Taking risk is how love begins. Questions and guilt haunt Tearza after her husband’s suicide. Major business losses hidden by her husband compound her burden as she worries about her daughters’ grief and wonders if she can ever trust anything or anyone again. When Ryan, the workaholic lawyer she blames for deepening her financial losses, unexpectedly enters her life, she keeps at arm’s length. But as she learns about Ryan’s tragedies and fears of being a single father, a grudging relationship begins. The compelling story of Tearza reminds us that taking risks is often how friendship and love begins.

Every reader can relate to the world Pete Carlson creates. Tearza is a heartwarming story of Ryan and Tearza, two survivors of loss and heartbreak, navigating their way through child-raising and careers. The daughters of two single parents become best friends. With four young girls in the middle nothing is simple. It’s a second chance to get love right, though Carlson skillfully reminds the reader that failure and resilience must play their roles first, and only with time and determination will the two discover what’s meant to be.