord and his henchmen, he may not survive. Only the thought of getting back to Maria keeps him going. And what of Bill? Having enlisted for training as a navy pilot, he is half a world away, and Maria hasn't heard from him in a long time. Maria is frustrated, angry, and feeling abandoned. On top of that, her current job as a waitress is demand-ing and not very glamorous. Then there is Ed. Now a well-estab-lished veterinarian, he is right there and ardently pursuing Maria. In her lonely and vulnerable state, Maria is beginning to allow him into her life. Can handsome, charming Ed convince her to forget about Bill and George? Maria is discovering that the grown-up world is a bit more compli-cated than she thought. Marriage is in her future, but which of these intriguing men will win her hand?

Where has the time gone? It's the mid-60s, and the war in Vietnam is heating up. Maria is living an idyllic marriage with her wonderful husband, Ed-it couldn't be better. He has adopted her children, Amanda and Chris, and they are living in the lovely small town of St. Charles, Illinois, where Ed is the town veterinarian. They are both part of the community there, and the memories of Maria's first husband, George, and his death are fading away. But, of course, we're talking about Maria, and there are storms on the horizon. Maria wants to spend Christmas with her folks in Florida; Ed is struggling with leaving his practice for vacation; and Bill, Ed's old nemesis and Maria's first love, will be there with his girlfriend, Elena. To top it all off, that spring a wo man claiming to be George's mistress shows up ready to wreak havoc with Maria's life. Will Bill and Maria become close again? Will Ed slip away, or is Maria now committed to her husband? Will outside forces tear the family apart? Through it all, Maria will always keep love in her heart and find a way.