When Betsy Ray arrives in New York after a tour of Europe, her old flame Joe Willard is waiting at the dock. Before he even says hello, he asks Betsy to marry him. They've been seperated for a year, and they're determined never to be apart again.

But as Betsy discovers, marriage isn't all candlelight, kisses, and roses. There's cooking, ironing, and budgeting as well - not to mention forging her career as a writer! For Betsy, the writing part comes naturally, but cooking is another matter. It's even harder than algebra - and much messier.

Luckily Betsy Ray - make that Betsy Willard - has always thrived on challenge. Her name may have changed, but her life remains as full of love and laughter as it's been since she was a little girl living on Hill Street in the first of the classic Betsy-Tacy books.

It began a bit repetitively, but then I got caught up in the trials and tribulations of Tib's love life. While I don't think Betsy and Tacy ishould have meddled, it made for a good story! I also enjoyed hearing their perspective on World War I. ( )

I liked this much more than I did earlier in life. Betsy has finally grown up and, though she really needs to let Tib do her own thing, she wasn't quite as superficial as the earlier books. ( )

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A quick reread before a local Maud event. I forget how much I always liked the end of this favorite series, it just completes everything so well. As an adult, I appreciate the deft hand Lovelace uses to help Betsy overcome her feelings about Aunt Ruth coming to live with them. In fact, as a kid, I always thought it was a much larger part of the story than it turns out to be. The specter of war in Europe really shadows the whole book, but as newlyweds, Betsy and Joe probably speak of it as much as any couple of the time. ( )