Donuts and Detours
Susan Baganz
Pelican Book Group
Released May, 2018
ebook $4.99
Print $15.99
Buy on Amazon
About the Book
Cars were far easier to understand
than most people . . .
Titus Rickmeyer has a servant’s heart. Mechanic and tow-truck driver he’s used
to coming to the aid of damsels in distress, especially serving as part of
Orchard Hill’s Garage Ministry in his spare time. So why is he suddenly
suspicious of the young man fixing cars and bringing donuts to the repair shop?
Bethany Joelle Hanson has been on her own for too long. Orphaned and dumped
into foster care at a young age she bounced around the system until declaring
her independence at sixteen. She holds her secrets close. She wonders if God
has abandoned her too. Working as an assistant baker at a local grocery store,
she becomes B.J. in her off hours to work on cars at the Garage Ministry where
all the guys there think she’s one of them. But something about Titus threatens
her long-honed desire to hide her femininity.
The twists and turn in their relationship lead to detours on the way to the
sweet taste of love.
My Review
We all see what we want to see,
coming at life from our biased points of experience. Baganz’s latest addition
to her series of interconnected friends and family who attend the same
Milwaukee-area church just goes to prove the rule. Her story of broken people
who come together and weather figuring out how to make friendship, then romance
work, is a lovable read. All the stories in the series are stand-alone, with
pop-in guests from the other books who play supporting roles. It is not
necessary to read them in order, but you’ll be curious about how the
relationships developed.
An orphan who experienced an accident
and abuse resulting in physical scars, Bethany never knew more than sadness.
Losing her mom and dad at a young age and then knowing only foster homes never
presented a good role model for friendship or marriage. She feels unprepared
for life, as well she should be after emancipating at age sixteen. Fortunately
she found a precious lonely older woman who rented part of her home to Bethany.
They both need each other and become close. Bethany fell back on two work
experiences she learned from a too-brief stay at her one loving foster family
and became a baker at a store and works on cars as a volunteer to provide an
outlet for her mechanical talents. She not only hides her talents but her
gender, fooling even the director of the volunteer church mechanic program—for a
while. After an accident at the garage, there was no more hiding. Fortunately,
the volunteers at the program were on to Bethany long before Titus, or Ty for
short. When Titus and Bethany respond to their feelings for each other, they
realize they have a long road ahead of them to work out their personal issues.
With the help of their solid faith and new friends and family, they prove
that love always conquers all.
Told in multiple points of view,
Baganz’s character names can be a handful, as Bethany Joelle is the main female
character’s preferred reference and Ty is a short balance. Some of the initial
dialog felt a bit stiff, but smoothed out the further we got into this
intriguing story. I always enjoy seeing the other characters from the series
support each other. Bethany’s claim toward the end that she doesn’t need Ty,
but wants him in her life, is a powerful statement that helps put the stakes of
a relationship in perspective. Baganz’s former career in social work shows the
heartbreak and the joy that can happen through foster care, as well as the disappointments
of neglect in families who stop taking the time to care for each other.
About the Author
Susan M. Baganz chases after three Hobbits and is a native of Wisconsin. She is an Acquisitions Editor with Prism Book Group specializing in bringing great romance novels and novellas to publication. Susan writes adventurous historical and contemporary romances with a biblical world-view.
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