Review Tuesday: Through the Red Door by Sadira Stone - #ReviewTuesday #LoveTriangle #FirstNovels

Through the Red Door by Sadira Stone

2^nd Edition, February 2025

Book Nirvana was a labor of love.

Clara and her husband Jared followed their hearts in creating their quirky, authentic bookstore in the college town of Eugene, Oregon, where they first met. The store offers variety, personal attention and a cozy environment, supervised by the requisite shop feline Lulu. It also houses an extensive collection of erotic literature that Jared accumulated over the years, safely locked away in an opulent sanctum behind a red-painted door.

When Jared is suddenly snatched from her life in a fatal accident, however, Clara finds the store has become another burden to bear along with her devastating grief. Almost a year after the tragedy, sales are down and predatory developers are hovering like vultures, valuing profit over culture and community. If she can’t manage to improve her bottom line, she’s going to lose the dream she and Jared built together.

Then a swoon-worthy Berkeley sociology professor shows up at Book Nirvana, drawn by the reputation of the erotica room. Nick’s working on his own book and finds a wealth of material behind the red door. From the first, he makes no secret of the fact that he’s equally interested in the shop’s owner. Nick reawakens feelings that Clara hasn’t experienced in a long time, but at the same time she feels that she’s cheating on her lost spouse.

Meanwhile her employees introduce her to Dalton, a gentle, athletic high school teacher who makes her feel comfortable and cherished rather than aroused and guilty.

As the anniversary of Jared’s death approaches, Clara must decide whether she’s ready to love again – and if she is, which man she will choose.

Through the Red Door was, I believe, Sadira Stone’s first published book. Though she has done extensive rewriting and editing for this new edition, the passion that often characterizes first novels illuminates this sensitive and heart-felt romance. Clara’s grief feels achingly real. The little games she plays, looking for signs from Jared to guide her daily decisions, make a lot of sense. They’re coping mechanisms, helping her accept and deal with a sorrow so deep that it leaves her feeling helpless.

Nick is appealing but realistically flawed. A widower himself, he understands, to some extent, what Clara has gone through. Since he lost his wife to cancer, though, he had a chance to say goodbye to his Diana, unlike Clara whose heart was ripped open without warning. He’s a bit conceited as well as hot-headed, characteristics that undermine his chances with Clara.

Dalton’s sweet, solid and nurturing. Although he has suffered through a difficult divorce, he trusts his heart. He’s not exciting, though, especially compared to Nick. Though the author labels the story as a love triangle, the outcome is never really in doubt. In romance novels, the heroine always ends up with the man who makes her heart race.

Like all the other Sadira Stone books I’ve read, Through the Red Door celebrates the strength of community and the joys of friendship. Ms. Stone’s settings have a richness and depth that I love. I also enjoy the way she weaves her tales around the occupations, ambitions and dreams of the characters. Romantic love is important in their lives, but it’s not the only thing that matters.

Aside from the asymmetry between Nick and Dalton, which rather spoiled the suspense, I wholeheartedly enjoyed Through the Red Door. It’s a premonition of all the wonderful romance that the author has written since.