STEPHANIE VERNI was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and grew up in Maryland. Her teenage years and a portion of her adult years were spent living in Annapolis and Baltimore. A graduate of Towson University, she earned her first master’s degree in Professional Writing from Towson University, and a second master’s degree (MFA) in Creative Writing from National University. She spent thirteen years working in public relations and publishing for the Baltimore Orioles baseball club. For the past four years, she has been a full-time faculty member of Business Communication at Stevenson University outside of Baltimore where she serves as an assistant professor. She teaches feature writing, magazine writing, public relations writing, and advertising. She resides in Ellicott City, Maryland, with her husband and two children. For more information about Stephanie and her work, visit her author website at stephanieverni.com, or follow her blog, Steph’s Scribe, at stephsscribe.com.

Reviewed by Alice D. for Readers' Favorite

Annabelle Marco and Michael Contelli have been next door neighbors in Annapolis, Maryland, since they both were five years old. In their senior year of high school under the mimosa tree in Michael's back yard, they realized their attraction to each other. By the end of their college years, Annabelle and Michael are ready to marry. And, oh, aren't their parents excited about this! However, Annabelle deserts Michael on the eve of their Caribbean wedding as she feels the pushiness of her parents and Michael's. Both sets of parents obviously are furious with Annabelle, and Michael goes off to London alone and stays there for ten years, marrying the wrong girl for a short and dismal time. Now he is coming back to Annapolis and Annabelle has just ended a disastrous affair with an alcoholic. Will Annabelle be able to apologize to Michael for what she did ten years before and will he accept her apology and be able to love her as he once did?

"Beneath the Mimosa Tree" is a lovely, well-written and well-edited story of childhood sweethearts. Annabelle and Michael, their parents, Annabelle's grandmother Vivi and all their supportive friends in the United States and London are totally believable. The special charm of this story is that Annabelle and Michael have much to overcome and take their time doing so. They don't just make up and jump right into bed together. The story's true-to-life plot flows smoothly to the book's conclusion and "Under the Mimosa Tree" is a story to read and cherish.