Review Site Awards Best Indie Romance of 2011 to Book by Southwest Florida Writer

Online, January 20, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Joyce DeBacco, a writer from Southwest Florida, has claimed one of three Best Indie Romance Awards at Red Adept Reviews. Each reviewer at the site selected her favorite from among the many books reviewed during the year. Lynn O'Dell, founder of the site, chose Serendipity House, saying in her initial review, "At heart, this was a romance, yet the story never descends into the sappy dialogue and thought processes of a swooning nymphette." Serendipity House also received the site's highest rating for plot, characters, and writing style.

Serendipity House is about a young woman who's a pleaser. She did as her mother pleased, and she did as her fiance pleased. Then she did as she pleased. Determined to take back her life, she heads to the hills instead of the altar on the day she's to wed. Coming across a quaint, country inn with an intriguing name, she impulsively checks in. Peopled with an odd assortment of characters, the inn has clearly seen better days; even the regulars have a bit of wear on them. When Alex arrives and is strangely comfortable vacationing among the geriatric set, Sylvie is wary and tries to ignore him.

But Alex will not be ignored, pushing her buttons until she admits, if only to herself, that she's falling for him. Not until she's hired to manage the inn does she learn he's not the businessman he pretends to be, but a streetwise PI hired by her ex to find her. Adding insult to injury, he buys the inn and asks for her help in restoring it to its former glory, not an easy task with someone sabotaging their efforts.

Serendipity House is available for Kindle, Nook, iPad, and other e-readers at most online bookstores. Please visit Ms. DeBacco's website at joycedebacco.com for information about her other books and to read sample chapters.