This was so good! Wonderfully written and a book that kept me flipping the pages. I love gothic fairy tales and this really caught the essence of those stories.

Hotel on Shadow Lake is a beautifully written mystery/historical fiction story! Daniela Tully's debut novel is a must read!

Hotel on Shadow Lake is one of those memorable books that will stay with you for a long time. It’s historical fiction that will make you cry as Maya uncovers the secrets surrounding her grandmother’s life and death. It’s a wonderfully powerful read.

This is a duel story line, one of Maya traveling to New York from Germany to find out what happened when her grandmother disappeared 27 years ago, and why when she was afraid to travel. It is also the story of Hans Montgomery, the son of a wealthy German immigrant who married a French woman. In 1938 pre-World War II German, being fluent in English, French, and German was essential to being an agent working in Munich. It was through this work that Hans befriended a German working in higher places, was asked to translate codes, and fell in love with Martha, Maya's grandmother. It was how Martha, after a letter from her brother led her to New York in 1990, to find the love of her life, all to have it taken away again.

The story was a little slow in the beginning, once the history of the Montgomery Hotel and Han's letter of his time in Munich came in, I could not put the story down. If you like mystery, World War II historical fiction, forbidden love, then you will like this book. I am giving it 4 stars.

I received this copy from St. Martin's press through NetGalley, all opinions are my own.





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I thought the ideas for this book were interesting, but I struggled with the format of the story. The back and forth felt jarring, making it too easy to put the book down, and the cliff hanger-like endings to chapters were frustrating - especially because they were so intentionally misleading. I was a little angry when I realized the truth because the setup it was leading to was so opposite what I thought it would be.

There were also big segments involving a fairy tale that I thought was boring. Usually, I love fairy tales, but in this case, it was kind of pointless. I was drawn to this story because of the WWII connection, and I did find that interesting, but the modern day part of the story got a little confusing and far-fetched. The research and the travel and the weirdness at the hotel was a bit much for me to accept.

I'm very late writing this review, read the book months ago, and I gave this book three stars, so I must have liked it somewhat, but now I can only seem to remember the things I didn't like about the book. Took me a long time to read this book, which is unusual for me. In general, good story, I definitely appreciate the originality of the story, but I didn't feel as if it was told especially well.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

I couldn't resist the title when I requested this book from NetGalley. It intrigued me and seeing has how it was historical fiction mixed with current times, I was over the moon!

Admittedly, I got to it after it's publication date, but I had it in the back of my mind way before that. But - and this is kind of a big but - I had a lot of trouble getting into it. It was all over the place. I couldn't keep any of the characters or times straight. But, as I continued to read all became clear until I literally could not stop reading. It was an amazing book which tells a beautiful story. It's imaginative and creative and I truly look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was intoxicating from the very first page and almost impossible to put down. From the very start of the book, we know Maya's grandmother, Martha, goes missing in 1990 after the receipt of a letter from her twin-bother, dated December 1944, that only now has been delivered. The hook was baited. Next, we get to flash back to Nazi Germany in the late 1930's to meet Martha, her twin brother, Wolfgang, and her Mother. The author paints an incredibly vivid portrait of life for the German's under the increasing Nazi control and we follow Martha, who is decidedly against what is happening around her, even within her own family. Then, enter Siegfried, her brother's new friend. We follow Martha on her journey, and just when it's getting good...we are thrust into the current story, in 2017, and we follow her grandaughter, Maya, as she picks up the journey to determine what happened to her Grandmother. Maya's story unlocks an entirely new mystery and we, as the reader, get to start connecting the dots between the two stories...how are they connected? Just when Maya's story is starting to come together, we change voices again. This was a total page-turner, where I couldn't put the book down until I found exactly what happened to all of our characters and what the big, deep dark secrets were. This author knew exactly how to tease the story and keep you hooked. It was a fantastic read and I look forward to more stories from this author.

I received a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book. While the story goes back and forth from the past to the present, it is clear which time period in which you are currently involved. The story has some great twists and turns. The characters are well developed and you will find that you love some while despise others. Lots of personalities involved which makes for a great contrast!

I realize this was an ARC, but the fact that you simply jumped from one thought to another within a chapter without breaks (an extra space between the end of the paragraph in a previous moment to the beginning paragraph of another) made it somewhat confusing. Hopefully with the final copy you can tell that a new moment is beginning...even though it is within the same chapter.

I liked that the chapters were headed with the person's name who would be the main focus. This helped you know whether you were in the present or the past.

I have developed an insatiable appetite for all things WWII...learning all that I can about what happened during the Holocaust and the Nazi regime. I think it's important that we learn what we can so that these horrible events do not occur again during our lifetime. This book focused on just a portion of that time period. It wasn't necessarily the main focus, but became part of the story line that kept you interested and wanting to know what happened to Martha and Hans.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a historical novel with a duel timeline featuring Maya and her grandmother, Martha. Martha lives in Germany during Hitler's reign and sharply disagrees with her twin brother who thinks Hitler is the greatest man alive. Chapters vary between the 1030's, the 1990's and today. The timelines are pretty easy to keep clear and Maya and Martha both tell their stories clearly and are very emotional. I'm not a big fan of stories set in the 30's and wish the story was focused more on the present. This was an interesting read and presented information and different points of view concerning Germany in the 30's. I received a copy of the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When we first start reading we are in Germany, Hitler is in power, and soon Jews will be rounded up, their businesses destroyed. To Martha a young woman in Munich, this is something she finds appalling, her politics and thoughts aligned with her now dead father, who saw this coming. During this time she will see many things, become fearful of her twin brother Wolfgang, who fully supports Hitler. She will fall in love with a man who is not who he appears.

