Passports and Plum Blossoms
by Barbara Oliverio
Annalise Fontana is feeling blue with no job, no boyfriend, and packed among her childhood memories in her parents' home. What could be more enticing than the opportunity to serve as a companion to her elderly Auntie Lil on a senior citizens' tour of China (with a side trip to Singapore)?She digs out her passport and packs her bags and assumes that she's in for a tranquil Jane Austenesque journey. Nothing could be further from the truth as the trip takes a turn before they even leave the country. What follows is a lively journey with a cast of quirky travel companions who are anything but dull. The Fontana girls immediately fit in to the festive group. While visiting heart-stopping sights, Annalise also has her heart begin pounding faster as she meets a number of charming young men.But who is the mysterious, brooding stranger who seems to pop up on the streets of Singapore, in Beijing's Forbidden City, and stays on her mind at the Great Wall of China?