REBECCA'S REVIEW:
"You mean move there? To Michigan?"
After the tragic deaths of their three children, Dr. John Wagner and his wife Hannah have the opportunity for a fresh start, miles away from Brooklyn, New York where their once happy memories incessantly taunt them. Moving to the untamed forests of Michigan, where lumber baron Henry Abernathy is making quite a name for himself and amassing an enormous fortune in the process, might be exactly what they need, a fresh start. Henry promised to provide the couple with a brand new home and was convinced that his very young wife would benefit from a friend like Hannah to guide her through the intricacies of social etiquette. Sadly, a few years later Kate Abernathy mysteriously disappears, never to be seen again.
The mistress of the famed, but deteriorating Michigan mansion had vanished without a trace, igniting Ashley Gilbert's double love of history and restoration, more convinced than ever that her husband's new job as a conservationist has brought them to a place they could finally call home. Naturally the relative newlyweds are still finding their rhythm and Ashley's lack of income as a volunteer in the Abernathy renovation project is a sore spot for her husband, who urges her to seek employment right away and hit pause on the notion of starting a family.
Three women, separated by over a century, converge as Ashley's motivation to help restore the beautiful property with a storied history grows in intensity, while quietly discovering a new love in her heart through the quiet testimony of an unexpected friend, much like Kate and Hannah had experienced so many years prior. Grief. Guilt. Generosity. Faith. Forgiveness. Family.
A wonderful dual timeline with carefully constructed characters who populate an unsolved mystery!
*I purchased a copy and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.
BackCover Blurb:
When
the young wife of a powerful lumber baron vanishes into the wilds of
frontier Michigan, her friend is left to unravel the truth in this
captivating dual-timeline novel from bestselling author Lynn Austin.
1873.
After a devastating loss, Hannah Wagner never imagined she’d leave her
comfortable home for the harsh, unfamiliar wilderness near Lake
Michigan. But when Henry Abernathy―a friend of her husband, John―offers
them a fresh start in a booming lumber town, where John’s skills as a
doctor are sorely needed, Hannah reluctantly agrees. There, she meets
Kate, Henry’s spirited, much younger wife. Kate’s sharp tongue and
outsider status have made her unwelcome among the town’s elite, and when
she begins confiding in Hannah, it’s clear her marriage is not what it
seems . . . and that a secret from her past could destroy everything.
Present
day. Ashley Gilbert never planned to settle in Michigan, but when her
husband lands his dream job as a conservationist, she agrees to follow.
While restoring their historic home―built in the 19th century for a
doctor and his wife―Ashley becomes captivated by its past and its
connection to the nearby Abernathy mansion, now being transformed into a
museum. While volunteering with the restoration, she stumbles upon the
unsolved mystery of Kate Abernathy’s disappearance.
What
begins as curiosity soon becomes a quest for the truth―one that will
connect her to two women whose stories and struggles echo and inspire
her own.Standalone historical fiction about marriage, grief, and the
power of female friendships from the author of All My Secrets and Long Way Home
-A
richly layered Christian women’s fiction novel with elements of
mystery, perfect for fans of Martha Hall Kelly, Kristy Cambron, and
Susan Meissner
-Includes discussion questions for book clubs
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