Fireworks Over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff

Fireworks over Toccoa, by Jeffrey Stepakoff, is a charming love story.  The story takes place at the end of World War II.  The soldiers are returning home and the world is full of possibility for the anxious families waiting at home.  Lily, a twenty-year old bride, is preparing her home for her husband's homecoming.  They'd been married only two weeks before he left and she has never really had the opportunity to be a wife.

Lily is torn between the expectations on her as the daughter of a state senator, a society wife, and her own hopes and dreams.  She is trapped into what everyone wants her to be.  When she meets a man, in town for the celebration fireworks, her life is changed.  He offers her adventure, romance, and an opportunity to escape her overbearing mother.  She struggles between what she knows she should do and what her heart wants.

I enjoyed this book, even if I wasn't completely satisfied by the end.  It reminds me of a Nicholas Sparks novel with rich characters and a setting that I could picture so easily in my mind.  Lily changes with each chapter.  My first thought was that she was a spoiled princess who always got her way.  In the end, she's a woman who fights for what she needs and wants in life.  It's worth a read.  I recommend it.