A Hometown Fourth of July

June
Foster
Genre: 
Inspirational

Max Tate rents an apartment from his father, Ralph Tate, in the small community of Ft. Freedom, located on the Puget Sound. He is an auto mechanic with an adopted son. Max has reached a crossroads in his life, feeling a need to locate his birthmother, but his adopted parents are leery to share the truth of his past.

When Lynn Marshall's niece drops ice cream on Max, Lynn has no idea how her life will change or that when she agrees to helping Max search for his past, he will guide her to finding God. Though neither is looking for a relationship, they learn that in serving one another, a relationship, if only that of friends, is what they will find.

June Foster weaves a gentle story in this hometown romance while giving several glimpses into her beliefs, encouraging the reader to seek for the good things and commit to a life dedicated to God.  The author has changed the names of the communities in the Puget Sound area, although local readers will still recognize them. The pieces of this novel reflect years in the making, both to Ms. Foster's credit and her harm. Her research needs re-working, her references to electronic devises or methods of research felt like it was appropriate for the 80's but not 2012. It is a slow, mellow read with a benign pace that may drag for some, but for others, it holds the potential to  soothe and relax.
Erin Murdock