Review for Sweet Pea

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless Novels!

I recently finished reading the third book in the Sweet Pea trilogy. When I started the first one, Demise of Innocence, I was captivated by not only the characters but also the period. Mary Fricke must be about my age because she remembers the same things I do: the Vietnam war, the cars we drove and admired, the music we loved--all of it. As I was reading the story, I could almost hear Tommy Roe singing "Oh, Sweet Pea, won't you dance with me?"

Right out of my senior year in high school.

But that wasn't the best part. The story is captivating, a tale of a confused, somewhat immature young woman who is beset with all the trauma of her teenage years, confused about love, making stupid decisions, and paying the price. Over the course of three breathless novels, the reader agonizes with her over loves lost and found, the trials and tragedies of the maturing process, and in the end, we get to see the final result. This series contains a lot of drama and plumbs the depths of human nature, both good and bad. In many respects, it's a timeless story that could have been set in any period, any part of America.

Although these books are categorized as Romance, they are much more than that. They are a slice of real life, which no other romance I've ever read can claim.

I read the Birds in Peril series and now the Sweet Pea series. I look forward to Mary Fricke's next offering, whatever it may be. She is definitely one of my favorite authors!