A dual story line, in the present day, Martha's granddaughter will get news of her grandmother's death. But not in Munich, but in upstate New York. Why was her grandmother in New York, and why was she killed? Maya will travel to New York, to the hotel her grandmother was staying at, looking for answers.

This is actually based on true events, from the authors grandmother's, notes and journals. It is a beautiful love story begun in terrible times. A rare occurrence for me, I enjoyed both stories, present and past. The future story meaningful in a different way. Secrets, always secrets, in the past out of necessity and at the hotel where some of the family of the hotel owners will do anything to keep them. A touching story of a granddaughters search for the grandmother who disappeared from her life. The events of the past will come full circle n unexpected ways.

ARC from Netgalley.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

This book was hard to like and follow but I stuck with it til the end.

Fans of historical fiction will truly enjoy this debut novel by Daniela Tully.  Events in Tully’s own family history inspired the story line of this book. This novel is set in multiple timelines but the transitions are smooth and easily navigated without confusion.  

The construction of the Berlin Wall separating East and West Germany not only divided a country but also caused an over forty year delay in the delivery of a letter written to Martha from  Woolfgang, her brother. Maya, Martha’s granddaughter, received the letter intended for her grandmother in the 1990’s. The letter prompts Maya to investigate what happened to her grandmother.  

Tully’s writing is well crafted, particularly for a first time author.  The novel contains several elements including mystery and romance among them.  I would say Hotel on Shadow Lake is a really good debut novel for Tully. I look forward to reading more by her.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the historical fiction novel.

HOTEL ON SHADOW LAKE by Daniela Tully is set in pre-war Germany, although it fast-forwards to the 1970s and today. The two main characters of this family saga are Martha and her granddaughter, Maya. As a young girl, Martha unwisely lets her doubts about the Nazis be known and suffers as a result. Years later she pushes Maya to spend a year abroad in the US, only to disappear herself. I personally found that this book seemed to start slowly and to be a bit dark – particularly the sections on Martha's youth and her brother's enthusiasm for the Fuhrer's policies. The romantic interests, changing narrators, and subsequent discovery of Martha's body on another continent adds to the confusion and menacing atmosphere. Decide for yourself; HOTEL ON SHADOW LAKE received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

I received this from netgalley.com in for a review.

Maya travels from her home in Germany to New York hoping to unravel why her grandmother died there 25 yrs earlier.

There is in-depth look at Hitler's political 'aspirations' generously sprinkled through-out the book which I think bogged down the story of Martha and Hans. It did help to understand the absolute insanity of that time but made the story feel jumbled up and harder to follow.

3☆

This had a good premise, but, for me, was poorly executed. I felt at times the story was just jumbled together and I had a hard time staying focused while reading it. I think that Ms. Tully has promise as a writer, but I'm not really sure I would read anything by her again anytime soon.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

This tale was one that I did not start liking in the beginning. It was a good thing I stuck to reading it, because it gets more involved at a later stage. We have Martha in 1990 who has received a strange letter. We are not privy to that letter, and its contents will only be revealed to us at the end. Maya is told more than a decade later that her grandmother (Martha) 's body was found near a Montgomery Resort in the USA. Maya then decides to investigate the strange circumstance and goes without a plan to the location.Things then do not go as easily as Maya could hope but she does get help from unexpected quarters. The only reason I did not warm to the story was that I am not fond of the narrative being very direct, and the mystery clues being handled in that fashion. I give this book three stars because it does start an interesting idea and involves a lot of different times and places which are woven into the story and add to its background.

HOTEL ON SHADOW LAKE is a tale inspired by the incredible true story of the author’s grandmother who was separated from her twin brother at the start of World War II.

The narrative spans several decades and takes the reader from Poland to pre-WWII Munich, Germany to upper New York circa 2017 as a young woman, Maya Weisberg, searches for answers to her Grandmother Martha’s life and death.

This family saga is a true medley of many things. Author, Daniela Tully takes us on a captivating journey involving well-documented pieces of history coupled with a trio of characters conceived by a vivid imagination and an unquestionable talent for creative storytelling. Aside from the historical aspects, the narrative contains elements of mystery, deception, and love as well as an ancient fairy tale.

This thoughtful and beautifully wrought story about how war dashes lives and unhinges moral certainty is emotionally engaging and provides the reader with plenty of food for thought.

This book was like four or five books in one with the stories all coming together at the end. I was especially intrigued by Martha's story. She was such a strong woman and it made me sad that she was unable to live the life she really wanted. Some parts of the book seemed a bit too melodramatic and convoluted, but that wasn't enough to keep me from enjoying it.

A very unusual book and interesting reading.

Hotel on Shadow Lake was a both a beautiful and a sad story. It involves the lives of two women in different years, 1938 and 2017. It's an excellent family saga.

1938 showed the horrors of living in Nazi Germany. 2017 we follow the granddaughter of the main character from 1938. I found that to be quite interesting seeing the differences between the years in the two women

There was a little bit of everything in this story besides historical fiction. Romance, suspense, secrets hidden for years, and mystery. I look forward to reading more of this authors work since this was her debut novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

*I was provided an ARC to read from the publisher and NetGalley. It was my decision to read and review this book.

Richly steeped in historical descriptions this book takes place in dual time lines. This is an emotional historical mystery presented in modern times .

Pub Date 10 Apr 2018
I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.