Turn For Home is the sequel to Turning Point (which was reviewed last month). The book begins after the holiday break for Time Trails, the sci-fi series that both Cassidy and Brenna star on. Trying to find time to continue building their relationship is full of pitfalls: not only do Brenna’s sons give her the cold-shoulder, but as well-known actresses, trying to hide from the reporters and photographers on their tails is all but impossible. When Cassidy’s abusive ex-husband, Mitch arrives on the scene, the doors are thrown wide-open, leaving the women to face the challenge of surviving under the microscope of Hollywood.
Compared to its prequel, Turning Point, Turn for Home moves at a much faster clip. This is an action-and-reaction based storyline, as opposed to the relationship discovery of the first book. When their relationship becomes public, Brenna and Cassidy must both face shocked and angry people in their lives. When Brenna is forced to give a statement to the press by the show’s producers, she experiences first-hand the animosity that some have toward gays and lesbians. For Cassidy it hits even closer to home as she once again must deal with her conservative, self-righteous father and passive mother. Zielinsky demonstrates that with the bad comes the good, as support comes at the hands of not only cast and crew on the show, but in smaller figures as a patient rights advocate. Brenna’s relationship with her sons and their activities is another focus of this book. While it becomes a nice plot device to bring Cassidy back into the boys’ good graces by having her act as the go-between for Brenna and her younger son, James, I found the sequence of events seemed more to tie the characters together neatly towards the end than any other reason. The active storylines overshadow most of the romance and emotion that was evident in Turning Point, but I believe still presents a relationship that is building itself in the face of adversity and self-recognition for both Cassidy and Brenna.
Turn for Home is an fast but engaging read. While not as romantic as its predecessor, it is one that will pack a punch for those who pick it up. It is a book of a new relationship that has to survive many obstacles, and many will recognize the love – or the pain – to connect to from their own experiences.
