In the years since her last romance, 2002's Sentimental Journey
, Barnett has grown rusty; chronicling three generations of Banning men and Peyton women through the years, Barnett depends on busyness and happenstance to take the place of solid plot and genuine relationships. The two SoCal families first intertwine in 1957 when Rudy Banning kills himself; his artist wife, Rachel; and the rock star Jimmy Peyton in a car accident. The Bannings leave behind two preteen sons, who go into the care of wealthy, demanding patriarch Victor Banning. Jud, the elder son, goes into the family business while Cale, a reckless skirt chaser, takes a winding path to med school. Improbably, Cale meets Jimmy Peyton's daughter, Laurel, on a beach in 1970, but Laurel also catches Jud's eye and soon comes between them. A growing pile of plot-propelling coincidences stretch believability: Laurel's grandmother unknowingly purchases some of the late Rachel's art; years later, Laurel's grown daughter wins a design contract with Cale's son; and everyone hides secrets. It's pure soap opera, buttressed only by Barnett's stock observations ("[S]ilence between people said more than words ever could"), but it may suit readers who like their heroes attractive and their endings happy. (June)
