Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews

Annajane Hudgens truly believes she is over her ex-husband, Mason Bayless.  They’ve been divorced for four years, she’s engaged to a new, terrific guy, and she’s ready to leave the small town where she and Mason had so much history.  She is so over Mason that she has absolutely no problem attending his wedding to the beautiful, intelligent, delightful Celia.  But when fate intervenes and the wedding is called to a halt as the bride is literally walking down the aisle, Annajane begins to realize that maybe she’s been given a second chance.  Maybe everything happens for a reason.  And maybe, just maybe, she wants Mason back.  But there are secrets afoot in this small southern town.  On the peaceful surface of Hideaway Lake, Annajane discovers that the past is never really gone.  Even if there are people determined to keep Annajane from getting what she wants, happiness might be hers for the taking, and the life she once had with Mason in this sleepy lake town might be in her future. ( Synopsis from Marykayandrews.com)

Hardcover, St. Martin's Press, 416 Pages

Annajane Hudgens finds herself sitting in a church pew,  next to her ex-sister in law and best friend, and watching her ex-husband, Mason, about to be remarried. She notices that he is looking decidedly nervous and ready to bolt and as the bride steps off, Annajane is about to jump out of the pew and stop the ceremony when Mason’s daughter, the adorable Sophie, gets taken ill.  Mason and Annajane end up going to the ER with Sophie and leaving the diminutive but dastardly bride, Celia to follow later.

This episode sets the tone for the book to follow. Ms. Andrews has written a story of two people who love each other but couldn’t get the timing right from the beginning of the relationship. Mason is the heir to the Quixie soda empire and Annajane is the girl who works for the company and happens to be his sister’s friend.  They come together and apart and eventually marry but it doesn’t last due to job pressures, immaturity and the possibility of cheating on Mason’s part. After the divorce, Annajane’s suspicions seem to be confirmed when Mason has a daughter after a one night stand.  Now, 5 years later she is engaged and ready to leave town, her job at Quixie and Mason for good.  The aborted wedding brings her to her senses and she realizes she still has feelings for Mason.

Although the plot is a tried and true romance plot, it gets a nice treatment in this book. Annajane and Mason are friends and co- workers who were able to put the past behind them until Celia arrives on the scene. The wedding becomes the pivotal moment for both exes to reevaluate what they want out of life and how they are going to get it.  Mason is a nice guy who is trying to save his family business.  Annajane is a strong woman who wants a family and the life she sees her best friend, Pokey, living- one with a loving husband. Annajane and Mason have to work hard and really talk about their past mistakes to put their relationship back together again. The villains of the story; Celia, Mason’s mother, and his brother Davis, all play a part in helping keep the exes apart but lose out in the long run.

I really enjoyed this book.  Ms. Andrews always shows us a slice of Southern life and tradition in a quirky but loving way and this book is no exception. There are a few moments that are a little darker than she normally has in her books but they fit into the story very well. Spring Fever is another good book from an always enjoyable writer.