About the book:
This historic home holds the keys to their destiny . . . and their hearts
Abandoned
at birth, her family roots a mystery, historical museum curator Sloane
Kelley has dedicated her life to making sure others know theirs. When a
donor drops off a dusty old satchel, she doesn’t expect much from the
common artifact . . .until she finds real treasure inside: a
nineteenth-century diary. Now she’s on the hunt to find out more.
Garrett
Anderson just wanted to clean out his grandmother’s historic but
tumbledown farmhouse before selling it to fund her medical care. With
her advancing Alzheimer’s, he can’t afford to be sentimental about the
family home. But his carefully ordered plan runs up against two
formidable obstacles: Sloane, who’s fallen in love with both the diaries
and the house, and his own heart, which is irresistibly drawn to
Sloane.
A
century and a half earlier, motherless Annabelle Collins embarks with
her aunt and uncle on the adventure of a lifetime: settling the prairies
of Sedgwick County, Kansas. The diaries she left behind paint a
portrait of life, loss, and love—and a God who faithfully carries her
through it all. Paging through the diaries together takes Sloane and
Garrett on a journey they never could have planned, which will change
them in ways they never imagined.
This
warm, beautifully written split-time novel will resonate with readers
looking for stories that reveal the beauty of God’s plan for our lives,
and how our actions ripple for generations.
My review:
I absolutely loved this book! Split-time fiction is one of my favorite genres and I loved the genealogy aspect of finding diaries in your home and not knowing who the person was who wrote them and deciding to figure it out. It was fascinating learning about life back in the 1800s and discovering who the writer of the diaries was. I loved the twist of how she was connected. I also loved how genealogy was brought in with Sloane being adopted and wanting to discover who her birth mother was. She had issues from being abandoned and had a hard time allowing people or God too close while Garrett was so focused on having a plan that he overlooked what God could be doing. They were both Christians but were letting their pasts dictate their futures. The romance in both time periods was wonderfully romantic and I also loved that music was a big part of the contemporary story, especially jazz as you don't see that too often. This was an amazing debut with wonderful writing and I highly recommend it!
I received this book free from Read with Audra and Kregel Publications. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own.
About the author:
Amanda
Wen is an award-winning writer of inspirational romance and split-time
women’s fiction. She has placed first in multiple writing contests,
including the 2017 Indiana Golden Opportunity, the 2017 Phoenix Rattler,
and the 2016 ACFW First Impressions contests. She was also a 2018 ACFW
Genesis Contest finalist.
Wen
is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and regularly
contributes author interviews for their Fiction Finder feature. She also
frequently interviews authors for her blog and is a contributor to the
God Is Love blog. Her debut novel, Roots of Wood and Stone, releases from Kregel Publications on February 2, 2021.
In
addition to her writing, Wen is an accomplished professional cellist
and pianist who frequently performs with orchestras, chamber groups, and
her church’s worship team. She serves as a choral accompanist as well. A
lifelong denizen of the flatlands, Wen lives in Kansas with her
patient, loving, and hilarious husband, their three adorable Wenlets,
and a snuggly Siamese cat.
To find Amanda Wen’s blog and short stories, visit www.amandawen.com. Readers can also follower her on Facebook (@AuthorAmandaWen), Twitter (@AuthorAmandaWen), and Instagram (@authoramandawen).
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