Kimberly Vargas manages the Human Resources department for Modern Postcard in Carlsbad, California. She has created various instructional design content for companies such as Capital One and GEICO.

Kimberly lives in San Diego County with her husband Michael and their three dogs. This is her first novel.

http://www.goodreads.com/kimberlyvargas

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

Her name was Mary Fait. She was the granddaughter of Jean-Luc Fait, one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century. So why was she in the office of Dr. Alicia Baldwin? Baldwin's first impression of Mary was that she was cold and rude. Mary gave the doctor her diaries to read. While most diaries are in chronological order, Mary color coded her diaries according to her mood. Mary told the doctor she had a fracture in her soul; it was as though a piece of her was missing. After reading the diaries the doctor knew where the to key to Mary's problems was hidden.

I've tried to be careful with this review not to give away too much. The author took a unique and a bit risky path to tell this tale. She allowed the reader to partake of Mary Veronica's diaries. Through Mary's thoughts the reader is transported back to 1989. Mary Veronica escaped to Louisiana for her education. Through the diary we are introduced to several characters and much of the culture of the area. At times life was an escape and at times it was an adventure. I found myself smiling at some of the scenes, and toward the end, I found myself in tears. Kudos to the author for taking such an original approach.

The more I read the more I wanted to read. The author successfully created characters that I cared about. I liked Mary, and I wanted to see her find happiness. Richard was not my favorite character; I thought he was rather pompous. Bubba, Lou and the other locals at the Gumbeaux had wonderful personalities. The plot has several twists and turns. This is not a high octane book, but it is easy to recommend it.