One Alpen Day

Not all love stories begin with confidence or clarity. One Alpen Day by Michele Davenport-Dutton explores what happens when two people meet while carrying emotional baggage they cannot simply set aside, and when timing feels as uncertain as the choices ahead.

Angela Sutton is trying to rebuild after divorce and repeated pregnancy losses have left her questioning her identity and future. Returning to help her aunt in the family bakery provides routine, but not resolution. Her quiet life changes when Mason Glade appears, a Hollywood actor seeking refuge from a painful public situation.

Mason’s estranged wife, Camila, struggles with alcoholism, and her behavior has made headlines that affect not just him but their two young children. When Camila enters rehab, Mason takes the children and their nanny away, hoping distance will offer protection and perspective. As Angela becomes part of their daily lives, Mason notices how effortlessly she connects with his children and how much he values her presence. Torn between loyalty to his marriage and the possibility of something new, Mason faces a choice with lasting consequences.

Michele Davenport-Dutton has loved reading since childhood and was once the top reader at her Montessori school in Garmisch, Germany. A lifelong fan of heartfelt love stories with happy endings, she finally brought her own story to the page with this debut novel. Michele earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Management from CSUB before putting her career on hold to raise her family, spending nearly 30 years as a stay-at-home mom. Now fulfilling a long-held dream of becoming an author, she lives in Shafter, California, with her husband, Chris. Together they have eight adult children and seven grandchildren, with hopes for many more. Visit Michele on Instagram.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/460BAhC

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/206186582-one-alpen-day

My review:

4.25 The perfect winter read with a great take on a small town that felt refreshing, cozy, and desirable to visit (inspired by real locations). Very uplifting with a going-home journey of healing, fresh pastries, and morning coffee at the base of the German Alps' snowy mountains with its Bavarian enchantment.

Loved her deeply by hurt desire for family and motherhood, the pain of the steps that led her there, and that the famous actor actually just wanted a quiet family life. It was such a cozy and great escape (for me) in these -31 Chicago temperatures. I could picture a mountain outside the window, and I wished I could own my own bakery.

It's very cinematic in some chapters. The boat scene towards the end is delightful and stays in our minds.

What’s a detail, theme, or clue in your book that most readers might miss on the first read—but you secretly hope someone notices? 

Mason’s estranged wife always wears gold- glittered costumes for her rodeo shows. Angela, the protagonist, has Emerald green eyes. The last line of the book has Mason thinking, All that glitters isn’t gold. All that glitters is Emerald green. 

When did this story or idea “click” into place for you—was there a single moment you knew you had to write it? 

My sons went on a weekend  Boy Scout camping trip with their dad. He took our five-year-old daughter with them. I was all alone at home (a rare treat) and thought, “I want to write a book.” I grabbed my notebook and a pen and the characters just came to me. The setting unfolded and yet it took years in the making of writing this novel, having been a stay-at-home mom was my top priority. I’m happy to see my little novel finally come into fruition. 

Which character or real-life person surprised you the most while writing this book, and why?

Opa, my grandpa. Although he passed on many years ago, at the ripe old age of 93, every time I read the last two chapters of my book pertaining to him, I cry. No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader, right? 

If your book had a soundtrack, what three songs would be on it and what scenes or moments would they pair with? 

“Everything that Glitters is Not Gold,” (sung by Mason, while he’s strumming his guitar in the alps. That song hits me hard) 

“Edelweiss” and “The Sound of Music,” because of the majestic alps in the background. 

What’s one belief, question, or emotional truth you hope readers carry with them long after they finish your book? 

Finding healing from loss. Love and connection help people grow. Love is better the second time around. 

If your protagonist (or the central figure in your nonfiction) could give the reader one piece of advice, what would it be? 

Love triumphs over fear. Love conquers all. 

What real-world place, object, or memory helped shape a key element in your book? 

The setting in the Garmisch/Grainau is where I lived as a young girl. My Opa would hold my hand as I skipped to the train station where we’d watch the trains coming and going. 

What’s something you had to research, learn, or experience to write this book that genuinely shocked you? 

Researching miscarriages and how it affects women deeply, the trauma they endure. 

If your book were invited to join a shelf with two other titles, which ones would make you happiest—and what would that shelf say about your story?

Jane Porter’s Christmas at Copper Mountain and Julie Olivia’s If it Makes You Happy. The shelf would say “Come over, stay a while. Let me take you on an armchair adventure you won’t want to miss.”