Migraine and Book #12 of 2010

I have had migraines since high school. Sometimes I will get several in a short amount of time, sometimes I go years in between. This month, I have gotten two -- both appearing out of nowhere and knocking me out. The latest one was yesterday. I took a two hour nap mid-afternoon (meaning my medicine knocked me out) so of course I had trouble sleeping last night. Since the headache had mostly subsided, I was able to get some reading done.

"Who Do I Lean On?" by Neta Jackson

Gabby Fairbanks's husband locks her out and disappears with her sons, leaving her homeless and stunned. With her frail mother and a mutt named Dandy, Gabby must take refuge at the women's shelter where she works, trying to salvage the shattered pieces of her life. There, her new friends-including Lucy the bag lady and sisters from the Yada Yada Prayer Group-prop her up.

But a midnight intruder brings unwanted media attention to the shelter and threatens to undermine Gabby's chances of getting her sons back. Still hoping to put her family together again, Gabby puzzles over what to do with the warm attentions of a sympathetic lawyer who rebuilds her confidence and soothes her wounded spirit.

Having ended the first book in this new series with a cliffhanger, Jackson assured that I would have to read this follow-up book.

Gabrielle, her mother and her mother's dog have "evicted" by her pathetic and narcissistic husband because Gabrielle is not proving to be the supportive (read:doormat trophy wife) he desires. Even worse, he has sent their two boys back to Virginia without her knowledge. So where do they end up? The very homeless shelter where she works -- and that seemed to ignite the already smoldering issues in her marriage. A significant moment in the book had me crying (don't want to give it away) and that doesn't happen often. I think because so many readers were upset by the first book's cliffhanger, Jackson made an effort to tie up most of the lose ends. And because you can't please everyone I will say I thought she worked a little too hard at it.

Overall, it was a good read and I look forward to the next one.