Dinner at Rose's

In Hawkins's charming debut, rural women's fiction meets wisecracking sweet romance. Josephine Donnelly returns to Waimanu, New Zealand, after a demoralizing break-up. She agrees to help out her friend Cheryl by taking over her physiotherapy practice while Cheryl is on maternity leave. There are two other people in Waimanu who mean the world to Jo: her honorary Aunt Rose and Rose's nephew, Matthew King. Jo has silently loved Matthew since their school days, but he always had other interests. Now Aunt Rose is fighting breast cancer and together, and Matt and Jo try to make her life bearable while fearing for the future. Aunt Rose, though ill, has sly plans to get Jo and Matt to realize a few important facts about themselves, such as how well they'd suit each other. Hawkins uses snappy dialogue and tender family moments to flesh out this satisfying story of true friendship and a love that was meant to be. (Apr.)