To say this is a riveting story is to put it mildly!  It grabs your attention from the very first page and moves you along just like the flowing river.  An act of unprovoked violence changes 5 year old Jacci Reed’s life forever.  As a child she is grieving and overwhelmed by the death of her mother.  Her father comes and goes out of her life unpredictably so he cannot take her.  She is left in the care of her grandfather, Duke, who had rarely been involved in her life. He was an actor on the Kingston Floating Palace showboat. 

The story fast forwards to 15 years later where she has grown into a young woman and the star of the Palace. Jacci is as sweet and innocent as she is beautiful.  Her life is content and happy.  She has wondered about her past but no one will tell her the truth. Circumstances come about and the secrets of her past can no longer be kept. Her life is even in danger.

This was a fantastic story in many ways.  Learning about life on a showboat in the 1800’s was so interesting.  The day in and day out commitment of performers living out their lives on a floating home intrigued me.  I assumed there would be a great deal of boredom but I learned about their peace and contentment. I was touched by the closeness of the performers and crew members. They every bit family although most were not blood related.   Their warmth and devotion to one another made me feel a sense of belonging.

One of my favorite characters was Aunt Tildy, the elderly black cook on the boat.  She kept everyone in line and was no nonsense but very loving and tender hearted.  I enjoyed the many nuggets of wisdom she shared and her strong faith in God.  The special treats she fixed for everyone after a show created such a family atmosphere.

I loved the suspense and mystery and especially the surprise ending! This story is filled with faith, forgiveness, loyalty and finding unexpected love.  As I write this review I can picture myself standing on the deck of the boat, watching the river flow by and even going to sleep the rocking of the boat.

I received this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for an honest review.  The opinions stated are my own.

Poor Lillian’s world is turned upside down. She has grown up under the impression that she was an orphan and her father died years ago,   Suddenly she receives the news he has recently died and left her a fortune.  Good news right?  Except for the fact she learns she is illegitimate and her mother has hidden the truth.

She sets off alone (at her mother’s direction) to his hometown, a small, isolated community to claim her inheritance.  Keep in mind she has been kept tightly under her mother’s control all this time.  She is excited and nervous.  Upon arrival she finds out there are people living in his-her home claiming it will soon be theirs. This becomes a whirlwind of experiences, even meeting family she never knew she had.

She finds her “fortune” is not as easy to obtain as she thought.  There are more questions than answers and trouble rears its ugly head. 

I felt sorry for Lillian. She had zero life experience in anything, certainly not people out of high society with their rigid rules.  It was hard to see her try to operate with the shallowness of those she had been raised with.  How wonderful itr it was when she began to accept and understand down to earth people and develop tangible relationships.  She began to look outside of the tiny box of her previous life and truly dream.

At first I thought Jonah just a surly bitter young man.  I tried to step back and see things from his perspective.  My heart warmed as I saw his true self be revealed and his affection for Lillian to grow. Jonah’s mother was a delight.  Her strong faith in God, hardworking ethic and joyful attitude amazed me.  I enjoyed every line written about her. I was pleasantly surprised at the all the twists and turns in the story.  There was so much mystery and unexpected developments!  It definitely kept me turning the pages long into the night.  I enjoyed this so much I also plan to read the author’s other book, The Secrets of Emberwild. 

I received this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for an honest review.  The opinions stated are my own.

Emily Leland was definitely experiencing the old adage, “When it rains it pours”.

Her husband dies suddenly in a bar altercation. Feeling a bit guilty as she is actually relieved because of years of abuse she had suffered at his hand.  Then she gets word her mother has passed away.  She rushes home to a chilly reception from her sister Louisa.  She is shocked to find out none the weekly letters she had written the past 14 months since marrying and moving away had been received.   Everyone assumed she had abandoned and rejected the family, breaking her mother’s heart. Waiting for her father to come home, and decides to go in search of him.  She ends up at the barn only to discover his lifeless body hanging from a rope! Everyone, even the sheriff thinks it was suicide but Emily has no doubt her father was murdered. She stayed true to her conviction no matter how much opposition she faced.

The final blow is the realization her and her sister are left practically destitute.   

Against her sisters very strong opposition she decides to turn their home into a boarding house. Craig Harrison and his very young son, Noah, had arrived in town to find the place they would live, the widow Carmichael’s, had just burned to the ground.  Presto!  Two instant boarders!

Emily is very untrusting and leery of Craig but finds herself totally smitten with his son.  This hurting unlikely group of people becomes a family.  As time goes on she begins to see Craig as everything her husband wasn’t.  Their friendship grows and he joins her in the quest to find her father’s killer.

I admired Emily’s fortitude and strength to look past her problems and sorrow to accomplish what was needed for the better of everyone.  She was so selfless. I enjoyed watching her gradually overcome the lies she believed about herself and others.  Craig also had some misconceptions about his life and was traveling the same path of healing.  I loved the grandmotherly role Mrs. Carmichael took in Noah’s life. 

Along with all these character’s personal struggles and interactions is the unfolding mystery of who killed Emily’s father.  Her search for the murderer keeps the reader on their toes with the excitement, unexpected developments, and a surprise ending!   I look forward to reading the next book in this series!

I received this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for an honest review.  The opinions stated are my own.