Saturday 21 March 2015

Review: The Memory House by Linda Goodnight


New York Times bestselling author Linda Goodnight welcomes you to Honey Ridge, Tennessee, and a house that's rich with secrets and brimming with sweet possibilities

Memories of motherhood and marriage are fresh for Julia Presley--though tragedy took away both years ago. Finding comfort in the routine of running the Peach Orchard Inn, she lets the historic, mysterious place fill the voids of love and family. No more pleasure of a man's gentle kiss. No more joy in hearing a child call her Mommy. Life is calm, unchanging...until a stranger with a young boy and soul-deep secrets shows up in her Tennessee town and disrupts the loneliness of her world.

Julia suspects there's more to Eli Donovan's past than his motherless son, Alex. There's a reason he's chasing redemption and bent on earning it with a new beginning in Honey Ridge. Offering the guarded man work renovating the inn, she glimpses someone who--like her--has a heart in need of restoration. But with the chance discovery of a dusty stack of love letters buried within the lining of an old trunk, the long-dead ghosts of a Civil War romance envelop Julia and Eli, connecting them to the inn's violent history and challenging them both to risk facing yesterday's darkness for a future bright with hope and healing.


Paperback, 384 pages
Expected publication: March 31st 2015 by HQN Books
 
Terri's Thoughts
 
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher HQN Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is March 31st 2015.

This story was a little bit of a surprise for me.  While I was expecting a story of redemption and starting over I was not expecting to read the story of Charlotte during the civil war in parallel with Julia and Eli's story.  I was very pleased with this as it is the type of story that I tend to gravitate towards and enjoy.

There are many themes explored throughout this book.  Grief, forgiveness, love and responsibility to name just a few.  They were woven together so seamlessly that I was actually surprised when I came to the end of the story.  It simply did not feel like I had been reading it long enough to complete it.

I will refrain from discussing the plot as I think the synopsis does a good job at capturing what the story is about.  All I will say is that I was along for the journey and felt the emotions of the characters as they forged forward in their lives.  Eli's son Alex adds a dimension to the story that is at times heartbreaking and other times a complete joy.

This is the first time I have read one of Linda Goodnight's work and I think that after this I will seek out other novels she has written.  I enjoyed this read.

 
 
About the Author
 
      NY Times and USA Bestseller, Linda Goodnight writes novels to touch the heart as well as to entertain. Her emotional stories of hope have won the RITA , the Carol, the Reviewer’s Choice, and numerous other industry awards. A small town girl, Linda remains close to her roots, making her home in rural Oklahoma. She and husband have a blended family of eight, including two teenagers recently adopted from Ukraine. Many of her books are about family and children and rightly so, as she draws her deeply emotional stories from her surroundings, her great love of family, and from personal experiences as a nurse and teacher.
 
Twitter:  Lindagoodnight


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