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A Second Chance
Lunch Tales: Teagan follows a woman grieving the loss of her husband and adapting to being a single parent who, through this crisis, is reunited with her first love, and dares to think she could find love again. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for the setup of Lunch Tales: Teagan started with her best friend Suellen’s book, where we first meet Teagan. The inability to have children and the financial burden of fertility treatments were causing problems in Teagan’s marriage. She didn’t think she could ever get over not being able to have a child, while her husband Mike, said that she was enough for him, and thus began a clash in their marital partnership. Eventually, Mike gets on board with Teagan’s wish to adopt, and just as their threesome has blossomed in the best way, Mike is killed in a car accident, and Teagan finds herself a single parent at the start of her story. Since I write realistic fiction, many of my themes come from real-life stories. Teagan’s story is a blend of several occurrences I pondered, and I wanted to give it the respect I would give anyone in a similar scenario. The purpose of my stories is to inspire and instill hope.
There was a lot of time spent crafting the character traits in this novel. What was the most important factor for you to get right in your characters?
I had a head start because Suellen’s book included Teagan’s work friends, which gave me a basis to build upon. As for Teagan’s family, I have Irish friends who helped me with the particular traits of an Irish family. Our closeness, coupled with several interviews, gave me confidence that I would get it right.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Teagan’s experience highlights the strength found in the backing of friends and family, while I also explored adoption as a positive option. The most uplifting and charming theme is a romance that offers a second chance.
Will there be a third book in the Lunch Tales series? If so, who will the story focus on?
The third installment of the Lunch Tales series will feature Carol and is currently in early development.
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Pushing her son’s stroller on a summer day, thirty-six-year-old Teagan Quinn has no reason to think a big change is looming-the kind that happens in a mind-blowing instant. Nothing could prepare her for a shocking heartbreak.
Gripped by the trauma and grief of suddenly becoming a single parent, Teagan leans heavily on her lunch friends and lively Irish family for support. But when something ends, something usually begins-and Officer Luke Pisani walks back into Teagan’s life. Not just any old friend, he was her idealistic first. The man who got away.
As the grieving months go by, Luke is there at every turn, and gradually, old attraction reignites. But as ambivalent feelings challenge Teagan’s new beginning, a series of hurtful anonymous notes arrive, each angrier than the one before it.
With grit and urgency, Teagan must summon her inner sleuth before the letters poison one of the best things that could happen to her-learning to love again.
Lunch Tales: Teagan
From the very first page of Lunch Tales: Teagan, I was pulled straight into Teagan Quinn’s world. The book begins with warmth, ease, and a glimpse into a contented life, marriage, motherhood, and family. Then suddenly, that life is shattered. Her husband dies in a freak accident, and we follow her through the crushing grief that follows. We see her try to put one foot in front of the other. There’s love, loss, friendship, heartbreak, and a tentative hope that life can still hold beauty, even when it feels like the world has gone cold. The story unfolds through Teagan’s eyes as she faces widowhood, single motherhood, and the slow, painful path toward healing.
Reading this felt like listening to a friend spill her heart. Teagan’s voice is honest. Author Lucille Guarino doesn’t palliate grief. It’s raw, messy, and stretches out longer than you’d think. What I loved most is that she doesn’t turn Teagan into a saint. She’s angry. She’s tired. She lashes out. She feels selfish. She feels broken. But she keeps trying, and that’s what makes her feel real. The writing is clean, almost conversational. At times it’s quietly poetic, but mostly it’s grounded, warm, and intimate. And while the story could easily slip into melodrama, it doesn’t. The emotions feel earned. I laughed. I cried. I caught my breath in parts. There were scenes I had to reread just to sit with the weight of them.
What surprised me was how much I came to love the side characters. Suellen, Bridget, even Luke. Everyone felt like someone I’d met in real life. The friendships, especially among the lunch moms, were such a balm. They held her up when she couldn’t stand. And while there’s a flicker of new romance by the end, it’s not rushed or forced. It’s more like a door left slightly open. The book isn’t about moving on. It’s about moving forward. There’s a big difference. And Guarino nails that. She doesn’t give us a fairytale. She gives us the slow, stumbling rhythm of real healing.
I’d recommend Lunch Tales: Teagan to anyone who’s ever had to start over when they didn’t want to. It’s a gentle, moving story for readers who crave depth and feeling over plot twists and speed. I found that the book reminded me somewhat of The Light We Lost in its raw emotional core, and it had echoes of Still Me with its theme of rebuilding life, though it carries a gentler, more hopeful tone overall. I think this book is for women who understand how complicated love is. And how precious.
Pages: 288 | ASIN : B0FR582BPJ
LITERARY TITAN 