Mary Kay Andrews invites you to the beach house in ‘The Homewreckers’

What could be a better location for romance than a house renovation?

Ah, I listen to the bitter laughter of all of you who’ve been by a reno with a significant other (or ex-major other). But in Mary Kay Andrews’ new beach front e book, The Homewreckers, rehabber Hattie Kavanaugh’s passion for reviving crumbling houses prospects not just to appreciate but to a starring position on a Tv set demonstrate — not to mention clues about a 17-yr-aged secret. So what is a little dumpster fireplace alongside the way?

Mary Kay Andrews is the nom de plume of Kathy Hogan Trocheck, who was born in Tampa and raised in St. Petersburg. Soon after a profession as a journalist, largely in Atlanta, Andrews turned to producing novels and shortly identified her way to the bestseller lists with what she calls beach front guides, which element partaking figures, breezy humor and a blend of thriller and romance — frequently actually established at the seaside.

Andrews’ past handful of textbooks have experienced Florida options, but this 1 is set in Savannah and Tybee Island, Ga., also familiar turf for the writer.

Savannah, with its prosperity of handsome older properties, is a fantastic place of work for Hattie, who loves absolutely nothing greater than renovating them. As the e book begins, she’s flat on her back again in the crawl place underneath a “157-12 months-aged superb wreck” that she’s sunk way way too much money into.

Her inspection of the corroding cast-iron pipes is interrupted when a guy falls by the rotten kitchen ground and lands on her.

The man is Mo Lopez, who produces a reality Television set series for HPTV (Residence Position Television Community). He’s in Savannah looking for a new series thought immediately after his most current clearly show, Killer Garage, tanked. When he sees a three-tale Queen Anne Victorian surrounded by scaffolding, he walks through an open up door for a closer seem — and crashes by way of the flooring.

Regardless of Hattie’s aggravated response, Mo instantly proposes a clearly show notion, starring her: Preserving Savannah, a truth series in which she rehabs outdated residences for the camera — and makes her fortune.

Hattie throws him off her task web page, but it is not extended ahead of she loses the Victorian, and all the money she’d invested in it, as well as funds from her beloved in-laws. Even though she’s only 33, Hattie’s a widow. Immediately after her spouse, Hank, died in a bike incident, she grew to become even nearer to his dad and mom, and she performs for father-in-legislation Tug Kavanaugh’s contracting enterprise.

She requirements to recoup her losses speedy, and soon she and Mo have a deal for the exhibit. Scrambling for a new task, Hattie finds that a neglected seashore property on Tybee Island’s desirable Back again River is being bought for unpaid taxes. She scrapes up enough to get it — funds from the network will not arrive until eventually later — and gets to perform.

The as soon as-wonderful household experienced been handed down via generations of the Creedmores, an outdated Savannah spouse and children, but intrafamily feuds led to it being offered. Holland Creedmore Jr., identified as Minor Holl, whom Hattie knew back again in large school, is furious and does not be reluctant to threaten her when she refuses to offer it to him.

Mo, meanwhile, is wrestling with his boss at the network above the clearly show. Rebecca needs to transform the title to The Homewreckers, and she wishes a co-host, an HPTV star named Trae Bartholomew. “Picture this,” Rebecca tells Mo, “We’ve bought your lady Hattie. She’s cute as a button and healthful as southern-fried freckles. And then we deliver in this beautiful L.A. designer. He’s a blond, big-town drink of drinking water. … Homewreckers is at the place where by a courting exhibit satisfies a flip clearly show. Believe mash-up of The Bachelorette and Flip or Flop. Get it?”

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Mo will get it, to his chagrin, due to the fact he’s crushing on Hattie. He’s also been around her ample to know she’s fiercely independent and centered on her do the job, and that Rebecca’s romance subplot could go way off the tracks.

But before long Trae, alternately obnoxious and charming, is on established, and they’re all functioning on an impossibly restricted schedule to make the network’s fall season deadline. Then demolition do the job in a rest room reveals something that had been shoved down as a result of the previous-fashioned razor blade slot into the wall: a wallet.

Hattie and her most effective buddy and assistant, Cass Pelletier, understand the ID in the wallet ideal away. It belongs to Lanier Ragan, who was their preferred teacher at St. Mary’s Substantial Faculty, the neat young teacher all the girls felt they could talk to.

Although they were being her pupils, Lanier Ragan disappeared from her family’s house one evening, leaving her partner and 4-yr-outdated daughter sleeping. She’s been missing without having a trace because 2005.

Until now.

Will the wallet resolve the secret of Lanier’s disappearance? Will the law enforcement existence on the job web-site hopelessly toss off the task timetable? Will Hattie determine out who appears to be sabotaging the renovation? And in the passionate triangle that kinds between Hattie, Trae and Mo, who will get their coronary heart damaged?

No spoilers, but I can notify you you’ll have enjoyable obtaining out.

If your mom loves beach front books and/or dwelling renovation Tv, The Homewreckers may be a high-quality Mother’s Day gift. Place the cherry on best by getting Mother to satisfy Andrews and get a signed copy of the e book at a single of two functions the author has coming up in the Tampa Bay space.

The Homewreckers

By Mary Kay Andrews

St. Martin’s Push, 448 internet pages, $28.99

Fulfill the writer

Tombolo Publications provides Mary Kay Andrews in discussion with author Kristin Harmel (The Forest of Vanishing Stars) at 7 p.m. May possibly 10 at Coastal Creative, 2201 Initial Ave. S, St. Petersburg. Tickets are $28.99 for one particular duplicate of the guide and a person admission, $36 for one book and two admissions at tombolobooks.com/gatherings.

Andrews will examine and signal The Homewreckers at 6:30 p.m. Might 11 at the Oxford Trade, 420 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. Tickets $5 for admission only, or $30.16 for admission as well as 1 signed duplicate of the e-book, at oxfordexchange.com/web pages/calendar.