Joanna Innes

Torn Joanna Innes

In book three of the series, Professor Lydia Drexel is the newly elected dean of Spring Valley College. She exhilarated by her vision for the school, but she worries. Will jealousy, greed and other unseen forces limit her? Will she be thwarted by those who do not fully trust a woman or an artist to lead? Before Lydia embarks on the challenges on her job, her protege Bryce and his fiancee Kathy ask for help with their wedding plans. Not surprisingly, the young couple cannot agree on many of the details associated with the big event. Despite John's advice, Lydia cannot refrain from becoming involved. Lydia's first challenge as dean threatens to alienate the athletic department, and her friend Prof. Ellen Moffett hammers her for ignoring Keller Hall, an abandoned building with great potential as an arts center. Weaving through the tangle of complexities at the college, Lydia is hit with a major health problem. Depleted, she soon finds herself struggling to meet the demands of her job while supplying paintings for her New York gallery owner. Physical and emotional turmoil ensues, but ultimately, they define a family in a way Lydia and John could not have imagined.