Judith‘s review of Treasuring Evie by Tessie Bradford.

“So let’s recap. You screwed like bunnies in the yard and then went inside to make omelets and get to know each other?”

Evelyn Ashlyn is living a life she’s struggled hard to achieve. Her business is thriving as is her career as an artist. Success, however, always comes with a price. For Evie, the price is her personal and sex life. She’s not had any for two years. Dalliances with the summer tourists are against her code of ethics and the few bachelors in her small town are single for a reason.

Matt Carstead, recently retired Detroit police officer, thought his dream come true was to move up north and spend his days woodworking, fishing, and relaxing. That was until he met Evie, his fantasy woman come to life. Especially when he discovers his new neighbor swims in the nude, and has a mouth like heaven on earth. Neither of them ever imagined what was about to happen.

This is another one of those delightful short stories that brings two very different people into each other’s life in a very unexpected way. The setting is the upper regions of Michigan, a beautiful part of that state and a treasure of nature. Having traveled there some years ago I can testify to the fact that it would be a wonderful place to live or to retire. Both Evie and Matt are there because they want what that community has to offer, but both are somewhat resigned to living alone. Evie’s business relationship with the community is very important to her so she has exercised great care in forming romantic attachments with both locals and tourists. But she isn’t dead and as fulfilling as her life may be in some ways, she would welcome some romance after all this time. Matt, on the other hand, has been screwed, blued and tatooed by life and romance. He is well past caring, but as this encounter demonstrates, he is not unopposed to opening himself to a new relationship if he finds someone who has an authentic interest in him as a person. Both of these people have lived and are not novices in the world of male/female relationships. Perhaps that is what makes their affair just that much more compelling as a love story.

Tessie Bradford has written some endearing stories and that is just what this little “literary snack” is. It is a fun break in the routine of living and yet even though it is brief, it is satisfying and entertaining. The story line moves along well; the characters are real and believable, and the context is described without so much descriptive language that the reader chokes on it. I definitely get the feeling that while Evie has made some important decisions about her career and her future, she is still not confident in what she wants in a partner. Matt is alpha male from start to finish; that’s a part of why he was so successful in his professional life. But even though he is confident in his sexuality and not afraid to be who he is in a sexual relationship, he seems to be a caring and kind person, not overbearing or jerking around his partner outside the bedroom. In fact, he is an artisan in his own right and appreciates Evie’s artistic view of the world even as she appreciates his skill and eye for detail in his own craftsmanship.

After all is said and done, I liked these two people, I enjoyed reading about their encounter and the subsequent involvement, and I thought is was just a very enjoyable reading experience. I give this well-written little story a rating of 3.75 out of 5.

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.