Book Review- The Sugarhouse Blues by Mariah Stewart

The Hudson sisters find more than they bargained for when to get their inheritance, they first must work together and restore a family owned Art Deco theater in the sleepy town  of Hidden Falls, Pennsylvania.

My Rating for The Sugarhouse Blues- 5 Stars and a Recommended Read

With a large inheritance at stake, the Hudson sisters-Allie, Des and Cara- find that they need to work together to get the last project their father wanted them to work on, finished to its natural beauty. The family owned Art Deco theater was a gem at a time when people got dressed up to go to the theater and more. Now as they try to restore it, the sisters also must navigate past secrets and try to deal with all the secrets their father had hidden.  When a freak storm damages the building as well as the hand painted ceiling, its up to Des to find the money to repair it. But as Des figures out the ways of grants, donors, etc. as well deal with secrets and old hurts, all three will need dig deep and find out, once and for all, just what the true meaning of family is.

I adored the first book, The Last Chance Matinee, and was thrilled to see Des get her story next. In this second book, we learn more about Des and how her past wasn’t all so rosy, why she moved so far from Hollywood and how her relationship with Allie is so strained to this day. Ms. Stewart continues the story of the Hudson sisters with THE SUGARHOUSE BLUES and I loved each bit of it. From the dynamics of the sisters to Des trying to navigate the money portion of the project they are working on. When Des confronts her past hurts and tries to keep a promising love interest in the friend category, I was rooting for her all the way. I love all three sisters and thought the relationship with Allie and Des was interesting especially as Cara is a sibling they had no idea existed. Ms. Stewart delivers an emotionally charged second book in her new trilogy, The Hudson Sisters, and I couldn’t put it down.

Des is a former child star who now rescues dogs. While being in Pennsylvania to restore the family theater isn’t one that she actively wanted but now that she is in the middle of the project with Allie and Carta, she finds herself enjoying every minute of it, even with the damage the storm did to the theater. The familiar cast of characters from book one continues to take center stage in book two and I loved how we got to know Des better as well as know what caused the strain between her and Allie. The author does an amazing job in capturing each of the sister’s different personalities perfectly in THE SUGARHOUSE BLUES. Ms. Stewart delivers an amazing story that will keep you riveted and as you flip the last page, eager for book three, which is Allie’s story. If there is any indications, Allie’s story is going to have fireworks especially with a certain town cop who drives her batty most of the time. But with Des, she finds herself drawn to Seth and I was really rooting for her to get him out of the friend zone she put him in. All the characters are well written and just leap off the pages. I loved all the characters we have met so far and a few new ones in THE SUGARHOUSE BLUES.

If you enjoy a fast pace family centered story, then I highly recommend this new series by Mariah Stewart. Though I caution that you need to read these to get all the details that are mentioned from book one her in book two. So, start with The Last Chance Matinee then move to THE SUGARHOUSE BLUES next. Now all I can ask the author is- Book three soon I hope?

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

Discover the first book, The Last Chance Matinee at Amazon and see where the Hudson Sisters trilogy began.