Monday, January 8, 2018

Life & Spice: A Novel by Myers & Reed - Book Review



I am so delighted to share my thoughts about the new novel, "Life and Spice: Vita e Spezie," by Helen Myers and Gail Reed.

Life & Spice: Vita e Spezie

About The Book:

Ghosts from the past, and the relentless momentum of time...

On September 8, 1900, a hurricane unlike any previously recorded hit Galveston, Texas. To this day, an exact death toll cannot be confirmed, but the harrowing storm continues to be known as one of the worst human and geographic tragedies in America's young history.  

In the midst of all the destruction, faith saved a fisherman from a vicious sea. Over a century later in the very same post office-turned-restaurant where the impossible occurred, his story lives on.

The restaurant is now an historical site preserving the mail slot that accepted his letter to God when he thought he would never see his beloved family again. Called Vita e Spezie tourists from everywhere come to see where the miracle took place-and sometimes post their own letters of desperation, loneliness, and need.  

The Italian family operating the third-generation establishment is dealing with their own crises. Health issues, past mistakes, and daily stress are wearing them down, and there are signs the business won't be around for another generation. 

Then the arrival of a gifted pastry chef-and hours later-a son thought lost, changes everything. Suddenly, the family that believes they took on a burden too great when they promised to honor the past, discovers their future is a gift from the past. And from it flows an ultimate truth... 

Perhaps there are no accidents.


See the source image

My Thoughts:

Helen Myers and Gail Reed have presented the reading world with a true literary gem with their latest book, "Life And Spice."

Set in Galveston, Texas, this intriguing tale takes readers into the behind-the-scenes workings of a popular restaurant and the chefs and employees who keep things running. Not only does the reader get a front row glimpse of the action in the kitchen, but they are also privy to the interaction between the boss and his employees, the long-lost prodigal son's return, and the arrival of a lively but mysterious pastry prodigy who will bring a great deal of love and light into the family-owned business.

Intertwined throughout the story is the legend of the letters to God that appear at the restaurant through a special mail slot; letters that often lead to miracles that leave both employees and customers amazed.

Myers and Reed have created a charming reading experience for fans of stories with a healthy heaping of romance, a dash of mystery and just the right amount of history that, mixed together. cooks up a delicious novel that will linger on the reader's taste-buds for a long, long time.


 See the source image

About The Author:

Helen R. Myers


Helen R. Myers knew she wanted to become a writer since becoming a failed poet at the ripe age of seven when her politically-incorrect poem wasn’t chosen to be displayed in the hallway outside of her second-grade class for Parents’-Teacher Night. Selling her first book in 1986, she’s published forty-five romances, seven suspense novels, and two mainstream novels that have sold in twenty-eight countries and have been translated into twenty-five languages. A USA Today bestselling author, she’s been nominated for, and won, several awards, including a Golden Medallion/Rita Award from Romance Writers of America for NAVARRONE.

Born in New Jersey, she has called Texas home for over four decades. She and husband Robert spent most of their thirty-one years of marriage on Crooked Pine Ranch in the East Texas Piney Woods, until his sudden death in 2006. A long-time dog rescuer, she is currently “Mom” to cow-dog mix Roxie, black-and-tan hound Penny, and red heeler Brody. She and writing partner and long-time friend Gail Reed are currently collaborating on their third novel.






Mary Gail Reed is a native Texan who has had a lifelong passion for writing. She and her veterinarian husband of thirty-eight years raised four children in the Northeast region of the state. After the youngest graduated from high school, she traveled extensively through her work for USDA and as an auditor for a Fortune 500 company.

In 2011, Gail faced a devastating loss when her husband, Mike, died unexpectedly and it was her unwavering faith that brought her through that difficult time. She continued to hone her craft as a writer and had stories published in college library collections, as well as articles in a regional newspaper.

In 2015, Gail collaborated with Helen Myers and June Foster to write the highly-praised novel, A FLOCK OF SPARROWS. She currently lives in the same community, surrounded by the love of her family, good friends, and Max, a rescued Labrador retriever.



See the source image

Life and Spice is available at Amazon.com and at BarnesandNoble.com

My thanks to the authors for providing me with the review copy. I was not compensated for my opinion.




No comments:

Post a Comment