Mike is a photographer who returns time and again to photograph a tree in a state park. The tree has become symbolic of many things to Mike. It has nestled into his heart and so he photographs it over and over. When he sees a nest of young birds in his special tree, he steps backward so as not to disturb them, and falls off the face of a cliff. He lands on a ledge and is rescued by Chris and her molly mule Liz. Rescuing him may be just the thing Chris needs to find her way back to love and romance. She’s been hurt, badly, but Mike puts a whole new perspective into her self-induced exile.

Mike, the Molly and Me is a simple story that gripped my heart from the first pages. Mike is searching; content to watch the seasons change from behind the lens of his camera. Chris’s plight and her past nearly made me cry. The way she’s been treated by others leaves no room to wonder why she’s isolated herself from everyone except her beloved molly. The mule is the only one she can count on, until Mike falls into her lap—literally! Deb Tompkins has a knack for storytelling. This novel dances, moving swiftly from scene to scene effortlessly. It is engaging and entertaining. I loved every minute of Mike, the Molly and Me. I expect I’ll buy it in print and read it over and over again—it’s that good!

Reviewed by: Carly